Global Collectibles leader acquires NIL and
university licenses with The Brandr Group and CLC to produce
autographed trading cards of student athletes from a diverse range
of colleges and sports.
CARLSBAD, Calif., Aug. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Upper Deck today announces new NIL focused
license agreements with The Brandr Group, a student-athlete NIL
representation agency, and CLC, the nation's leading collegiate
brand licensing company. Through these collaborations, Upper Deck
will provide visibility and representation across a wide variety of
sports through an expansive trading card line leveling the playing
field for female and male student-athletes from a diverse lineup of
athletic programs. The Upper Deck World of Sports™ Volume 1 Trading
Card Set is designed to celebrate the contributions and
accomplishments of college athletes across the country like the
University of Nebraska women's
volleyball team with record-setting attendance numbers and
back-to-back field hockey champions, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
It will feature an assortment of college programs that are
officially licensed through the CLC, the nation's leading licensing
agency for more than 600 of the nation's top colleges and
universities.
For 35 years, Upper Deck has produced high-quality, trading
cards, collectibles and memorabilia for a vast roster of
world-renowned professional athletes, including popular hockey and
basketball players, among many others. Now, with this
industry-changing and multidimensional student-athlete NIL deal,
Upper Deck has the unique opportunity to create trading card sets
featuring the name, image, likeness and signatures of emerging
athletes across women's and men's sports including softball,
gymnastics, field hockey, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and
football. Jordy Bahl, a multiple
time national champion pitcher, explained: "It is a privilege to
have some of my sweetest memories in the game of softball
immortalized in these trading cards. I cannot wait to share them
with my family and loved ones, along with fans and other people who
have followed my journey."
"NIL agreements open so many exciting doors for student-athletes
on the path to becoming the next generation of greats, an area
Upper Deck is known for," said Jason
Masherah, President of Upper Deck. "Not only are we
facilitating opportunities for these talented players to establish
their personal brand value early on; we're also paving the way for
equal opportunity among men and women in underrepresented sports
who bring immense amounts of success to their schools and deserve
to be rewarded for it. We can't wait to bring these special early
moments of their careers into the hands of collectors and
fans."
Jim Neish, Vice President of
Licensing and Business Development at The Brandr Group, stated:
"Working with Upper Deck means giving countless world-class
collegiate athletes the recognition they deserve regardless of the
sport they play. We believe these trading cards will elevate these
players' profiles to new heights, whether they cement themselves as
one of the greatest student-athletes, or go on to storied
professional careers. Some of the most legendary athletes of all
time have had their names on the Upper Deck roster, and now these
student-athletes get to join that prestigious list at a unique
moment in time as Upper Deck creates one of the most diverse
trading card sets to ever hit the market. We can't wait to see how
fans and our student-athletes react."
The Upper Deck World of Sports Volume 1 Trading Card Set will be
available for purchase in local hobby shops and retailers and
online. Stay tuned for updates on UpperDeck.com.
About Upper Deck:
Upper Deck is a global entertainment
company creating trading cards, memorabilia, collectibles, games,
and online platforms that deliver the experiences collectors crave.
Upper Deck has set the unmatched industry standard for quality,
authenticity, and innovation and continues to bring generations of
fans closer to their favorite athletes and characters with unique
and authentic sports and entertainment product offerings, as well
as its digital trading ecosystem. The company prides itself on
creating collectibles that produce invaluable experiences for
sports and entertainment's most dedicated and loyal fans, with a
goal to deliver excellence to the community across the most coveted
properties as a means to develop memorable moments for collectors
of all kinds.
Find more information at http://www.upperdeck.com,
www.UpperDeckBlog.com or follow us on Facebook (/UpperDeck),
Instagram (UpperDeckSports), Twitter (UpperDeckSports), and YouTube
(UDvids).
About The Brandr Group:
The Brandr Group (TBG) is a
brand management, marketing and licensing agency powered by a team
with decades of collective management experience for some of the
world's largest brands. TBG has emerged as the leading agency in
group licensing programs, with rights at more than 90 college
athletic programs and their student athletes in the Name, Image and
Likeness category including many of the biggest brands in college
athletics. TBG partners with prominent brands, colleges, sponsors,
corporate trademarks, athletes and events to cultivate, diversify
and monetize intellectual property through professional brand
management and licensing endeavors. For more information, please
visit tbgusa.com.
About CLC:
CLC is the nation's leading collegiate
trademark licensing company with a mission to elevate college
brands through insight and innovation. The company is uniquely
positioned to deliver consumer connections and brand visibility for
institutions through data-driven, customized solutions that include
impactful licensed merchandise strategies and innovative marketing
platforms to navigate the ever-evolving consumer and retail
marketplace. Founded in 1981, CLC is a part of Learfield, the
leading media and technology company powering
college athletics.
Media Contact:
Nicole Brief, Carve Communications
nicole@carvecomms.com
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SOURCE Upper Deck