Aside from scholarships and stipends, college athletes are increasing their profits through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals.
Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang Entertainment company has entered endorsement deals with 25 athletes to promote Khalifa’s song “45 Minute Beatdown” on their Instagram accounts.
According to On3, as part of the agreement, the sought-after athletes were required to post a video of themselves dancing to the new track featuring Lil Uzi Vert
on their Instagram Stories.The Texas-based, NIL-driven A&P Agency arranged all 25 endorsement deals.
Yahoo Sports reported that Khalifa’s deal indicates the first time a recordhas stepped into the NIL space. These endorsement deals allow college athletes to profit from their talent, accolades, and popularity.
According to A&P co-founder Stefan Aguilera, the NIL
deals benefit the players and provide major exposure for record labels and artists.“Right now in the music industry, there is no better marketing tool to communicate to the college demographic effectively except for our athletes that have a vast following consisting of students and alumni, which we have developed over the course of our relationship with our athletes,” Aguilera said.
Aguilera co-founded the agency alongside Jacob Piasecki
and was able to help facilitate the partnership with Taylor Gang through his network of old connections.“A&P Agency is the optimal choice for the music industry, not just because we represent the best athletes, but because nobody understands the college market better than us speaking in terms of creative marketing,” he added.
Players that have landed NIL deals with Taylor Gang Entertainment include Florida A&M’s Darian Oxendine
, Georgia Tech’s TK Chimedza, Ish Harris of Texas A&M, Camron Buckley from Jackson State, and Isaiah Bond of Alabama.Recently, USC wide receiver Brenden Rice landed a deal with Centurion Lifestyle, a luxury car provider, with the help of A&P.
Reportedly, each athlete’s payment for their NIL deal with Khalifa has not been disclosed.