Legends and Blueprint Sports Announce a Strategic Partnership to Combine and Enhance Industry-Leading NIL Solutions
Blueprint Sports and Legends bring an enhanced professional solution for NIL collectives at Power Five universities nationwide.
NEW YORK and LAS VEGAS (March 6, 2024) – Legends, a global premium experiences company, and Blueprint Sports (BPSE), the industry leader in full-service name, image, and likeness (NIL) collectives, have formed a strategic partnership that will provide NIL collectives and Power Five universities with an unmatched NIL infrastructure, bolstering professional operational capacities, service offerings, and NIL industry expertise. The result will be the industry-leading NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) solution, setting the standard for NIL and student-athlete sports marketing.
Legends College and Blueprint Sports will collaborate to support student-athletes and the rapidly evolving college athletics NIL landscape. Together, they will amplify and build sustainable revenue opportunities for NIL collectives under the BPSE umbrella, focusing on philanthropic fundraising, student-athlete sponsorships, memberships, exclusive events, and merchandise fulfillment.
“The college athletics landscape has undergone rapid transformation,” stated Mike Behan, President of Legends College. “Through our close collaboration with partners during this dynamic period, Legends is acutely aware of the significant opportunities stemming from NIL, as well as the challenge in establishing sustainable revenue models for NIL collectives. Our partnership with Blueprint Sports is positioned to address this challenge, offering an unparalleled solution for universities and NIL collectives to generate long-term revenue in support of student-athletes.”
"Balancing the traditional institutional legacy of college athletics with the new era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) can be a delicate task," said Rob Sine, CEO of Blueprint Sports. "Our collaboration with Legends enables our teams to combine their extensive knowledge, proven track records, and resources to provide the most comprehensive and forward-facing solution to an industry undergoing tremendous change. Our goal is to continue guiding the college sports industry, athletic departments, conferences, and collectives in the right direction while maximizing the impact of NIL on student-athletes and their programs.”
Both companies have partnerships involving the University of Kansas, the University of Maryland, the University of Utah, and Villanova University. BPSE powers collectives that support student-athletes at each university, and Legends College’s partnerships with each span multiple services across the company’s holistic solution. These universities will be the first to benefit from Legends and BPSE’s new strategic partnership. Across its portfolio, BPSE powers collectives at more than 25 universities nationwide, including twelve Power-Five universities, presenting an incredible opportunity for both companies to grow and expand within the industry together.
Legends’ college business has grown exponentially over the past 10-plus years and includes partnerships with leading universities, collegiate organizations, and events. Born out of the impact Legends continues to have across the collegiate landscape, Legends College was launched in November 2023 and provides a 360-degree service solution including research, project development, premium ticket sales, sponsorships, food and beverage, merchandise, business intelligence, marketing and philanthropic fundraising and engagement. The partnership with BPSE expands and enhances Legends’ NIL proficiency across its services.
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About Legends
Founded in 2008, Legends is a premium experiences company with six divisions operating worldwide – Global Planning, Global Sales, Global Partnerships, Hospitality, Global Merchandise, and Global Technology Solutions – offering clients and partners a 360-degree data and analytics fueled service solution platform to elevate their brand and execute their vision. Currently, Legends works with marquee clients across business verticals including professional sports; collegiate; attractions; entertainment; and conventions and leisure. We are the industry leaders in designing, planning, and realizing exceptional experiences in sports and entertainment. For more information, visit www.Legends.net and follow @TheLegendsWay on X and Instagram.
About Blueprint Sports
Founded in 2020, Blueprint Sports (BPSE) powers the industry's leading name, image, and likeness (NIL) collectives for alumni, supporters, and businesses, connecting them with student-athletes at their favorite universities. BPSE's national portfolio of collectives supports student-athletes across the country, including Penn State University, University of Arkansas, University of Kansas, University of Colorado, UCLA, University of Maryland, University of Washington, University of Utah, Boston College, NC State University, Villanova University, Stanford University, Gonzaga University, University of Arizona, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Nevada, and more. The Blueprint Sports management team possesses over 50 years of college and professional sports experience, spanning the Pac-12 Conference, IMG, Learfield, and more. For more information, visit blueprintsports.com or its pages on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Media Contacts:
Stacey Escudero, Legends, sescudero@legends.net
Marina Bain, Blueprint Sports, marina@blueprintsports.com
