Out2Win

The first couple years of NIL were all about testing the waters. In Year 3, brands are diving in headfirst. 🏀💰 The graphic below highlights the surge in brand sponsorship activations with college basketball players during this past regular season. For more college basketball NIL insights, check out our March Madness Marketability Report, linked in the comments!

EA Sports announced they'll be raising payments to $1,500 for players appearing in College Football 26. This means EA will spent upwards of $16.5 million for the NIL rights of players.

Chipotle Mexican Grill unveiled a new digital menu featuring the favorite orders of USC Women's Basketball players—just in time for March Madness! 🏀🔥 This is the first time the company has launched a digital menu inspired by an entire team, which includes 15 menu options available exclusively on the Chipotle app. Already making history this March, and the tournament hasn't even started yet!

CAVA JOINS MARCH MADNESS WITH A STACKED ATHLETE LINEUP 🏀 🥗 🔥 Built by Yellow Dot Sports Marketing and Powered by Out2Win, CAVA is rolling out a March Madness campaign featuring some of college basketball’s most marketable athletes—selected with strategy and impact in mind. 💡 Why these athletes? - 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐀𝐕𝐀 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 – Maximizing local engagement. - 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 – More games = more visibility. - 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 – Athletes with real influence. - 𝐋𝐒𝐔 & 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 – Key brand markets with high-performing teams. 🏆 Athlete Roster: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 (𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐚) & 𝐀𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 (𝐋𝐒𝐔) – Captains creating their own CAVA bowls and going head-to-head in a friendly rivalry. 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 (𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐬), 𝐀𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐞 (𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐬), 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐳 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐫 (𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐞), & 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫 (𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝) – Showcasing their go-to CAVA orders through UGC & in-person content. #CAVA #MarchMadness #NIL #AthleteMarketing #YellowDotSports #PoweredByOut2Win #CollegeBasketball #BrandPartnerships

POWERADE TAPS FLAU'JAE JOHNSON FOR ITS MARCH MADNESS CAMPAIGN 🏀 💧 Powerade is going big for March Madness, rolling out its "It Takes More to Get This Far" campaign—and they just brought in Flau’jae Johnson to take it to the next level. 💡 Why it matters: 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 + 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 = 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭-𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 – Johnson isn’t just a star for LSU—she’s also a rising rapper, making her NIL partnership stand out. 𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐙 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 – Powerade is leaning into social-first content, teaming up with Lyrical Lemonade to help Johnson create a custom track for the campaign. 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐕 𝐀𝐝𝐬– This isn’t just another March Madness spot—Powerade is using NIL to connect directly with younger audiences. #Powerade #FlaujaeJohnson #MarchMadness #NIL #AthleteMarketing #GenZMarketing #SportsBusiness

RITZ & CHIPS AHOY LAUNCH MARCH MADNESS NIL CAMPAIGN 🍪 🏀 With March Madness tipping off, RITZ and Chips Ahoy! are getting in the game, partnering with Jackson Shelstad (Oregon), Caleb Love (Arizona), and JuJu Watkins (USC) in their latest NIL campaign. The brands—part of Mondelēz International—are bringing big-time names from both men’s and women’s hoops into the mix. 💡 Why it matters: 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 – Expect NIL campaigns to ramp up as brands look to capture tournament buzz. 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 – With JuJu Watkins, Flau’jae Johnson, and Chloe Kitts involved, this is another major investment in the women’s game. 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 – RITZ and Chips Ahoy! will have activations at both the men’s and women’s Final Four, giving fans interactive experiences and exclusive giveaways. #MarchMadness #NIL #Mondelez #RITZ #ChipsAhoy #AthleteMarketing #CollegeBasketball #BrandPartnerships

2024 MARCH MADNESS SPONSORSHIP TRENDS: WOMEN'S HOOPS DOMINATED 🏀 Last year’s March Madness sponsorships shattered expectations—but the biggest headline? Women’s basketball led the way. 💡 What stands out: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠—brands are investing heavily in women’s college basketball, and the numbers prove it. 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬—women’s basketball players are leading in engagement, storytelling, and long-term brand deals. 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬—momentum is only growing, and we’re already seeing brands double down on NIL deals ahead of this year’s tournament. #MarchMadness #NIL #AthleteMarketing #WomensBasketball #SportsSponsorships #BrandPartnerships #CollegeBasketball

BIG NEWS: We've closed our seed round to scale and continue revolutionizing athlete marketing. 🏆 Over the past year, we’ve built the go-to platform for athlete marketing, helping brands and agencies find, analyze, and activate athlete partnerships with data-driven insights. Now, we’re scaling fast—and raising to take things to the next level. 💡 Why now? 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠—brands are investing more than ever in NIL and pro athlete deals. 𝐀𝐈 + 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 = 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞—our platform delivers unmatched insights into athlete marketability, audience impact, and brand ROI. 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠—we’ve seen rapid adoption from brands, agencies, and universities looking for a smarter way to activate athlete partnerships. Shoutout to Michael Ehrlich at Sports Illustrated and Sports Business Journal for covering our journey!

UNDER ARMOUR DRAFTS NIL ROSTER AHEAD OF MARCH MADNESS 🏀 🔥 With March Madness about to tip off, Under Armour is making a big NIL play, signing a select group of men’s and women’s college basketball players ahead of the tournament. 💡 Why it matters: 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 – March Madness is prime real estate for brand exposure, and Under Armour is locking in top athletes before the action starts. 𝐌𝐞𝐧’𝐬 & 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 – More brands are recognizing the value of both men’s and women’s players in NIL campaigns. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 – This move helps Under Armour stay competitive in the growing battle for athlete partnerships in college basketball. #UnderArmour #MarchMadness #NIL #AthleteMarketing #CollegeBasketball #SportsBusiness #BrandPartnerships

FLORIDA QB DJ LAGWAY USES NIL TO SUPPORT WOMEN'S SPORTS 🏈 💰 Florida’s DJ Lagway is making waves off the field, donating a six-figure sum from his NIL earnings to support Florida women’s sports, including gymnastics, basketball, softball, and volleyball. 💡 Why it matters: 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 – Lagway’s move highlights how NIL can be more than just personal gain—it can uplift entire programs. 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬– More investment means more resources, better facilities, and stronger support for female athletes. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥– Lagway is setting the tone for how athletes can use their platform to drive real impact. #DJLagway #FloridaGators #NIL #WomensSports #AthletesGivingBack #CollegeFootball #SportsBusiness