VCU Taps SAIL for NIL Advising

Announced today, two Maryland-based sports marketing companies, Team Services, LLC and Maroon PR, have come together to form SAIL, Student Athlete Image & Likeness, that will work with schools across the country and their student athletes to help them navigate and understand the new NCAA Name Image and Likeness rules that will be taking effect in 2021.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) of the Atlantic 10 Conference is the first to sign with SAIL for these services.

SAIL will serve as a resource to universities and its student athletes as they navigate the new rules of the legislation that is expected to gain clarity over the coming months and take effect in August of 2021.  SAIL will provide face to face advice and guidance as well as a proprietary “playbook” that all student athletes and administrators will receive to help guide them through this unchartered territory. In addition, SAIL will help athletes understand, protect and maximize their personal brand value.

The principals of SAIL are Fred Fried and EJ Narcise of Team Services, and John Maroon of Maroon PR.

Team Services, LLC, based in Rockville, Md., specializes in developing and selling naming rights and sponsorships as well as providing strategic consulting services for clients activating sports properties. Maroon PR, based in Columbia, Md., focuses on media relations, social media and ad buying for its clients.  Team Services Co-Founders, Fred Fried and EJ Narcise, and Vice-President Chris Hudgins; along with Maroon PR President John Maroon and Vice-Presidents Matt Williams & Jennifer Renehan bring over a century of sports business experience to SAIL.

“We aren’t agents but advisors who will utilize our wealth of knowledge and experience to assist both schools and student-athletes as they navigate the new world of Name, Image & Likeness, said SAIL Vice President Chris Hudgins. “We are honored and thrilled that Ed McLaughlin and the team at Virginia Commonwealth has entrusted us to be a significant part of this process.”

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference and has 312 student-athletes enrolled among its over 32,000 students.

Ed McLaughlin, Vice President and Director of Athletics at VCU, added,

“I have known Chris Hudgins at Team Services for years so we are excited to have SAIL working with us through this process. Having a well-respected partner working on these unchartered areas will pay significant benefits for our student-athletes, their families and our department. We will learn a lot together over the next few months as we navigate the first few years of this new landscape.”

John Maroon, President of Maroon PR and SAIL Principal stated,

“From the first time EJ, Fred and I discussed forming SAIL, we knew this would be a great opportunity, and we are excited to begin our work with VCU and other schools as we enter 2021.  We believe that our sports experience and social media and branding expertise position us well to have success in this competitive space.  We are proud to be offering more than software but interaction and access to decades of experience.”

For more information on the SAIL Advising program, please explore the website, follow SAIL on Twitter and LinkedIn, or contact the team here.