Following Endorsement of UMass Athletic Director, The Massachusetts Collective Announces Events to Educate, Motivate and Recruit Members
AMHERST, MA: The Massachusetts Collective has been endorsed by UMass Athletic Director Ryan Bamford – and is celebrating by organizing events to educate, motivate and recruit Collective members.
“We are excited that the Athletic Department has endorsed the Collective’s efforts – that’s a big stamp of approval for our operation,” said Patrick MacWilliams, Director of the Massachusetts Collective. “We want to reciprocate by holding events to introduce fans to the Collective’s mission, which aims to strengthen fan support for UMass men’s and women’s basketball athletes. The NIL space is still new to so many folks. Why be a member of the Collective? How can the Collective be a force for good? These are the kinds of questions our events will answer as we look to boost our membership and our capacity to support UMass athletes,” MacWilliams said.
NIL Collectives use fan-supported crowdfunding and donations to help athletes grow income opportunities by applying their names, images or likenesses to sponsorship deals with businesses or nonprofits – or by pursuing public appearances and other promotional activities. The Massachusetts Collective has executed deals with four athletes to date, including an international player on the men’s team and a charitably minded Minutewoman who worked with the Collective to develop dog treats to benefit a local animal shelter.
“As college athletics changes at a rapid pace, we want to continue our NIL education and student-athlete support efforts using a balanced, forward-looking approach so our students can effectively identify, assess and implement NIL opportunities while operating within NCAA guidelines,” Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford said. “Collectives have developed into an important component of the NIL landscape and we fully support our student-athletes working with UMass affiliated collectives to monetize their NIL. Our two new collectives have deep ties to the University of Massachusetts and will undoubtedly help enrich our Minutemen and Minutewomen in this new NIL era.”
“This is an entirely new way for fans to support athletes directly and we are excited about it.” MacWilliams added. “We want to make the case to fans that this is a fun and impactful way to strengthen our teams and show UMass pride. We are looking forward to this series of educational and recruitment events – and to several unique promotions we hope will incentivize fans to get involved.”
"We have 214 members to date, but we are just getting started. Our goal is 400 members by the A10 Tournament in March,” said MacWilliams.
The new Massachusetts Collective events are online and in person. Check them out at TheMassCollective.com/member-recruitment
About The Massachusetts Collective: The Massachusetts Collective is a donor-driven NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) Collective comprised of UMass Basketball fans, donors and businesses who together create income opportunities for UMass Basketball Student Athletes. The Massachusetts Collective supports both the Mens and Womens Basketball Programs.
