Emeka Xavier Madubuogo on Protecting Young Athletes in the Industry

As more opportunities open up for young athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL), it's critical that they and their families understand how to navigate this complex landscape. We spoke with Emeka Xavier Madubuogo, an entertainment and sports lawyer, to get his insights and advice on how young athletes can protect themselves while maximizing their potential.

The importance of building a brand early on social media cannot be overstated in today's world. "You got to get these offers potentially by your sophomore going into your junior year," explains Madubuogo. "That means you already have already been out there. I'm talking AAU sports, you got to be in different leagues going to camps, people seeing your clips, your catches, your dunks. Everything has to be out there. So you have to be on social media."

But it's not just about the athlete posting content themselves. Madubuogo notes that "if I got to introduce myself every time I come into a room, how valuable is my name? But if I walk into a room and a million people take notice and they talk about me first, that's what it's really about. The key I always tell athletes is you post, take that post, and then have 15 other people post it for you. And then have 15 mid level blogs posted for you. Once you get it there, it's already circling."

Building a strong brand and social media presence early can translate into scholarship offers and opportunities down the line. But Madubuogo cautions that athletes and their families need to be strategic and protective when those offers start coming in.

"As a parent, I would tell people, like, the same thing. I go through my producer agreements and artist agreements with my producer clients, artist clients. I'm going through the same thing with the athletic clients, right? They're going to know when this is over. I get texts. My deal about to be up. What are we doing next?"

He advises parents to do thorough research on anyone offering to represent their child and to insist on short-term contracts with clear termination clauses. "Representation, they're always going to want to obviously have long standing clauses in there, which they help you negotiate the deal through the course of deal. They'll get money, but, hey, you have new representation for one, too. There should be clauses."

When it comes to the types of deals and brands athletes align with, Madubuogo again urges strategy and selectiveness. "Fitness is always going to be good. Mental health might be the best thing to probably get into because I can see that spear going fast. Very soon, athletes, more about mental health, they're going to need representation for that. Energy drinks are always good. Car dealerships, people sleep on the laundry mats."

He warns against getting locked into unfavorable long-term deals, especially at a young age. The importance of having experienced legal representation to review contracts cannot be overstated. "Definitely have somebody who's more experienced, not just sports, who represents a different type of writer client, who can represent all type of licensing deals," says Madubuogo. "You know what I mean? Perpetuity should be, like the one word you should never, ever have. Just click (control F) and delete everywhere."

He also cautions athletes and parents to be wary of people looking to make a quick buck off of a talented kid.

"Beware of the money grabbers. You know, people say, like, the ambulance chance lasers, like, lawyers. Ambulance chase lawyers...No, you get hurt. They got you. Well, it's a lot of them in this industry, too, you know what I mean?"

The opportunities for young athletes are immense in this new era of NIL deals, but navigating it strategically and with proper protections in place is crucial. Finding experienced legal representation to review contracts, being selective about brand alignments, and building an authentic social media presence early are all keys to success, according to Madubuogo.

"I think if you probably bring up a situation, I could probably explain a little bit," he notes. His parting advice for young athletes and their families is to come armed with lots of questions and expect thorough answers and guidance, without exorbitant fees.

"Just come with as many questions as you can and just hope that I'm in the right place and frame of mind to just talk to you, you know what I mean? I always tell people I don't got to charge for a conversation, you know what I mean?"

With the right team and approach, the NIL era offers life-changing potential for talented young athletes. But exercising caution and having a long-term strategy are essential. "It's beneficial, I think," says Madubuogo. "Also what I've noticed is we're going to enter a trend where basketball music, definitely crossover always say musicians want to be ball players and some ball players want to be musicians. I see the day where these athletes start their own agencies and they get these younger kids in high school early. I think that happens in the next two, three years."