DICK's Sporting Goods and Under Armour Bet Big on NIL Power with Cavinder Twins

Quick listen: Why Under Armour’s pink courts are a serious power move — in under 2 minutes.

The Cavinder twins are shooting three-pointers and breaking marketing norms at the same time.

In a new campaign from Under Armour and DICK’S Sporting Goods, NCAA athletes-turned-business moguls Haley and Hanna Cavinder take center court.

Not just to play, but to call out internet critics and reframe what it means to be a female athlete today.

The satirical campaign "How To Be an NIL Influencer in 7 Easy Steps" sends out a bold message: nothing is easy about building a million-dollar brand while staying game-day ready.

“We were inspired by Haley and Hanna’s relentless drive and the empire they’ve built through grit and vision,” said Lauren Simmons, art director for North America at Under Armour.

“In today’s game, your personal brand is as important as your performance, and we wanted to spotlight the real work behind the headlines.

We wanted to lean into their main character energy as a celebration of this moment for women’s sports.”

The campaign comes as more brands lean into celebrity marketing and NIL athletes step into dual roles as both talent and product.

With the Cavinders, Under Armour is doing both, showcasing their athleticism while also positioning them as examples of self-made brand builders.

Pink Courts and Hard Truths

The creative was produced by Hogwash Studios and directed by Chandler Lass, known for work that fuses style and substance.

The spots lean hard into bright pink visuals, shimmering courts, and bedazzled basketballs, all designed to disrupt perceptions of femininity and athleticism.

In one, the twins engage in playful banter and talk about their experience being the first to ever sign an NIL deal as women. 

Apart from that, the spots also include fast cuts of the Cavinders training, filming, and commanding attention in a bubblegum-pink universe.

While the campaign is uplifting, the execution was serious business.

From pre-production to post, the spot was powered by women-led teams, creative director Karine Benzaria, editor Zoey Peck, and set designer Gabriela Soto were all key voices in the process.

"My directorial goal was to create a world that felt bold, playful, and powerful, where hyper-feminine aesthetics collided with athletic grit,” said Lass.

The stylized format mimics the kind of content they regularly produce themselves, only this time with a bigger budget and message.

“It was a true privilege to collaborate with Under Armour, Papercut, and Ethos Studios — all teams led by smart, talented women,” said Tori Nygren, executive producer at Hogwash Studios.

The campaign feeds directly into Under Armour’s broader brand marketing strategy to redefine who gets to be the face of performance.

And if the Cavinders have anything to say about it, the future looks pink... and unapologetically powerful.

Our Take: Can Pink Redefine Power?

I think it can, especially when paired with a strategy this sharp.

What stands out here isn’t just the Cavinders’ hustle or Under Armour’s budget, but the way both were aligned to challenge dated perceptions of what a successful athlete-influencer looks like.

The campaign doesn’t mock its critics so much as it renders them irrelevant.

And to me, that’s good brand sense — and even better business.

In other news, Nike recently brought the horror genre to football with a short film campaign featuring global stars like Mbappé and Putellas.