The NIL Store reaches 'amazing milestone' with $1 million in athlete payouts

The NIL marketplace continues to show signs of robust success. Take the latest news from the NIL Store for example.

The NIL Store – park of Campus Ink’s NIL network and backed by businessman and NBA owner Mark Cuban – announced Thursday it surpassed the $1 million mark in athlete payouts through officially licensed NIL merchandise sales on its network.

Campus Ink operates The NIL Store network that features school-specific and officially licensed merchandise marketplaces for more than 40 institutions all over the country. Some of the top programs represented include Auburn, Colorado, Duke, Florida State, Iowa, LSU, North Carolina, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, UCLA and Washington. Campus Ink also sells customized merchandise for athletes who attend institutions that don’t have an official NIL Store.

An example of The NIL Store’s offerings was showcased with the release of its Winter Edition NIL jerseys featuring top programs like Utah, UConn, Nebraska, Michigan State, Western Kentucky and others. Custom apparel with many of the top players in the country – like Zach Edey, KJ Adams, Caleb Love, Flau’jae Johnson, Hailey Van Lith and Paige Bueckers – is also available.

“For us, it began with a single athlete, school and T-shirt,” Steven Farag, co-founder and CEO of Campus Ink, said in a statement. “Hitting this milestone is an achievement for student-athletes and a significant moment for our company.

“This is NIL the way it was originally intended. I am grateful for our partners who helped get us here. NIL is complicated and involves uncomfortable discussions. We recognize it brings new challenges. But when we face them together on behalf of the athletes, NIL becomes a transformative force.”

The NIL Store has an ‘athlete-first’ focus

The NIL Store was built on the foundation of putting “athletes first in a collegiate space that had previously relegated them to the sidelines.” Company leaders say it has “remained true to its mission of providing opportunities to every athlete while paying them more on every sale than anyone in the industry.”

Backed by an initial investment from Cuban – the Dallas Mavericks owner and “Shark Tank” star – in 2022, Campus Ink leaders say The NIL Store network has grown exponentially. It’s signed more than 9,000 athletes to the platform.

“It’s great to see campus ink returning so much to student-athletes. $1 million is an amazing milestone,” Cuban said in the same statement. 

Campus Ink Sports Vice President Adam Cook said the milestone is a “testament to an unwavering commitment and the limitless potential of the athletes we serve.”

Mit Winter, a respected NIL observer and college sports attorney with Kennyhertz Perry, applauded The NIL Store’s success.

“Campus Ink and its NIL Store is one of the best stories in the NIL space to date,” Winter said. “Not only do they create unique and timely apparel, they also ensure that the athletes whose NILs are being used in the apparel are being fairly compensated. “The work they’re doing is great for both consumers and athletes.”