Orlando City, Pride NIL deals with 17 UCF athletes part of growing trend

More and more professional sports franchises are executing NIL deals with local student-athletes.

In August, the Chicago White Sox signed eight college athletes to NIL deals as part of its inaugural CHISOX Athlete NIL program. Plus, other professional teams like the Florida Panthers and Atlanta Braves have done NIL deals. Now professional soccer franchises Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride are teaming up with marketplace Dreamfield Sports to sign 17 UCF student-athletes to NIL deals as club ambassadors. 

Dreamfield is co-founded by former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton. The Knights’ student-athletes involved in the deal represent a variety of sports and will “showcase the clubs’ matchday experiences and serve as club ambassadors” on campus. The terms of the NIL deals were not released.

The 17 athletes that Orlando City and Orlando Pride are working with:

• Mia Asenjo (Soccer)
• Kelis Barton (Soccer)
• Chris Bowerfind (Football)
• Josh Celiscar (Football)
• Jada Cody (Softball)
• Andrew Dickson (Football)
• Shannon Doherty (Softball)
• PJ Edwards (Basketball)
• Taylor Hendricks (Basketball)
• Tyler Hendricks (Basketball)
• Rayniah Jones (Track)
• Ben McCabe (Baseball)
• Jordan McDonald (Football)
• Johneisha Rowe (Softball)
• Cole Russo (Baseball)
• Kris Sosnowski (Baseball)
• Alex Ward (Football)

Orlando City and Orlando Pride said in a news release that NIL is a fast-growing opportunity for marketers, collegiate athletes and professional sports organizations.

“We’re happy to be partnering with a local organization, but also, that we are able to invest in student-athletes, who play right here in our backyard, to represent both Orlando City and Orlando Pride in the Central Florida community and their respective College campuses,” said Pedro Araujo, chief marketing officer. 

The UCF campus is around 20 minutes away from Exploria Stadium, where City and Pride both play.

Professional teams active in NIL

The NHL’s Florida Panthers signed former Miami quarterback D’Eriq King to a deal last August, making him the first collegiate athlete to sign a NIL agreement with a professional sports team.

Georgia gymnast Rachel Baumann and Georgia Tech quarterback Jordan Yates signed with the Atlanta Braves in August 2021. With that signing, the Braves become the first MLB team to partner with student-athletes.

The athletes attended Braves’ home games and used their social media accounts to showcase their time there. Georgia Tech’s campus is located just 10 miles from Atlanta’s Truist Park and the University of Georgia is 70 miles away. 

“As soon as the new NIL guidelines were set last month, we knew there was an opportunity to highlight the convergence of Braves Country and strong local athletes,” Braves executive Greg Mize said when they announced the deal last year. “For our first partnerships, we wanted to focus on schools in our backyard, and the hope is the program will continue to expand to include student-athletes from throughout Braves Country.”

Why are pro teams doing NIL deals?

Baumann and Yates received a stipend of approximately $500, a commission on Braves tickets sold through links in their social media accounts, VIP treatment at games and team merchandise. Similar deals have popped up in the NHL and MLB’s minor league system. Rayquan Smith, who has earned the nickname “King of NIL,” appeared at an event for the Norfolk Admirals hockey team.

Plus, the Reno Aces jumped into the NIL space last year with partnerships with Nevada Wolf Pack football players Kameron Toomer, Daiyan Henley, Elijah Cooks and Carson Strong.

NIL experts say the deals with local college stars are great ways to generate new interest and potentially grow the fan base – especially with younger fans. For example, the Aces created a college night at their ballpark, where Nevada students got discounts on tickets.