From ACL Injury to Protecting Athletes' Brands Through NIL In Motion | Ep. 32 Chris D'Avanzo:

From ACL Injury to Protecting Athletes' Brands: Chris D'Avanzo's Journey from Basketball Court to Trademark Law

Chris D'Avanzo was a basketball player until an ACL injury changed his trajectory. That injury led him to coaching — first high school basketball, then Duke University Summer Basketball Camp. His coaching experience inspired him to pursue law school, where he continued his connection to athletics as student manager for Hofstra Men's Basketball.

Today, Chris is a trademark attorney and founder of NIL In Motion, where he combines his dual passions — trademark law and coaching basketball — to help athletes build, protect, and leverage their personal brands. His athlete-first approach sets him apart in a legal landscape where most attorneys don't understand the athlete experience.

Chris works with athletes at every level, from high school competitors to Division I athletes, providing services that include NIL contract review, LLC formation, trademark filing, brand strategy consulting, and professional networking guidance. Through NIL In Motion's social media presence, he shares NIL and trademark education to empower athletes and families to navigate the complex landscape with confidence.

In this episode of The Standard Podcast™, Chris shares:

• What led him from an ACL injury to protecting athletes legally
• The biggest mistakes athletes make with NIL deals
• Why athletes need trademarks and LLCs (and when to get them)
• What to look for in NIL contracts before signing
• How his coaching background informs his legal work
• Brand protection strategies for high school and college athletes
• What parents and coaches need to know about navigating NIL safely

Whether you're an athlete building your brand, a parent protecting your child's future, or a coach helping athletes make smart decisions, Chris's insights combine legal expertise with genuine understanding of the athlete journey.

This isn't just about contracts and trademarks — it's about building opportunities that last beyond sports.

This isn't motivation. This is a movement.

Connect with Chris: NIL In Motion (social media)

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Awesome. Welcome to the standard podcast team where we raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and call out the lies or misconception nobody else will. This isn't motivation, this is a movement. I'm Thomas Rowe. Today I'm joined with my host Aaron Charles, and we are sitting down with Chris Di Avanzo, a trademark attorney and founder of NIL in Motion, a consulting firm dedicated to helping athletes build, protect, and leverage their personal brands. Chris works with athletes at every level, from high school competitors to D1 athletes, providing brand strategy designed for today's evolving NIL landscape. But Chris's path to becoming a trademark attorney started on the basketball court. After suffering an ACL injury, he discovered a passion for coaching high school basketball, which led him to coach at Duke University Summer Basketball Camp. The experience inspired him to pursue law school. And while studying law, he continued coaching as student manager for Hofstrip Men's Basketball. Today, Chris combines his two passions, trademark law and coaching basketball, to create an athlete-first approach to brand education and protection. Whether he's reviewing NIL contracts, helping athletes form LLCs, filing trademarks, or guiding students on professional networking, his mission is simple. Help athletes understand their value, protect their brands, and prepare for opportunities that last well beyond sports. We're diving into the truth behind what it really takes to build identity, discipline, and legacy in sports and in life. Let's get into it. Awesome, Chris. Thanks so much for joining us. You're an absolute rock star. We appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 1:46

Thank you guys so much for having me. This is awesome. I'm so hyped. Right on.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

So let's start with the fact that you're a trademark attorney who founded NIL in Motion to help athletes build, protect, and leverage their personal brands. What does raising the standard mean to you and what in the work that you're doing?

SPEAKER_03 2:07

Pretty much just help athletes protect if they want to start their own business with trademarks, or just pretty much protect themselves if they have any contracts or anything like that. Like you see on the news all the time that athletes are getting screwed over, or some things are happening to their contracts. And I just want to help with that to make sure that athletes aren't being taken advantage of in this new NIL world. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Now, with your experience in basketball as an athlete and as a coach, and now navigating the NIL world, what do you think is the biggest lie you feel a culture of the NIL industry has sold athletes about branding contracts and protecting their value?

