When America’s college athletes could begin profiting off their personal brand for the first time this summer, Lauren Burke was ready. The 22-year-old rising senior on the University of Texas softball team had made a name for herself on the field and off.
During the pandemic year’s shortened 2020 softball season, Burke racked up a monstrous .453 batting average, ranking second in the Big 12 conference. But it’s likely that most of her fans know her from TikTok. Burke, who mainly posts about softball and fitness, has 400,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 100,000 on Instagram.
Source: College athletes have long been influencers. Now they’re getting paid like them.