University of Alabama and Fanatics Come Together for New Platform Partnership
The University of Alabama has come together with Fanatics for a long-term, multifaceted partnership that includes a range of exclusive rights from the university for activation by Fanatics across its expanded digital sports platform. But the platform, being multifaceted, is more than just some team apparel.
According to the University of Alabama’s website, rolltide.com, the partnership spans multiple categories, including primary licensee rights for fan apparel and headwear, and e-commerce, stadium retail, and physical and digital trading cards, and collectible rights. In order to make this a reality, multiple brands across Fanatics’ digital sports platform, such as Fanatics Commerce and Fanatics Collectibles, Topps, and Candy Digital, had to work together.
The expanded partnership will allow the university to capitalize on Fanatics merchandising platforms to create, promote, and distribute Alabama gear featuring the name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights of current Crimson Tide student-athletes. But that’s not all.
As a major part of the agreement, Fanatics will launch The Authentic, the first-ever retail team store to open inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Expected to launch during the upcoming 2022 college football season, the fan shop will feature an assortment of officially licensed team apparel and student-athlete NIL merchandise, including customized Nike player jerseys, customized name and number T-shirts, headwear, official game-used memorabilia, on-demand digital trading cards from Topps, and more.
Taking it one step further, the shop will also go interactive. Crimson Tide student-athletes will have the opportunity to provide autographed memorabilia, and conduct fan meet-and-greets as well as social media marketing to support sales of their NIL merchandise. The Alabama website adds that Fanatics will work with OneTeam Partners in securing group licensing rights for activation for NIL rights on merchandise, in addition to separate marketing and autographs partnerships.
The University of Alabama was assisted in the agreement by both Crimson Tide Sports Marketing and CLC, which both operate within LEARFIELD, a leading media, data, and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics.
