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Curriculum

NIL & financial literacy

Ten weeks. Business work plus a medical-research slice on every seat. Coaches grade Game Day readiness — not a GPA. CFL takes no equity. Literacy first. Deals second.

Education product onlyNo equity in participant venturesNot an agent · Not a collective

Unlock 2-page NIL guide See 10-week lab

4Active project teams

0Athletes on record

0Veterans on record

Live counts from CFL's own records — illustration and fixture data excluded by design.

What NIL education is

Literacy first. Deals second.

Name, Image, and Likeness lets college athletes monetize their personal brand while staying eligible. Rules are a patchwork — school policy, state law, conference/NCAA guidance, and FTC ad disclosure. CFL teaches athletes to read a deal the way a veteran reads an operations order.

Disclose

Tell compliance before or as required. Incomplete disclosure risks eligibility.

Contracts

Read scope, term, pay, exclusivity, IP, and exit. Get help before you sign.

Money + tax

NIL income is taxable. Track every dollar. Budget for quarterly estimates and 1099s.

Athlete map

Know before you deal

DisclosureReport deals to school compliance — parties, pay, deliverables.

Fair market valuePay matches the work (posts, appearances) — not wins or points.

No pay-for-playCompensation tied to stats or awards is a red flag.

No inducementsDeals cannot require enrolling at or transferring to a school.

Prohibited categoriesOften blocked: gambling, alcohol, tobacco, adult content, drugs, firearms + school bans.

School marks / IPLogos, uniforms, facilities usually need separate permission.

Under-18 railsGuardian consent required. Do not sign alone if you are a minor.

Institutional patchworkState + school + conference. Compliance office is the first call.

FTC labelsSponsored content needs clear #ad / #sponsored labeling.

1099 & taxesAll NIL income is taxable; keep a ledger; set money aside.

AgentsCFL is not your agent. Use licensed representation where required.

Aid interactionEarnings can affect FAFSA / need-based aid — ask financial aid.

We do not take a cut of NILWe are not an agentWe are not a collective

Understanding NIL

Name, image, and likeness — plainly

NIL refers to an athlete's right to control and monetize the commercial use of their personal brand, identity, and public persona. Recent NCAA policy and state legislation changed the rules here — CFL teaches the version that's actually current, not a rehash of the old amateurism playbook.

Name

Legal identity and professional reputation.

Image

Photographs, videos, and visual representations.

Likeness

Voice, signature, biographical information, and personal attributes.

Beyond the endorsement deal

Why NIL education matters for career transitions

For athletes and veterans transitioning to civilian careers, the same NIL frameworks apply well beyond sports endorsements.

Building a professional brand in any industry
Protecting intellectual property in business ventures
Negotiating contracts and partnership agreements
Understanding ownership rights within your own venture
Evaluating licensing and royalty opportunities

How CFL teaches it

Hands-on, not a lecture hall

CFL teaches NIL through experiential learning. Participants don't just study the frameworks — they apply them.

Developing business concepts that require understanding brand value and licensing
Creating partnership agreements with defined ownership and IP terms
Analyzing real-world NIL case studies from collegiate and professional athletics
Understanding tax implications of different compensation structures

Knowledge is power. Membership is everything.

Join CFL for full NIL training, stadium access, Game Day events, and mentorship.

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Beyond budgeting

Financial literacy through business simulation

CFL's financial literacy curriculum goes past budgeting and saving — participants learn business finance concepts by simulating real venture creation.

1. Business model development

Revenue model design and customer discovery
Cost structure analysis and unit economics
Market sizing and competitive positioning

2. Ownership & entity literacy

Understanding different business entity types (LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp)
Shares and ownership allocation as a literacy topic — never an offering
Founder agreements, in plain language

3. Financial modeling & projections

Building three-statement financial models (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow)
Scenario analysis and sensitivity testing
Burn rate calculation and runway planning

4. Presentations & communication

Creating clear financial presentations and business summaries
Communicating business traction and milestones
Presenting to mentors and coaches ahead of Game Day

Educational outcomes

What participants actually demonstrate

Completion of customer discovery interviews and market validation exercises
Creation of comprehensive financial models demonstrating business fundamentals
Development of executive-summary-level documentation, following an honest standard
Presentation of business concepts to mentors and coaches
Successful navigation of legal and regulatory frameworks — business formation, IP protection, and compliance

Who benefits

Built for more than one kind of participant

Student-athletes

Learning to navigate NIL opportunities while building post-sports career skills and entrepreneurial confidence.

Professional athletes

Preparing for career transitions beyond competitive sports through business education and operational experience.

Military veterans

Transitioning operational leadership and mission-driven discipline into entrepreneurial and business-building skills.

Athletic support professionals

Trainers, equipment managers, sports medicine staff, and operations personnel building business expertise for future opportunities.

Capital Forge League is a Florida 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. Our NIL and financial literacy programs are educational in nature and do not constitute financial advice, investment recommendations, or endorsement of specific business strategies.

CFL 10-week curriculum

What a week actually looks like

Advancement metaphor — not a GPA. Coaches score Game Day readiness 0–100. You keep the company. Rankings are not a term sheet.

WEEK 1

NIL literacy and hours available per week. Guardian consent if under 18. Clickwrap once.

WEEKS 2–4

Customer discovery interviews. Protocol shell. One-page escalation. Coach scores seat readiness 0–100.

WEEKS 5–7

Entity literacy — shares as a map. Optional Florida Formation Weekend (education, not an offering).

WEEKS 8–10

Executive plan, Game Day package, recorded presentation. You keep the company.

Optional — Florida Formation Weekend

Education-only capital-formation map. Taught with a Gainesville attorney and other Florida attorneys (including Emmanuel). Not an offering. Not investment advice.

This is the weeks 5–7 summary — schedule, tuition, and the full agenda live on its own page: Florida Formation Weekend →

What you actually build

An executive plan

The problem, the traction so far, the team, and the market — written down, not just pitched out loud.

A Game Day package

The deck and materials you actually present — matched to the file you filed, not a rehearsed pitch.

A recorded presentation

Scored on Game Day readiness by a coach — a real record of the work, not a grade on a transcript.

NIL and financial literacyCustomer discoveryEntity / shares / deckFormation Weekend (optional)Game Day packageEducation product onlyNo live animal workNo clinic useNo equity language

Before any deal

Compliance checklist + hard rails

Talk to school compliance first — disclose as required
Confirm category is not prohibited by school/state
Read full contract: scope, term, pay, exclusivity, IP
Fair market value for deliverables — not stats/wins
No enrollment/transfer contingency language
Clear FTC #ad labeling plan for sponsored posts
Tax plan: ledger + set-aside for estimates / 1099s
If under 18: guardian rails before any signature
Keep copies of every agreement and payment record
Ask financial aid how earnings may affect aid

Athlete download

Unlock the 2-page NIL curriculum

College athletes only. Use your university email (must end in .edu). Free personal mail (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) is blocked. Nothing is stored server-side in this demo.

Gate rules: full name + school + school email ending in .edu + college-athlete checkbox. Blocked free mail: gmail, yahoo, hotmail, outlook, live, msn, icloud, me, aol, proton.me, protonmail, mail.com, gmx, yandex.