CLEVELAND, May 21, 2026 /3BL/ – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), today announced a new collaboration with SPORTx at Arizona State University (ASU) and GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY) that lays the foundation for student-athlete education and activation opportunities relative to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).
SPORTx Venture Studio built with GoDaddy will be recognized as NACDA’s Annual and Convention sponsor ahead of the 2026 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas, while also sponsoring the Senior Administrators Mentoring Institute and providing educational programming for Convention attendees this June.
“One of the primary factors driving the new landscape of intercollegiate athletics is NIL, and it is important for NACDA to provide our members with the right tools to help them navigate this space on their campuses,” said Pat Manak, chief executive officer at NACDA. “This new collaboration with Arizona State University and GoDaddy provides athletics administrators and student-athletes with previously untapped resources from industry experts, allowing them to reach their full potential inside and outside of sport.”
The collaboration builds on the successful launch of the SPORTx Venture Studio built with GoDaddy at Arizona State University during the 2025 academic year. Initially launched to support ASU student-athletes through entrepreneurial education, mentorship, venture development and digital enablement tools, the initiative has since generated meaningful insights around how institutions can better support student-athletes at scale through accessible, compliant and career-focused programming.
“College athletics is evolving rapidly, and we believe institutions have a tremendous opportunity to empower student-athletes with tools and experiences that extend far beyond sport,” said Jeff Kunowski, founding director of SPORTx at Arizona State University. “Through our collaboration with GoDaddy, we’ve seen firsthand how entrepreneurship, digital ownership and proactive career development can unlock confidence and long-term opportunity for student-athletes. We’re excited to collaborate with NACDA to share those insights and help support athletics administrators across the country.”
Through the collaboration, SPORTx at ASU and GoDaddy will share learnings, resources and practical frameworks with NACDA members to help institutions create stronger pathways for student-athlete development beyond traditional NIL transactions. Areas of focus include entrepreneurial mindset development, digital identity ownership and brand development, career readiness, mentorship and equitable access to modern business-building tools and technologies.
“As NIL continues to evolve, the real opportunity isn’t just in what student-athletes can earn; it’s in what they can build,” said Jared Sine, chief strategy and legal officer at GoDaddy. “We’re focused on the whole student-athlete, because all will go pro in something outside of their sport at some stage, and they deserve access to the tools and education that make that next chapter beyond athletics possible. That’s what GoDaddy’s purpose means in practice: making opportunity more inclusive for all so anyone with an idea can thrive. Through our partnership with NACDA, we’re expanding the SPORTx Venture Studio Built with GoDaddy nationwide so athletics departments of every size can benefit from innovative resources that help empower their student-athlete community.”
Through its sponsorship of the Mentoring Institute, SPORTx Venture Studio built with GoDaddy will have the opportunity to directly connect with the next wave of athletics directors across the country and collaborate to find ways to enhance the student-athlete experience at their institutions. This is a structured, accessible program designed to help student-athletes take a proactive, entrepreneurial approach to their NIL while building a lasting digital foundation.
SPORTx Venture Studio built with GoDaddy will host a panel discussion with an NIL focus designed for all NACDA & Affiliates Convention attendees on Monday, June 8 at 9 a.m. They will also have a dedicated session during the Mentoring Institute on Wednesday, June 10, in addition to the fall portion of the Institute, scheduled for September 20-22 in St. Louis, Mo.
NACDA & Affiliates members can look forward to additional information and resources throughout the 2026-27 academic year from SPORTx Venture Studio built with GoDaddy in areas including but not limited to:
- Providing equitable access to digital tools and resources for all student-athletes
- Supporting student-athlete career development and life skills beyond sport
- Enabling structured, compliant engagement with NIL opportunities
- Complementing existing programming with practical, applied tools
- Sharing scalable frameworks and educational resources for athletics departments
- Empowering student-athletes to build digital brands, ventures and professional pathways
About NACDA: Now in its 61st year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 24,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,300 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 19 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts and/or has a presence at seven major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.
About SPORTx at ASU: SPORTx at Arizona State University, anchored within the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, is the university’s sports innovation engine – uniting athletics, academia, and industry to empower a broad innovation ecosystem. Through its core pillars of venture development, athlete engagement, and innovation ecosystem building, SPORTx creates structured pathways for founders and student-athletes to access mentorship, funding, education, and real-world opportunities. For more information, visit sportx.asu.edu
About GoDaddy: GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain name registrar, helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company’s AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.
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