Athlete Advantage and Athlete Licensing Company Form Strategic Partnership to Bolster NIL Programs for Large Collectives Nationwide
ALC’s NIL/IP Management Software will be Leveraged to Manage NIL Collectives and Player Activations with Athlete Advantage
Nashville, TN and Lexington, KY, [Aug. 29, 23] —Athlete Licensing Company (ALC), a tech-enabled name, image and likeness (NIL)/intellectual property (IP) third party administrator, today announced its partnership with Athlete Advantage, the nation’s leading NIL agency and Collective management company. Through this partnership, Athlete Advantage will utilize ALC’s tech-enabled services to manage its growing roster of high-profile NIL Collectives and student-athletes.
Athlete Advantage, which has constructed some of the biggest NIL rights deals for student-athletes, is integrating ALC’s tech platform into all of its NIL properties. The platform will allow Athlete Advantage to efficiently manage the numerous elements associated with NIL sponsorships, endorsements and product sales, including deal facilitation, donor engagement, royalty tracking, payments, reporting and compliance. Athlete Advantage has plans to significantly expand its footprint over the next year.
“At Athlete Advantage, we’re dedicated to being the gold standard for NIL services. ALC’s deep NIL and intellectual property rights expertise perfectly aligns with our mission,” says Ryan Miller, Founder and CEO of Athlete Advantage. “We chose to partner with ALC because their platform offers the robustness and scalability we need as we work with some of the largest programs in the country.”
Name, image and likeness is a student-athlete’s intellectual property. For decades, IP rights have been monetized in the entertainment and professional sports industries. In 2021, collegiate athletes were granted the ability to financially benefit from their NIL/IP. With this opportunity, student-athletes must navigate an evolving landscape of NCAA, University and state regulations to maintain their eligibility, in addition to maneuvering the intricacies of IP contracts and laws.
The ALC founders and software team have collectively 50+ years of experience in IP rights administration, as well as a deep background in NIL/NCAA law and University athletic department administration and fundraising. This expertise guided the development of the company’s technology platforms, which seamlessly connect student-athletes, Universities, collectives, brands, agents, donors and fans. The platform includes automated compliance disclosures and an invitation-only app, which allows student-athletes to accept, track, show proof of work, receive payment and report their NIL deals, as well as receive a royalty statement showing transactions and a single 1099 tax form. Further, the app includes royalty-splitting to pay agents, brands and schools for their co-branded merchandise or content. The ALC team also offers its clients access to a wide range of consulting services, from strategic planning to IP litigation and protection.
“We’re excited Athlete Advantage partnered with ALC and look forward to working with them to help student-athletes connect the proper dots with Collectives, Universities and brands in the NIL environment,” says Bryan Risner, ALC’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. “Together, ALC and Athlete Advantage can accelerate a vast array of initiatives that large, complex NIL programs need to thrive.”
The partnership expands both ALC and Athlete Advantage capabilities. This will enable the companies to offer enhanced full-service NIL collective management solutions, such as advising on legal and tax issues, as well as facilitating unique donor engagement and fundraising events.
About Athlete Licensing Company
Athlete Licensing Company (ALC) is a tech-enabled NIL/IP rights management company that does third-party administration for student-athletes, universities, collectives, brands and agents. The company puts student-athletes at the center of the ecosystem by providing an app which enables them to optimize and manage their NIL and IP rights opportunities. The company also offers software-as-a-service products that allow for efficient, transparent sponsorship facilitation, payment enablement, reporting, and compliance oversight. ALC boasts a wealth of experience in intellectual property management, NCAA/NIL state and school compliance, legal, accounting and tax guidance. This expertise allows ALC to provide high-level professional guidance to clients as they work to build strong, sustainable NIL programs. For more information, visit www.athlete-licensing.com.
About Athlete Advantage
Athlete Advantage is the nation’s leading NIL agency and Collective management company, providing a 360-degree solution for student-athletes, Universities and businesses. The company manages numerous NIL collectives associated with some of the highest-profile collegiate sports programs. Athlete Advantage takes a comprehensive approach to collective management; creating and managing collectives that tap into the tradition of the University while operating within NCAA guidelines and in compliance with University regulations. The Athlete Advantage team is comprised of industry leaders who are dedicated to being the gold standard for NIL services. For more information, visit www.athleteadvantage.com.
