Official NIL Collective for UCLA Athletics Announces Restructure
LOS ANGELES – The official name, image, and likeness (NIL) collective of UCLA Athletics today announced major changes. Effective immediately, Champion of Westwood will serve as the official NIL collective supporting all UCLA student-athletes. Under the Champion of Westwood umbrella, there will be three distinct NIL funds: the existing Men of Westwood fund, which will exclusively support men’s basketball; the existing Champion of Westwood fund (“Champions Fund”) to support women’s basketball and Olympic sports; and Bruins for Life, a new arm established to focus solely on football.
This streamlined structure and focus on enhanced NIL opportunities will significantly benefit UCLA student-athletes, and support for Champion of Westwood will be recognized by the Wooden Athletic Fund and the University.
“As the NIL landscape continues to evolve, we must adapt and strengthen our partnership with the collective. This restructure is designed to bring further alignment and clarity of purpose to NIL funds, with the ultimate goal of supporting our student-athletes at an elite level,” said UCLA’s Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond. “I am grateful to our collective and our department leadership for their efforts to support our student-athletes. We all have one goal – to attract, develop and retain the best and brightest to Westwood.”
Champion of Westwood CEO Ken Graiwer will continue to oversee both the Champion and Men of Westwood funds, while Bruins for Life will be spearheaded by former UCLA Football safety and two-time Super Bowl champion James Washington and philanthropist and long time UCLA Athletics supporter John Manuck. Teri Hanneke, a former UCLA Athletics Assistant Athletics Director of Compliance, will serve as the Business Operations Assistant for Bruins for Life.
“As this organization continues to evolve, the goal is the same - to help UCLA Athletics remain competitive in the NIL era,” said Graiwer. “I am excited to expand our impact and continue bringing life-changing support to Bruin student-athletes.”
“We understand what it’s going to take for UCLA Football to win moving forward,” said Washington. “For this program, and for Coach Foster - one of our own - to be successful, the Bruin football family has to rally around NIL. Bruins for Life gives us a platform to do that.”
The role of Champion of Westwood is to empower student-athletes by securing and facilitating NIL opportunities that allow them to monetize their personal brands. UCLA Athletics will continue to provide access to an exclusive brand marketplace, the Westwood Exchange, where businesses and individuals can connect directly with student-athletes.
For more information, please visit www.championofwestwood.com and www.woodenathleticfund.com.
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