TicketsCINCINNATI -- All you need sometimes is to look up, or even down, to find answers.
For Cincinnati student-athletes AJ Hendrick (soccer) and Antwan Peek Jr. (football), it came by the way of the very turf they played on in high school and college, with Motz partnering with the pair for NIL deals.
Hendrick, a freshman from Louisville, Ky., said her NIL journey began this summer upon her arrival to campus.
"Motz spoke to me because as an athlete growing up on their turf fields, I have had experience performing on their grounds," Hendrick said. "From club to high school, to now collegiate sports I have had a connection to Motz. I am the player I am today from all the work I have done on their fields and will continue to do. The number of hours I have trained, conditioned, and become a better version of myself on Motz fields is more than I could account for."
Peek, one of the greater stories within the UC football program as a former walk-on turned Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist this season, came up through nearby Indian Hill High School. He describes his story as one where the first fields he played on may have not been in the best shape with rocks, pellets and more, and how Motz's fields that he played on later allowed him to realize his potential.
"Eddie (Taylor, UC's Director of Athlete Influence) hit me up, and Motz said they wanted to do a deal with me," he said. "I ended up getting the Zoom call with them, and they wanted to hear about my backstory, so I told them about watching my dad play in the NFL and seeing all the good players he was around, then to me becoming a walk-on and where I am now."
The deal also comes full circle for Peek, as former 2021 College Football Playoff starter Dylan O'Quinn (2018-22 for the Bearcats) works at Motz and represented the company at the football program's Next Now event this summer in the Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility and Performance Center.
Hendrick credits the ability to form new relationships as one of her favorite vehicles within NIL, as well as the ability to "embrace your inner creativity by choosing and investing yourself in new brands."
"NIL has allowed me to develop new skills such as marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership," she said. "NIL has become a resource for social impact as well, not only benefiting yourself but the community in the end. Athletes, like myself, can utilize my platform to support social causes or community initiatives."
Motz's official website chronicles its projects nationwide amongst the high school, college and professional ranks, including UC's own Gettler Stadium and its recent renovations.