One of the largest corporate behemoths in the U.S. is investing in college athlete name, image, and likeness deals.
Amazon has inked a partnership with Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley. The deal allows Finley to sell custom merchandise on Amazon Fashion’s platform.
Finley is reportedly the first NCAA football player to sign with the company. The first basketball player was Clemson’s Brevin Galloway, whose deal is also through Amazon Fashion.
- Finley’s custom clothing line includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, phone cases, tote bags and even pop-sockets.
- Items range from $17-$35 and are available to be shipped through Amazon Prime.
- In an Instagram post, Finley also promoted Amazon’s Prime Student membership, reminding fans they could get free shipping if they signed up for the service.
Amazon is hardly the only major corporation to show interest in NIL.
Meta, for example, has made a significant investment — it partnered with NIL company INFLCR, was a major sponsor for the NIL Summit in June, and has built educational tools for athletes to monetize their followings on Facebook and Instagram. It’s enlisted some athletes themselves to try out those features, too.
Other major companies pouring money into the space include Gatorade and the big three sports apparel giants. Even the U.S. government has joined in.
