Beyond the Game: How Bronco Pro Prepares Athletes for Life After Sports

The Bronco Pro team at Boise State is more than a support system - it's a launchpad. Designed to equip student-athletes for success beyond the playing field, the program helps bridge the gap between sport and life after athletics through mentorship, professional development and partnerships, including name, image and likeness opportunities, which allow athletes to earn compensation by leveraging their personal brand.

Two graduates and one current student in the Master of Athletic Leadership program who also help run Bronco Pro, recently sat down to reflect on what they've learned - and the impact they're making.

For Allie Lepori, who graduated in 2022, the program is where theory meets practice: "In Dr. Tyler Johnson's class on the philosophy of sport, we learned how to approach difficult conversations - real, critical dialogue - with care and clarity," she said. "That skill shows up every day in my work with student-athletes. Their needs are complex, and sometimes we have to make tough calls that directly affect them. Being able to talk through those decisions in a thoughtful way is essential."

Mikey Thompson, current Master of Athletic Leadership student and graduate assistant for Bronco Pro, echoed Lepori's point. "I used to think more one-dimensionally," he said. "But that class taught me how to think deeper and challenge my own perspective. Now I'm the one asking athletes tough questions like, 'What does life look like after your sport?'"

Those conversations aren't always easy, Thompson added, but they're necessary. "A lot of athletes grow up being told sports are everything. And for some, they will go pro - but for most, they won't. Bronco Pro gives us the chance to guide them through that transition."

2024 graduate Sydney Bruner came into the Master of Athletic Leadership program with little experience in college athletics, but she quickly saw how the community could work together. "Hearing directly from my peers in the program - what their roles were, what they were up against in their departments - gave me a better understanding of how interconnected everything is," she said. "Now, when I'm collaborating with Allie or Mikey or anyone else, I know what their priorities are, what they're working toward. That's helped me be more effective in my own role."

That insight paid off in real time this past spring, when Bruner helped organize a sponsorship deal with Palm Beach Tan. The partnership included free memberships for Boise State's gymnastics team - a group that doesn't always see as many name, image and likeness opportunities as revenue-generating sports, such as football or men's basketball.

"The look on their faces when they found out was incredible," Bruner said. "It felt good to make something like that happen for a team that deserves it just as much as any other."

Support, the trio agreed, is the heart of Bronco Pro.

"If I were a student-athlete today, I'd say this is the ultimate resource," Thompson said. "You've got a whole team here whose only job is to care about you - not just as an athlete, but as a person. We're not here to use you or speak over you. We're here to listen, advocate and walk with you through a pretty complicated time in college athletics."

Lepori noted that the pace of change in college sports - including evolving name, image and likeness policies - leaves many athletes overwhelmed. "They didn't ask for these changes," she said. "But they're the ones being impacted by them. And for a lot of non-revenue sports, there's not always a roadmap. That's where Bronco Pro comes in."

Whether it's guiding an athlete through an name, image and likeness partnership or simply offering a listening ear, the Bronco Pro team sees every interaction as a step toward long-term growth - for the students and for themselves.

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