Kentucky and Fanatics are set to announce a lengthy renewal of their relationship around e-commerce, wholesale and trading cards, Sports Business Journal has learned. The deal, which is slated to be announced on Friday, also includes a significant annual NIL activation fund for select Kentucky athletes. Exact terms of the agreement were not disclosed, though the extension effectively combines a handful of Fanatics’ deals with Kentucky to expire coterminously in 2038.
“[People] should look for Fanatics to get more deeply involved with college athletes and working together with them to grow these shared businesses that Fanatics has with our schools,” Fanatics SVP/College Tommy Gray told SBJ.
The NIL portion and athlete-centric efforts in the relationship between Fanatics and Kentucky is particularly notable. The company is slated to work directly with about 25 UK athletes via the Fanatics Creator Program, the company’s influencer marketing platform. Athletes will be able to launch their own affiliate storefronts, curate product collections and link merchandise to their social media posts. Those initiatives extend to working with a handful of Kentucky athletes to spotlight new UK merchandise product collections across its e-commerce network and brick-and-mortar retail partners. Fanatics Collectibles (via Topps and BowmanU), too, will partner with UK Athletics to design, produce and distribute collectible cards featuring current UK athletes and notable Wildcat alumni.
The deal was brokered through BBNIL, Kentucky’s NIL platform operated by JMI Sports. As such, all Fanatics NIL campaign content will be developed and managed through BBNIL.
