UK Athletics extends partnership with Fanatics to include NIL program.

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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.

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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.

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