BOARDROOM: Fanatics & OneTeam Partners’ NIL Jersey Collaboration Kicks Off

Fanatics and OneTeam Partners’ collaboration to bring the jerseys on the backs of college football fans has officially kicked off. Originally the deal between the two parties was announced in February, but Thursday, Sept. 8 marks the first day jerseys will actually go on sale. Featured athletes include Alabama quarterback and 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and fellow signal-callers Caleb Williams (USC) and Quinn Ewers (Texas).

So far, 4,300 student-athletes from 40 schools have opted into the deal. Notable schools that have deals with Fanatics include Alabama, Texas, and USC, plus national powers Clemson, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame.

The ability of Fanatics and OneTeam Partners to create the NIL jersey program is due to group licensing, which is used for all professional athletes who are part of player associations and increasingly by amateur athletes in the name, image, and likeness era. OneTeam Partners, which represents the NFLPA, MLBPA, WNBPA, and the MLSPA, then utilizes the rights of its athlete members to secure collective deals with brands for products like video games, trading cards, and apparel…