LOS ANGELES and BOISE, Idaho, August 21, 2024 – OneTeam Partners (OneTeam), the leader in commercializing group licensing rights for college and professional athletes, and ONIT Athlete, a fast-rising trading card, collectible, and fan engagement brand for college athletes and sports fans, have entered into a groundbreaking multiyear partnership. This collaboration aims to create trading cards for thousands of athletes and integrate them into a group licensing program with ONIT Athlete, expanding equitable passive revenue-generating opportunities for male and female college athletes.
ONIT Athlete revolutionized the trading card market by being the first to bring broad team sets to market for college athletes. As the nation’s leader in collegiate trading cards, ONIT Athlete worked with more than 4,500 college athletes – more than the published set lists of all other trading card companies combined – across 111 teams at 40 universities during the 2023-24 academic year, providing industry-leading guaranteed royalties. Offering team-based collectibles in 12 collegiate sports so far, including football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, lacrosse, gymnastics, and soccer, ONIT Athlete has already broken ground by including offerings from a diverse array of teams, becoming a leader in providing equitable compensation for male and female college athletes. The company worked with 838 athletes in women’s sports last season and will surpass that mark this year.
In the fall of 2023, ONIT Athlete issued over $1.6 million in royalty payments to college athletes. The company aims to work with 10,000 student-athletes in the 2024-25 academic year, projecting more than $7 million in royalties. The first sets of trading cards from this partnership will be available to the public in August.
“We’re excited to team up with OneTeam, who have been generating significant momentum in the college group licensing space. Their streamlined method makes it easy to collaborate and prioritize athletes’ rights and equitable compensation. This partnership will allow us to move faster and create more NIL opportunities for more student athletes,” said Chad McCloud, CEO of ONIT Athlete.
Leveraging ONIT Athlete’s expertise in high-quality, officially licensed trading cards, this partnership will create significant NIL opportunities. OneTeam’s platform simplifies athlete rights management, making it easier for licensees to create products, stay updated on athlete changes, and expand their athlete programs.
“Finding partners like ONIT Athlete, who are disrupting the marketplace and investing in college athletes, aligns perfectly with our mission at OneTeam. Our expertise in maximizing athlete NIL through group licensing platforms, combined with their commitment to ensuring equitable value, makes this collaboration a natural fit,” said Aaron Solender, Senior Director, College Strategy & Operations.
OneTeam’s college group licensing program is experiencing rapid growth, with ONIT joining Fanatics, EA Sports, and Branded Custom Sportswear as anchor licensees. OneTeam provides scalable solutions that benefit athletes, schools, and licensees nationwide. The program offers college athletes opportunities to earn from NIL inclusion in jerseys, t-shirts, video games, trading cards, and more.
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About ONIT Athlete
Based in Boise, Idaho, ONIT Athlete is a company dedicated to becoming the preeminent trading card, collectible, and fan engagement brand for collegiate athletes and college sports fans. As a finalist for Brand of the Year at the 2024 NIL Awards, ONIT Athlete has set ambitious goals of working with 10,000 student-athletes during the 2024-25 academic year and paying more than $7 million in royalties to those athletes.
About OneTeam Partners
OneTeam Partners (OneTeam) is a global leader in sports licensing, marketing, sponsorship, and media, specializing in commercializing group licensing rights for college and professional athletes. Established in 2019, OneTeam is a joint venture between the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), MLB Players Association (MLBPA), Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), MLS Players Association (MLSPA), and U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA), with backing from HPS, General Atlantic, and Morgan Stanley Tactical. OneTeam represents the exclusive group name, image, and likeness rights for the playing members of these associations, as well as those from the NWSL Players Association, U.S. Rugby Players Association, League of Legends Championship Series, Valorant Players Associations, and thousands of college athletes. By leveraging the group IP and influence of these athletes, OneTeam creates value in games and interactive, consumer products, sponsorship, athlete and partner marketing, and content and media.