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With a clothing line, Spencer Lee is in fast lane of NIL movement | TribLIVE.com
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With a clothing line, Spencer Lee is in fast lane of NIL movement

Bill Beckner
Bill Beckner
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Jeff Roberson
Iowa’s Spencer Lee, right, takes on Arizona State’s Brandon Courtney during their 125-pound match in the finals of the NCAA wrestling championships Saturday, March 20, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

“Excuses are for wusses.”

You would be hard pressed to find four words that inspired a fan base more than those spoken by Spencer Lee during last season’s NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

After the Iowa star out of Franklin Regional revealed he had competed — and won his third national title at 125 pounds — with two torn ACLs, he uttered his now famous catchphrase.

It became legendary.

A media clip of it went viral.

Social media went wild for the soft-spoken wrestler with wide appeal.

Months later, the now trademarked phrase is plastered on multicolored T-shirts, dad hats and camouflage hoodies as Lee capitalizes on his fame through the NCAA’s new endeavor that allows college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.

Lee, a two-time Hodge Trophy winner, is an incoming senior with an edge and a purpose.

“I just want to be an ambassador of the sport,” Lee told KCRG TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “It’s not really about making money or anything it’s just about, you know, helping grow wrestling.”

Lee even has his own logo, a sharp-edged “SL” inside the shape of a shield, and also has partnered with the everyman digital media company Barstool Sports.

Barstool has its own Lee shirts, which are selling faster than one of his pins.

Larry Lee, Spencer’s father, is running the behind-the-scenes operation for the fledgling company.

“The main thing about the NIL thing is that athletes should be focusing on themselves so you should still be doing what you did to get to where you are,” Spencer Lee said to the TV station. “Focusing on all that stuff and making calls and being busy like that is not something that I really want to do. I’m just humbled to be able to do.”

Lee recently made an appearance at Iowa Style Apparel, a business run by former Iowa wrestler Mark Ironside, a two-time national champion, with whom Lee teamed to make the clothing idea work (Ironside Apparel & Promotions).

Less than a month after the idea became real, Lee was taking photos with fans and signing autographs as his merchandise was pulled from hangers.

“People are so worried about making money,” Lee told Iowa newspaper The Gazette. “I’m just trying to be the best that I can be and keep doing what I did in the past. I did everything before without making a single dollar and I’d do it again.”

Lee added, “I’m thankful people want to go out of their way to shake my hand.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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Categories: Other Local | Sports | U.S./World Sports
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