SPEAKER_03 2:58

But doing nothing will make you a ton of money. Like it takes a lot of work to get brand deals to create your own personal brand. And I think they just made it sound so easy that, like, oh, they're just getting handed all this money. But to have a true personal brand, it takes a lot of work. Just how it takes a lot of work to be a good athlete.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

No question. No question. And it can slip away from you real fast. You suffered an ACL injury that ended your playing days, but you found coaching, which eventually led to law school. How did that injury and transition shape your understanding of what athletes need beyond sport or the core?

SPEAKER_03 3:42

Yeah, like before my injury, I was always, oh, I'm just going to do something basketball, or oh, my actual professional career, that can wait. But after the injury, it was like, all right, I got this is coming a lot faster than I think. And I was pretty lucky that I used the injury as a positive, where I graduated college early. And since I graduated early, it was like perfect timing between that and coaching. So then coaching was amazing. I loved it. And I really just wanted to give back and do something where pretty much I could help the help all types of athletes or help the athletes within my community. So like all that stuff coming at me so fast, it was like, all right, I really gotta know and have a better plan for life after sports.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

No question. No question about it. That's awesome. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna move into segment two, which is identity and legacy, and I'm gonna have Aaron take it away.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

Okay, I'll take it away. It's me, it's my turn. So tell our audience, who are you beyond like what Thomas read, you know, as far as the coaching, the law school? You know, who is Chris?

SPEAKER_03 5:26

Well, always hanging out with my friends, always down to go somewhere, go do something. Like I always have this joke with like my parents who are like, I'm never really home. And like not even just like in the work aspect, just whenever I have free time, I just love to go out, travel, be with my friends doing anything active. So yeah, like just making sure that have a life outside of work is super important.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

I totally agree with that. Um, I think I'm like, you have to have we're here to live, kids. Exactly and enjoy. So hang out with your friends, go do fun things. It's much more enjoyable. I love that. It sounds like my kids, I have two teenagers, they're like, where are they? And it's like, oh, they're out with their friends again, which is good. They're not sitting around the house doing nothing, which I love. Exactly. How do you define character, integrity, and discipline in your life?

SPEAKER_03 6:25

Pretty much always doing the right thing, making sure that you're really not screwing anyone over, treating people the way that you want to be treated, and people like really appreciate that. Like in this day and age, there's between social media and everything else, people are trying so hard to get ahead, but just being a nice person really gets you way farther than those other people trying to cut corners.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

I totally agree. I think sometimes it's like being a good person, like what a simple rule.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Like the golden rule, the most basic thing.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

It's like, oh, we have the hardest time following that. Which is like, I think it's like there's a really simple way to live life here. It's like treat others the way you want to be treated. So, with that in mind, which I love, you're you combine the trademark law in coaching to create an athlete first approach in your business. What does legacy beyond NIL deals and trademarks mean to you? Or maybe how do you even talk to that with your athletes about their legacy?

SPEAKER_03 7:38

Yeah, for them specifically, it's hey, what do you want to do outside of sports? What do you want to be known for other than sports? Because there's gonna be a time when that ends, and it's really important to have a plan for that while you're in high school or while you're in college. Just like in my personal, you're like my personal experience, like it can come a lot faster than you really think. And it's really important to have a plan for that.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

Yeah, that's a really great point, which kind of leads me to my next question. And I think this is a really great one for our audience is you know, in the line of work you're doing, what really separates athletes that I think land those big deals? Like what leads to more success than maybe somebody that maybe doesn't land them, or maybe the contract isn't as lucrative?

SPEAKER_03 8:37

Just putting in the work, honestly, like a lot of brands want to see consistency. So if you're making videos every single day talking about your life or whatever aspect that you're interested in, then you're gonna get a lot farther ahead than the kid that's posting maybe once a week or not posting at all.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Okay, so you've got you gotta show up and you gotta actually do the work, is what you would like to say.

SPEAKER_03 9:06

You gotta show them at least, hey, I'm working on something, or hey, I can get this amount of viewers because I've worked so hard to create this brand on social media.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Yeah, that's a good point. We were kind of talking before we actually started recording this a little bit about that. Like, you know, there's no free money in this. You know, brands are expecting something in return when you get that endorsement or that deal. They're expecting you to do some work for them in return versus like, oh, I landed that. And it's like, oh yeah, you still have to keep posting and sharing.

