Fanatics and OneTeam Partners Announce College Athlete Group Rights Licensing Program for Jerseys
OneTeam Partners, a company that specializes in commercializing the group rights of world-class athletes, has leveraged its expertise by partnering with Fanatics to provide current college football players the opportunity to be compensated for inclusion in a broad-scale, multi-school jersey customization program. Fanatics, the global leader in sports licensed merchandise, has built a revolutionary commerce business over the past decade that includes a comprehensive on-demand jersey customization platform. This new officially licensed co-branded jersey customization program featuring current college football athletes is set to launch prior to the kickoff of the 2022 season.
“As the commercial landscape continues to develop for college athletes, their collective value is only beginning to be realized,” said Malaika Underwood, SVP of Licensing at OneTeam Partners. “Our focus has been on creating broad-scale licensed product programs that wouldn’t otherwise be possible without group rights. The Fanatics jersey program, which will cut across schools and eventually men’s and women’s sports, will give fans the ability to buy the jersey of their favorite college athlete and is exactly the type of thing we can help bring to market. What we bring on the athlete side layers onto Fanatics’ strong existing partnerships with most major colleges and universities.”
Fanatics already partners with more than 150 preeminent colleges and universities across all fan retail touchpoints, including e-commerce, wholesale and physical stores inside stadiums and arenas. The company has established itself as a leader in the licensed collegiate products space and has revolutionized the way real-time, high-quality products are designed, manufactured, and distributed through its on-demand, vertical manufacturing model. It will apply the same robust jersey manufacturing and distribution capabilities that have made it the leader in the space across all professional sports.
“Broad-scale group rights for college athletes is the only pathway to bring this program forward,” said Derek Eiler, Executive VP of Fanatics College. “OneTeam is the perfect partner because of their group licensing expertise and their thoughtful approach in college. Aligning with OneTeam was a critical step to develop a scalable and efficient college football jersey program. We are excited to create an even deeper connection between schools, college athletes, and fans through licensed merchandise.”
Fanatics will offer customizable Nike, adidas and Under Armour football jerseys prior to the kickoff of the 2022 college football season. OneTeam will administer the group rights of the college athletes included in the program, and athletes will have the opportunity to opt into the program through the free COMPASS NIL app available in the Apple and Android App Stores.