URBANA, IL - Fresh off the heels of a successful first season in which it made nearly $100,000 for the student-athletes of the Illinois men’s basketball team, the Illinois NIL Store powered by Campus Ink is rapidly expanding its footprint at the University of Illinois to all sports on campus.
To date, the Illinois NIL Store has signed athletes from the women’s basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and softball teams during the summer months, and will continue to expand its roster.
The Illinois NIL Store serves as the NIL merchandising store for Illini athletes, featuring officially licensed jerseys, shirseys and apparel. Every athlete who signs up possesses a personalized digital locker room which houses their merchandise.
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“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Illinois athletics,” said Campus Ink CEO and co-founder Steven Farag, who graduated from Illinois in 2014. “It has been a dream to work with the Illinois athletics department and Kam Cox, who share our vision in the NIL earning potential for all Illini student-athletes.”
The success of the Illini Store drew the initial interest of Dallas Mavericks owner, who invested in Campus Ink as an NIL merchandising solution for all athletes, not just some.
“Campus Ink was one the first licensees to champion NIL opportunities for our student athletes,” said Marty Kaufmann, executive senior associate AD for revenue and fan experience at University of Illinois. “They always keep the best interest of our student athletes as the top priority, but at the same time truly partner with the University to make sure programs and designs are consistent with our brand and objectives.”
Campus Ink, which is based out of Urbana, has since expanded nationwide, boasting a waiting list of more than 500 athletes while also acquiring NIL licenses for more than 10 schools.
The Campus Ink team handles all the creative, product creation, design, marketing, fulfillment and customer service for its student-athletes. Additionally, Campus Ink works directly with student-athletes to educate them on merchandising, marketing and sales trends to develop strategies for optimal success.
ABOUT CAMPUS INK AND THE NIL STORE
Backed by Mark Cuban, Campus Ink expanded into the Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) space in 2021 and launched the NIL Store, which serves as a merchandising solution for student-athletes and schools. The NIL Store operates with the firm belief that every student-athlete has an opportunity to capitalize on their NIL. Campus Ink was founded in 1947 on the campus of the University of Illinois and was reimagined in 2015 with an office in downtown Chicago and a production facility in Urbana, Il where the company handles all of its own production and fulfillment.
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