MSU Women’s Gymnastics Team Makes History with Teamwide Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Deal

This is Sparta! collective offers history-making, game-changing opportunity to support student athletes and charitable organizations at the same time

EAST LANSING, Mich.—(Aug. 24, 2022)—In a historic move, all 19 members of the 2022-2023 women’s gymnastics team at Michigan State University have received name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts with an emphasis on charitable giving—an agreement that will strengthen Spartan athletics while empowering student-athletes to change the world.

This marks the first time in NCAA history that an entire women’s gymnastics team will receive NIL contracts of this kind and is one of the few teamwide agreements in the nation. The contracts were awarded through This is Sparta!, a collective organized by Charitable Gift America, a 501(c)3 charitable organization. In addition to the women’s gymnastics team, This is Sparta! has also entered into individual agreements with Spartan football and baseball players. 

Dr. Thomas Dieters, board president of Charitable Gift America and a proud Spartan, said that each student-athlete will choose a nonprofit organization to support, giving them the opportunity to advance the mission of charitable organizations around the country and the world.

“Spartans never settle—every day, they strive to achieve greatness and lift up those around them while making the world a better place,” he said. “This is Sparta! gives individuals a unique opportunity to support MSU Athletics and well-vetted charitable causes at the same time. It’s a game-changer that will make a difference on and off the field.”

 Dieters said This is Sparta! aligns with the passion and purpose exemplified by Spartan athletes and the fans who support them.

“Being a former Spartan student-athlete, it gives me great pleasure to not only assist these current student-athletes financially, but also impact charitable organizations around the nation,” Dieters said. “Utilizing the power of NIL contracts to impact the greater good, this places MSU and Charitable Gift America at the forefront of how a collective can make a positive impact for many.”

The women’s gymnastics team has seen an enormous amount of success in all areas of late—in addition to finishing second at the Big Ten Championships earlier this year, the team received 17 individual Scholastic All-America Award honors from the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association in August.