Valiant Management launches jersey program with M Den for Michigan basketball

Valiant Management continues to create new NIL opportunities for Michigan basketball.

The sports marketing group launched a jersey program in partnership with The M Den. Both the men’s and women’s programs will be able to profit from the initiative. Fans can go to the official Michigan merchandise retailer to customize jerseys with their favorite players.

Valiant founder Jared Wangler told On3 athletes will earn more than 50% of the retail net profits from the partnership. The agency is not new to launching merchandise. Valiant launched a T-shirt commemorating the Big Ten title in December The M Den, with roughly 50% of the company’s profit margin kicked back into a team royalty pool.

Michigan men’s basketball is currently 11-8 on the season with a 5-3 mark in conference play. The Wolverines’ women’s team ranked No. 16 in the country with a 16-4 record and 6-3 in the Big Ten.

Providing new, innovative NIL opportunities to athletes continues to be the chief goal of collectives. Valiant Management also helps operate a Michigan collective, Champions Circle, which is donor-based.

“We have a group of prominent boosters at Michigan that came together, and we helped them shape what we’re calling Champions Circle,” Wengler previously told On3. “It’s a collective. It’s partnering with Valiant, essentially, to structure and create a NIL deal to maximize opportunities for the current University of Michigan student-athletes.

“Valiant is essentially steering the ship and deciding on which players we’re doing deals with.”

Companies such as The Players Trunk and BreakingT have capitalized in the NIL Era, launching businesses that help create merchandise for athletes to profit from. And group licensing deals are not hard to come by, specifically with Fanatics.

The Purdue NIL Store, run by Campus Ink, launched the “Big Maple” hockey jersey in Purdue colors with the school’s logo last week. An ode to Zach Edey, the jersey includes the Purdue’s star name and number.

Turning athletes’ NIL into a merchandising opportunity continues to be a popular activation. With Valiant Management’s move with Michigan’s basketball programs, fans will be able to represent their favorite athletes while directing profits back to them.