What is Athios?
Athios is a Marketplace and workflow where brands license athlete content, athletes earn license fees and performance bonuses, and schools and partners keep deals compliant.
FAQ
Every question, one place.
Answers for athletes, brands, universities, and partners.
Platform
How does licensing work?
A brand pays one fee for the content and the right to use it. If the content performs, the brand can extend the license to put paid media behind it.
How do athletes get paid?
Athletes receive the license fee, plus a performance bonus when a license is extended.
How is compliance handled?
Each deal includes the right review. College deals route through compliance officer sign off. Pro deals follow league and association rules.
Who can join Athios?
Professional and college athletes in any sport, plus high school athletes where state rules allow NIL.
How do universities work with Athios?
Universities enroll athletes in Creator Lab Academy and manage deals and approvals in one place. Partners such as agents, agencies, and collectives have their own page in the footer.
What does beta mean, and when does Athios go fully live?
The Marketplace is live today and open to early access members. We are using the beta to learn from athletes, brands, and universities before our full launch in Q1 2027.
Athletes
How do I earn money?
You earn a license fee for your content. If a brand extends the license to run paid media, you earn a performance bonus on top.
Do I keep ownership of my content?
Brands license the right to use your content for a set period.
How does compliance work for college athletes?
Each deal routes through compliance officer sign off before it goes live.
What is the difference between the Creator and Marketplace tiers?
Creator tier gives you tools to build a professional presence. Marketplace tier lets you license content and earn.
Do I have to say yes to every offer?
No. You review each offer and choose to accept or decline.
Can I get paid for appearances?
Yes. Local and regional businesses can book you for store visits, photo appearances, dinners, fan fests, camps, and events. You are paid by the hour.
What happens when a brand wants to keep using my content?
The brand renews the license for 30, 60, 90 days, or 6 months. You earn again each time, and a bonus if the content is boosted as a paid ad.
Brands and businesses
How does content licensing work?
You pay a license fee for the right to feature your product and use the content. If it performs, you can extend the license to put paid media behind it.
How are athletes matched to my brand?
By audience overlap, product interest, demographic and geographic fit, and the content athletes already create.
Can I use the content in paid ads?
Yes. Extend the license to run paid media behind content that performs.
How do I measure results?
Dashboards show views, engagement, shares, and paid performance, so you can measure ROAS like an ad campaign.
Do I need a big budget to start?
No. Each offer carries its own license fee, and you choose how much to spend.
Can I book an athlete for a store or event appearance?
Yes. Book local athletes for in store and pop up activations, photo appearances, curated dinners, fan fests, camps, and full day events. You pay by the hour.
How does gifting work?
Send product or an experience to athletes who fit your brand. They choose whether to post.
Do I need a national brand to work with athletes?
No. Restaurants, dealerships, spas, clinics, franchise locations, and nonprofits can all work with athletes in their market.
Universities
What is Creator Lab Academy?
An education hub that teaches athletes how to build a professional presence and earn from their content. Our flagship program is at Maryland.
Which schools can join?
NCAA D1, D2, and D3 programs, plus JUCO and NAIA.
How does compliance review work?
Each deal routes through compliance officer sign off before it goes live.
Does it work for every sport and team?
Yes. Run cohorts by team or sport, from football and basketball to Olympic sports.
What reporting do we get for leadership?
Deal activity, approval times, and athlete participation in one dashboard for your AD and leadership.
Partners
Who counts as an Athios partner?
Corporate partners, agents, managers, agencies, and collectives that represent athletes or fund athlete content.
How is this different from the Brands and Universities pages?
Brands license content. Universities enroll athletes in Creator Lab Academy and review deals. Partners connect athletes and brands and track the business around them.
Can I manage athletes at more than one school?
Yes. Your whole roster lives in one workspace, and each college deal routes to that athlete’s school for review.
How do payouts work for my roster?
Every payout is tracked by athlete and by deal, so you always know who was paid for what.