SPEAKER_03 9:46

Absolutely. You gotta work for that money. You gotta make sure that you're following everything that you're supposed to do.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Yeah, that's part of the contract. So, yay, you know, if they tell you that you have to post 10 times a week, you better be posting 10 times a week. I don't know if that's in anybody's contract, but absolutely it just really depends. So, yeah, what's one with that? Like, what are truths or what's one truth that you wish every athlete, parent, or coach really understood, either about protecting their brand or NIL deals that most people aren't sharing with them?

SPEAKER_03 10:27

For their own personal brand, definitely start early. The sooner you either file a trademark or just start your personal brand in general, the better the outcome will be for you. And for the contract side, it's really just reading it. Like a lot of times, they just see the money or they are so excited to get a deal or be part of an agency where they don't either they don't read it or they don't give it to someone that knows what all the fancy words and confusing parts mean. So it's really just making sure that you're having the right people around you and also starting your personal brand super early.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

That's great advice. A start early, but kids read the fine print and probably get an attorney or somebody that knows the law. So with that, I'm gonna turn that this back over to Thomas.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Right on. Excellent. Chris, we're gonna get into segment three, which is advice across stages. Now, I think this one this question is super important because we're dealing with this literally right now with one of our clients. If you can sit down with a high school athlete just starting to build their brand, what do they need to understand about protecting their name, image, and like likeness from day one?

SPEAKER_03 11:54

Really depends on what the athlete really wants. So if it's hey, I want to start my own business, then it's hey, making sure you're doing all the trademark work involved. If they want to do something with music or writing, then making sure that they have all the copyright done for that. If it's just working on their personal brand in general, it's making sure you're on LinkedIn, making sure you're making those videos, making sure that you're saying the right things and doing the right things, and holding yourself as a professional. Even though you're a kid, all these brands pretty much expect you to act like a mature adult. So it's pretty much holding yourself to that standard. Perfect.

SPEAKER_02 12:42

And this, what about for college athletes who are signing an NIL deal right now? You know, yesterday, before we off-camera, Aaron and I were telling you about we did a webinar yesterday, and somebody, it was actually a QA from one of the, and there was a dad that wrote in and asked about what's the difference between a financial advisor, a tax accountant, and an attorney. And I thought, what a great question. So I guess what about college athletes who are about to sign NNL deals right now? Should they get all three or should they just start with an attorney and what should they know before they sign anything?

SPEAKER_03 13:16

So they should definitely get all three. Have someone for the finance side, because many lawyers don't specialize in that or really don't know in that. So I think that'll be super helpful. And then have someone that does the contracts or the trademarks or whatever else they want to get to, because those are two completely different things. Just so to make sure that you're really not giving your rights away in that contract or holding yourself away from other future deals, maybe that's like a really big thing as well. So, yeah, definitely have people in your circle that know a little bit about everything, it's really good. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

And you help athletes form LLCs and file trademarks. What does uh why does that matter? And when should athletes start thinking about that?

SPEAKER_03 14:09

So the LLC aspect, they can really do it in high school. Like it's super easy. You get the results back in like a week or a couple days. Because athletes now, like you're a business, you're making money, you're getting deals. So with that, you can get tax benefits because you're pretty much a company at that point, right? So use that for your tax benefits and have that structure set so that you can really do your taxes and all that other types of stuff. So it's like so easy that you can really should be doing it just like everything else, like just do it as soon as possible. Even if you're in a state where in high school you can't get NIL deals, just having everything already set by the time you get to college, you're you're chilling.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

Right on. Okay. And based on that, what and what about for parents and coaches trying to guide athletes through the NIL landscape? What's the one thing they're trying to make sure they understand about brand protection?

