College of Oregon middle-distance runner Matti Erickson had a standout 2024 monitor season, making waves as one in all Canada’s high up-and-coming 800m athletes. In line with Citius Magazine, the 21-year-old from Nelson, B.C. has turn out to be the primary Canadian monitor athlete to signal a Title, Picture and Likeness (NIL) take care of U.S. sportswear big Nike, marking a serious milestone for Canadian athletes within the NCAA.
Erickson, who’s in his remaining yr with the Oregon Geese program, has confirmed his potential during the last three seasons by medalling within the males’s 800m on the Pac-12 championships annually. This take care of Nike permits him to proceed competing on the collegiate stage whereas incomes compensation by means of his picture and achievements.
This is a chance for NCAA athletes that wasn’t obtainable till the NIL rule change in July 2021. Whereas an NIL deal is extra restricted financially than an expert contract, it affords athletes the very best of each worlds: a path to monetizing their title whereas persevering with collegiate competitors, plus a foot within the door in the event that they flip skilled after faculty.
Simply after his 2024 NCAA season ended, Erickson clocked a private better of 1:45.74 on the Portland Observe Pageant, putting him because the ninth-fastest Canadian man over 800m in historical past. He adopted this by ending third on the Canadian Olympic Trials, solely narrowly lacking a spot on Crew Canada for Paris, ending behind Olympic silver medallist Marco Arop and rising star Zakary Mama-Yari.
Securing an NIL deal as a world pupil isn’t straightforward. Erickson navigated restrictions round incomes revenue whereas on a pupil visa, discovering an answer with the help of his coach and agent. His deal represents a breakthrough for different Canadian student-athletes looking for related alternatives within the U.S. In September, Ceili McCabe of West Virginia College turned the primary Canadian runner to signal a NIL deal within the NCAA, inking a take care of Swiss model On.
