Group Licensing and NIL with The Brandr Group
By Kristi Dosh
Last Updated on February 3, 2023
This episode, I’m joined by Wesley Haynes, President and Founder of The Brandr Group. His company has been on the leading edge when it comes to group licensing in the NIL era, signing nearly 20 schools to deals that allow their student athletes access to group licensing opportunities.
The Brandr Group currently has agreements with the following schools: UNC, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, App State, Indiana, Michigan State, UF, NC State, Villanova, Nebraska, Maryland, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Xavier, Purdue, and UGA.
Haynes and I discussed:
- How TBG’s background in pro sports is helping them navigate NIL
- His meetings with the NCAA about group licensing
- How TBG’s alumni programs opened the door for NIL work now
- Which student athletes are benefiting from group licensing
- What TBG’s agreement with schools looks like
- The education is required to get student athletes on board
- What group licensing with student athletes looks like for brands
- The results for schools and student athletes that are working with TBG already
- Passive vs. active group rights
As mentioned in the podcast, The Brandr Group sent me some early details on their work with Ohio State and UNC.
Legends Global Merchandise, TBG and Ohio State Athletics teamed up early on in the NIL era to focus on group licensing via a merchandise program. Ohio State fans can now purchase jerseys with names and numbers of current Buckeyes through an official online merchandise platform created by Legends Global Merchandise in collaboration with TBG and OSU Athletics.
Since its launch on September 9, OSU player name and number jerseys have been the top-selling product and represent over 40% of total sales.
Meanwhile, over at UNC, more than 100 current and former UNC student-athletes have opted into the group licensing program TBG formed there. Student-athletes have signed on to monetize their NIL with businesses including HanesBrands (HANES®/CHAMPION®), Nike by BCS and Outerstuff apparel, NFTs through RECUR, FOCO products, and health organizations like Honey Stinger in conjunction with UNC’s official trademarks and logos.
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Abridged Transcript
Transcript coming soon!
