Oklahoma State softball strikes teamwide NIL deal with local car dealer

Oklahoma State’s softball team hit a home run on the field this season as the Big 12 champions. They also advanced to the Women’s College World Series. Now the Cowgirls are hitting it out of the park through a teamwide NIL deal.

According to a release from the OSU athletic department, the entire Cowgirls softball roster is receiving a NIL deal from Seth Wadley’s auto dealerships in Perry, Okla.

“We see the incredible impact Kenny Gajewski and his Cowgirls are having in this state and across the country,” Jared Cunningham, Seth Wadley’s local co-owner said. “With our two Perry dealerships being less than 20 minutes from campus, we felt this NIL agreement was the perfect opportunity for us to support standout athletes who exemplify the values of our businesses and community.

“It is a true honor to form this connection between Seth Wadley of Perry and the Cowgirls.”

Terms of the deal were not released. The deal was brokered by Learfield.

But the teamwide deal is another example of how sponsors continue to turn to successful women student-athletes and their teams as perfect partners in the NIL space.

On Wednesday, the Michigan State women’s gymnastics team agreed to a teamwide deal with This is Sparta!, a Spartan focused NIL collective. The MSU student-athletes are getting paid $5,000 each as part of the deal. Recently, Level 13 recently announced it signed the entire Texas Tech women’s basketball team to NIL agreements. Plus, collectives at Marquette and SMU struck NIL deals with the entire women’s basketball teams at their schools. Furthermore, Adidas has been aggressively executing deals with student-athletes across the country to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

Oklahoma State softball players worthy of major NIL deals

The popularity of Oklahoma State softball has skyrocketed in recent years. The Cowgirls were selected for multiple nationally televised broadcasts during the regular season. They also hosted 2022 NCAA Regional and Super Regional games at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater. Crowds at games outgrew stadium capacity so much that OSU had to add new seating to accommodate all the fans.

The Cowgirls have also advanced to three straight Women’s College World Series.

“What makes this partnership with the Seth Wadley dealerships in Perry so special is the fact that our entire team gets to be part of it, even those from last year’s team who have exhausted their eligibility,” Gajewski said.

“It’s a great boost to these women, and to the sport of softball, to see our student-athletes recognized for the heartfelt impact they have on their fans and our community.”