Newsletter #73 | Adidas, Urban Meyer, NBPA x INFLCR, Donovan Mitchell + ICYMI Ticker
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for athletes, administrators, agencies and other sport professionals.
Recapping NIL This Week:
Adidas to offer NIL deals to student athletes at its 109 DI schools
Adidas says it will offer NIL money to anyone who plays at a DI college sponsored by the sportswear giant, the latest wide-ranging corporate deal aimed at utilizing new marketing rights to better compensate college athletes. The program could reach over 50,000 athletes at 109 different Division I schools, Adidas said in a statement.
Adidas said it will unroll its NIL program in phases over the next 12 months, starting with its Power Five and HBCU partners. The company said athletes at all schools will have access by April 2023.
They’re the first major sports brand to create a program for paying college athletes. Its arch-rival Nike announced in December that it signed a sponsorship deal with UCLA sophomore soccer player Reilyn Turner, the company's first-ever student athlete sponsorship.
“We hope to uplift SAs by providing educational opportunities to learn more about the NIL and business landscape…