What do brands get wrong about NIL?In this episode of NIL Edge, we sit down with Lisa Hagee, Chief Marketing Officer at Winmark (Play It Again Sports, Plato’s Closet, Once Upon A Child, Style Encore, and Music Go Round), to break down how brands can approach athlete partnerships in a more authentic and effective way.

From her experience leading marketing at companies like Best Buy, Great Clips, and now Winmark, Lisa shares how Play It Again Sports has built NIL strategies rooted in storytelling, community, and real athlete journeys, not just impressions and reach.

We explore what brands should prioritize when working with athletes, how NIL is shifting from transactional to relationship-driven, and why the early stages of an athlete’s journey matter more than most marketers realize.Whether you’re a brand, NIL director, student-athlete, or parent, this episode offers a clear look at where NIL is headed and how to do it right.In this episode, we cover:
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• Why authenticity matters more than follower count
• How brands can build meaningful athlete partnerships
• The role of storytelling in NIL campaigns
• How NIL is evolving from endorsements to collaboration
• Why the early athlete journey is the biggest opportunity

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Watch or listen to the full episode below. All episodes are available to watch on Youtube and listen on Spotify. NIL Edge is also available on Apple and NIL Newsstand.

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The NIL landscape is evolving fast. This is where leaders come to get the edge.

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