Cal Sports Report

Launch of Cal NIL Collective Platform Announced

Former Golden Bears star Marshawn Lynch is one of the chief backers of CAlegends.com

Jake Curtis

Former Cal and NFL running back Marshawn Lynch is an integral part of the California Legends Collective's announcement on Tuesday that CAlegends.com has been launched as an NIL platform that empowers Cal athletes to obtain name, image, and likeness income opportunities.

This platform, created in partnership with Beastmode Marketing, will allow Cal fans, alumni, supporters and brands to go to the site, which is loaded exclusively with Cal athletes, and book players and teams for various services. This online platform allows the California Legends Collective to manage all aspects of its collective needs in one place.

NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) has developed into an important part of a college’s appeal to prospective athletes. Cal football coach Justin Wilcox notes in the video atop this story that NIL is part of the discussion with every recruit.

“We do talk about it, absolutely,” Wilcox said recently. “It’s part of every conversation you have, is NIL. For some guys it’s a larger part of the conversation, for some it’s smaller, but everybody, it’s a part of it.”

By partnering with Beastmode Marketing, the California Legends Collective has engaged with Lynch, a former Cal and NFL running back turned entrepreneur.

"I'm always open to finding ways to help current and future Bears,” Lynch said in a statement provided by the California Legends Collective, “and this is a really special opportunity that I had to push play on. This partnership is gonna be hella fun, and it's not just about NIL money. Our focus is also on education and sharing our experiences to help Cal athletes with financial literacy, staying healthy, brand building, being a pro, and staying connected with your community."

Lynch isn't the only former Cal great involved with the California Legends Collective. The Collective's founding advisory board members include NFL star DeSean Jackson, women’s basketball standout Layshia Clarendon, and former Cal softball star Val Arioto.

Former Cal star and current New Orleans Saints defensive end  Cameron Jordan sends his support:

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The On3.com website provides a report on how NIL collectives operate. The site also ranked the 10 most ambitious NIL collectives. Two of the top six are from the Pac-12.

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"We've been working hard to create something we could all be proud of," Kevin Kennedy, president, founding sponsor, and co-executive director of the California Legends Collective, said in a statement. "It was important to us that this be done the Cal way—in full compliance with NCAA regulations and empowering all our student-athletes to take full advantage of the vast opportunities presented by attending the world's No. 1 ranked university. We decided the best university in the world deserved the best Collective, and that's what we've created.

"To have this kind of exclusive connection to a Cal legend and one who is currently running a major sports and lifestyle brand, and marketing company is amazing and something no other school will be able to replicate. And Marshawn's industry-leading role in ensuring athletes make smart investment decisions and maximize their personal brands makes him an ideal person to spearhead our efforts. We are so grateful to have him as our partner."

Using CAlegends.com, fans can purchase California Legends Collective merchandise, book a live chat or video shout-out with a student-athlete, subscribe to support various teams, or make financial contributions. The site also empowers businesses and charities that want to hire a Cal student-athlete or marketing campaigns or to promote an event can now easily do so.

"We wanted to create maximum flexibility for our student-athletes and fans," said Kennedy. "Fans can go onto CAlegends.com and choose which Cal team, position group, or individual player they want to support financially. They can do this in various ways, by subscribing to that team, group, or player at various dollar levels and receiving unique benefits depending on the subscription amount. Do you want to attend a Cal football game with Marshawn Lynch? Well, we can make that happen for you. Fans just log on and select how they want to participate."

Stephanie Rivera, wife of former Cal All-American linebacker and current Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, is co-executive director and one of the Collective's founding sponsors.

"My husband Ron and I were both student-athletes at Cal,” she said in a statement, “so we know what a platform like this will mean for the students. Being a student-athlete at a school like Cal is itself a full-time job. These students don't have the time to hold part-time jobs, and with the new NIL regulations, they can now realize the full benefits of their association with Cal. It was essential for our collective to allow all of Cal's student-athletes, no matter their sport, to have these opportunities. At Cal, inclusivity and diversity are some of our core values, and we wanted our Collective to reflect that."

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Founded by a group of Cal alumni and fans, the California Legends Collective is an independent NIL collective. The CAlegends.com digital platform connects fans, supporters, businesses, and charitable organizations with the University of California athletes while empowering each athlete to monetize their name, image, and likeness. We are not formally associated with or sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley. To learn more, go to CAlegends.com.

Beastmode Marketing, based in Oakland, Calif., is a marketing management agency founded by Marshawn Lynch, Bryon Sheng, and Kevin Parker. Beast Mode Marketing currently represents the marketing efforts for Lynch, and current NFL players Josh Johnson, Marcus Peters, and Najee Harris. Beast Mode is rooted in building brands through authenticity and creativity at the direction of its athletes. For more information, please visit BeastModeMktg.com or follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @BeastModeMktg..

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Cover photo of Marshawn Lynch by Kirby Lynch, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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