Upper Deck Announces NIL Trading Cards for College Athletes

Upper Deck has announced Name/image/likeness-focused license agreements with The Brandr Group, a student-athlete NIL representation agency, and collegiate brand licensing company, CLC. Through these collaborations, Upper Deck will provide visibility and representation across various 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 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 multidimensional student-athlete NIL deal, Upper Deck has the unique opportunity to create trading card sets featuring the name, image, likeness and signature of emerging athletes across women’s and men’s sports, including softball, gymnastics, field hockey, soccer, volleyball, basketball and football.

Related:10 Minutes With … The Brandr Group on Commercial Licensing Opportunities for College Athletes

“It is a privilege to have some of my sweetest memories in the game of softball immortalized in these trading cards,” says Jordy Bahl, multiple-time national champion pitcher. “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,” says Jason Masherah, president, 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.”

“Working with Upper Deck means giving countless world-class collegiate athletes the recognition they deserve regardless of the sport they play,” says Jim Neish, vice president, licensing and business development, The Brandr Group. “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 in local hobby shops and retailers and online.