Sponsor Michael Johns

High school NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) opened a door that didn't exist three years ago: brands can now sponsor high school athletes directly, in most US states, with real money changing hands. For brands looking to reach a younger demographic, build long-term creator relationships, or get in early with future stars, this is the most overlooked opportunity in athlete marketing.

If you're running marketing for a B2B company and you haven't seriously explored athlete, sports and influencer partnerships, you're not alone;  but you're leaving one of the most effective channels on the table.

In the competitive landscape of golf influencer marketing, simply having a large roster of creators is no longer enough. Performance in 2026 is measured by conversion and community trust rather than vanity metrics. We recently analyzed Ping Golf's 2025-2026 creator strategy to understand how they maintained a 22.50% share of voice with a remarkably lean content volume.