SPEAKER_03 15:17

For the parents aspect, it's really making sure to hold their kids accountable. Same thing, like making sure they're acting mature, making sure they're not posting anything crazy that could jeopardize their working with brands or even jeopardize their working or being on a team in general. Some colleges take that very seriously and will not want you on their team if you're posting and cursing or drinking or doing whatever things you're really not supposed to do. But for the parents in the NIL aspect, it's really making sure that they're not signing like crazy deals, having people in place where to double check it, like we said, have attorneys to look over the contracts, have someone else do the taxes. It's really forming that ecosystem to make sure that the athlete can perform at its best and make sure that they can take advantage of being an athlete nowadays. Perfect. Perfect. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

With that, Chris, we're gonna turn it over back to Aaron for segment four, which is rapid fire around. Aaron, go for it.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Okay, I'm back. It's me, it's all me now. So I'm gonna start a sentence and you're gonna finish it for me. This is super fast and fun. So discipline equals David Goggins. That's a good one. Uh leadership equals.

SPEAKER_03 16:48

Kobe.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

Kobe. Oh yeah, that dude's a legend. Uh faith equals. Yep. Legacy equals.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

Oh, that's a good one. How you want to be remembered.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Yeah, what's one thing you would never compromise on?

SPEAKER_03 17:10

The future of an athlete.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

I love that. And if you could put a message on a billboard for athletes, parents, coaches about protecting their brands or NIL, what would your one message be?

SPEAKER_03 17:26

Do something positive every day and make sure that they're doing the right things and making sure you have a good ecosystem around you.

SPEAKER_00 17:38

Yeah, I love that. Making sure you have a positive ecosystem.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

My positive ecosystem, Thomas is gonna do that. He's here.

SPEAKER_02 17:51

Right on, Chris. We'll get into our closing segment. Before we wrap up, is there something we didn't touch on today that you feel like athletes, parents, or coaches need to hear about brand protection and navigating NIL safely?

SPEAKER_03 18:05

It's really the same thing, like starting early. Like even if your state doesn't have NIL for high school athlete, it's really that preparation. Start by making those social media videos on topics that you really enjoy. That's the really the main thing. Make sure like the athlete likes to likes to make those videos, wants to work with brands that they actually enjoy. So the easiest thing that like I tell athletes is just write down maybe five to ten things that you use every day and talk about them. Talk about your life experiences, talk about your playing experiences. Maybe you have your college athlete, but you had to transfer because a coach left or something. Like there's all these stories out there, and people want to know about it. So just portray your life, talk about your life as much as possible, and good things will happen. Right on.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

Now, Aaron took you through the rapid fire. Now I'm gonna put you on the hot seat. We may have talked about this when we first met, but what is Chris's top three sports movies of all?

SPEAKER_03 19:23

This is a good one. Rocky, Coach Carter. Yep. Um last one, remember the Titans.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

Very cool. I'm sorry, you said Rocky for the first one, remember the Titans? And what was number two? Oh, Coach Carter. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. No question. Chris, before we move on and close out, where can people connect with you uh as far as a website, an email, or social media handles?

SPEAKER_03 19:51

So website, NIL Emotion, social media, NIL Emotion makes it pretty easy. And then I'm always on LinkedIn, Christopher DeVonzo. If you ever want to look at my posts, I post about trademarks and NIL stuff almost every day. You can message me on there too, and also on my email, my website.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

That's badass. Chris, thank you so much for sharing your story and joining us today and sharing your truth. Team, if this conversation challenged you, inspired you, or made you think differently, share it. Send it to an athlete building their brand, a parent trying to protect their kids, NIL, a coach helping athletes navigate contracts. And if you need any additional support and help, reach out to Chris on those. We'll have it in the show notes. We definitely want you to reach out to Chris so you can protect yourself and protect your future. This is the standard podcast, and this movement only grows when you raise the standard, when we raise the standard together. Talent fades, but truth endures. Let's raise the bar, let's rebuild the culture, and let's become the standard. We'll see you next time. Chris, Aaron, thanks so much for joining us. You guys have a great rest of your day.

SPEAKER_03 21:03

Thank you so much for having me. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 21:06

Of course. That was badass. Love