UK Athletics extends partnership with Fanatics to include NIL program

The University of Kentucky and Fanatics are taking their longstanding partnership into the NIL era. Today, UK Athletics announced a 12-year extension of its deal with Fanatics, which operates the UK Team Shop official online store, to include a first-of-its-kind NIL program for its student-athletes.

As part of the deal, select University of Kentucky athletes will have access to the Fanatics Creator Program, the retailer’s influencer marketing platform, to launch their own storefronts, curate product collections, and link merchandise in social media posts. In turn, those athletes will be compensated for their NIL. Further, a handful of athletes will spotlight new UK merchandise across Fanatics’ e-commerce network and brick-and-mortar retail partners, which include the University of Kentucky Bookstore, Kroger, Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Academy. Fanatics Collectibles, through its Topps and BowmanU brands, will also design, produce, and distribute collectible cards featuring current Kentucky student-athletes and notable alumni.

“This is an exciting next step in our mission to put student‑athletes first in everything we do,” said Nathan Schwake, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Licensing and Branding at UK Athletics. “We want our athletes to succeed on the field and on the court while giving Big Blue Nation the opportunity to support them by wearing Kentucky-branded gear with pride. This new agreement creates meaningful, real-world opportunities for our student-athletes and strengthens the connection between our teams and our fans.” 

The partnership was developed through BBNIL, Kentucky’s NIL platform operated jointly with JMI Sports, the athletic department’s exclusive multimedia rights holder. All Fanatics NIL campaign content will be developed and managed through BBNIL. Because the NIL program goes through Fanatics, UK Athletics, and JMI Sports, players will be able to promote officially licensed gear with the UK logo on it.

What does that mean for fans? Get ready to see Kentucky players actively promoting officially licensed Fanatics products through the UK Team Shop on advertisements and their social media accounts. It also opens the door for players to design or collaborate with Fanatics on their own officially licensed gear for the UK Team Shop, similar to the current setup with Athletes Thread, a UK licensee.

How will this help in recruiting? It’s another perk coaches can sell on the trail and include in NIL packages. Last week, The Athletic went in-depth on Kentucky’s partnership with JMI Sports that is resulting in “Scrooge McDuck” type money for the department. In its press release, UK Athletics says the new deal with Fanatics is a “significant investment” into UK’s NIL efforts. It’s another way UK can go above its annual revenue-sharing cap and stay competitive in the NIL landscape.

Kentucky won’t be the only school to partner with Fanatics on an NIL program like this, but it is the first. You won’t have to wait long to see which players will participate in the Fanatics Creator Program. A UK spokesperson says player announcements will be rolling out later this spring.