Visit Reno Tahoe Enters NIL Deal with University of Nevada Athletes

Visit Reno Tahoe and Wolf Pack Sports Properties (Learfield) have established a partnership that will allow University of Nevada athletes to supply promotional destination content via an NIL fund.

“Visit Reno Tahoe is one of very few destination marketing organizations leaning in to NIL,” said Visit Reno Tahoe President and CEO Mike Larragueta. “Many University of Nevada athletes are also visitors. They have great stories to tell about what makes Reno Tahoe an exciting place to live and visit, and they are authentic in their experience and their pursuit of greatness. Many Nevada athletes also have substantial social media followings, which can help Visit Reno Tahoe reach new audiences, inspiring visitors of the future.”

As part of the campaign, select Nevada athletes will enter into individual contracts, with some creating their own content and some working with the Visit Reno Tahoe marketing department to produce visual assets for the organization to promote the destination. The first program has already started, with four athletes in softball, baseball and men’s and women’s basketball teams attending the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off on August 28. In the activation, the athletes created content for future promotion of the special event in downtown Sparks’ Victorian Square.

Two Nevada football players also recently produced content for the new Packed Days initiative, intended to capture the downtime adventures of Nevada student athletes. Under that program, athletes create their own social reels, featuring a first-person perspective of their favorite Reno Tahoe locations to explore when they’re not practicing, playing or studying.

“We are incredibly grateful for the opportunities Visit Reno Tahoe and Learfield have chosen to provide for Nevada student athletes,” said Nevada Athletic Director Stephanie Rempe. “As the landscape of college athletics and Name, Image and Likeness continue to evolve, I am thrilled to see another example of how our Reno Tahoe and Northern Nevada communities continue to step up to support the Wolf Pack.”

The Visit Reno Tahoe NIL budget for the current fiscal year, ending June 30, 2026, is $242,500.