A high school senior stuck at home during the 2020 lockdown? More so, an athlete? It must have been tough! Well, not so much for Chloe V. Mitchell. Chloe joined the EssentiallySports Thought Leadership Podcast series—Think Tank—this week to share her journey as host Trey Holder candidly picked on some of the most candid and never-known-before details on the first athlete to monetize NIL. She began the conversation with a phrase that was quite a catch: “My story is kinda crazy.“

Chloe’s story kicked off with a simple goal in mind—she desperately needed an escape from boredom and monotony. And this wasn’t your standard high school project but a well-thought-out DIY project. It all began in the backyard: a transformational idea she titled “she-shed” that eventually garnered her millions of followers on social media. And it all began in 2020. 

Quarantine became a blessing in disguise for Chloe. The talented volleyball player from Aquinas College (Michigan), banked on a backyard hustle as an outlet for her creativity. What started as documenting the transformation on TikTok, a then-nascent platform, translated into amassing followers in millions: 132K Instagram followers, 6.04 YouTube subscribers, and 3.2 million TikTok followers, to be precise. 

Mitchell—who was just getting used to being this “new lead influencer with a couple million followers and about to go into my freshman year of college as a Collegiate athlete”—was, however, presented with a unique challenge to navigate. 

How could she leverage this platform while also adhering to the strict NCAA regulations? Back then, these regulations prohibited athletes from profiting from their NIL. But then came a shift in the college athletic landscape. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) passed historic legislation in October 2020. Student-athletes were now allowed to “monetize” their NIL. This change, in conjunction with the teen athlete’s foresight, was a total game-changer.

Read More: First Athlete To Bag NIL Deal, Chloe V. Mitchell Reminisces the Exact Moment That Changed Her Life

Chloe V. Mitchell’s overnight success after NAIA’s historic legislation

Chloe’s dad, who was a former college athlete himself, was “a massive part of this company, in this story.” Chloe and her father co-founded PlayBooked, a mobile application designed to connect athletes with social media sponsorships. PlayBooked proved to be her launchpad, which secured her first NIL deal promoting golf putters. If this wasn’t mind-blowing enough, wait till you read the nugget Chloe dropped on ThinkTank.

She secured a “deal 24 hours after legislation had passed, for a little golf putter, and it was called Bloodline Putters.” She added, “..it’s a great product and they paid me around $33,000..”

Well, whether it’s millions of followers or millions of dollars, Mitchell’s story paints a vivid picture: one that represents a balanced reality. It is her focus on both education and a volleyball career that made way for a thriving business that makes her a sensation. 

The EssentiallySports Think Tank is a premium forum that convenes the leading minds in sports content. Apart from engaging in insightful discussions on strategy, leadership, and change, we also open an avenue to talk about the burgeoning opportunities in the sports content landscape. To prepare yourselves for challenges and inspiration from the thought leaders, stay tuned!