Champions Circle NIL collective becomes first to enter partnership with Michigan Athletics
Another big development on the NIL front took place for Michigan Athletics on Friday, officially announcing a formal partnership with the Champions Circle collective. It is the first organization of its kind to enter an official partnership with the athletic department.
Under the terms of the agreement with LEARFIELD’s Michigan Sports Properties, Champions Circle will be allowed to use Michigan wordmarks and logos, including the Block M, in marketing, fundraising and other promotional activities.
The collective will also be able to integrate promotional information into official Michigan football and basketball-related broadcasts and podcasts and will get a push from Michigan’s online assets and social media to promote the Champions Circle initiative.
“We welcome the Champions Circle as the first U of M collective to achieve the status as an official partner of the Michigan Athletics,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a press release. “Champions Circle has been thoughtful and proactive in its approach to support NIL activities for student-athletes across our entire athletic department. They have done a tremendous amount of work to properly leverage our marks to benefit our young people.”
“Champions Circle is proud to be recognized as an official partner of Michigan Athletics,” said Jared Wangler, Champions Circle Co-Founder, CEO of Valiant Management Group and football alum. “As an alumni-driven organization, we are committed to the success of our student-athletes both on and off the field. We are excited for our partnership to amplify the existing NIL programs that we have built over the past two years.”
“We are excited to work with Champions Circle as an official partner of Michigan Athletics,” VP and General Manager of Michigan Sports Properties Jennifer Cadicamo said. “We appreciate the commitment made by their leadership team to elevate their collective through the official use of branding and marketing assets and look forward to collaborating on future opportunities that benefit Michigan student-athletes.”
More on the Champions Circle initiative at Michigan
Champions Circle was founded in 2022 as “a community of fans, alumni and supporters whose goal is empowering University of Michigan student-athletes to be the leaders and best through name, image and likeness.” Champions Circle is partnered with Valiant Management Group, run by Wangler and his team, to produce events, curate NIL-related ventures, fundraise and more.
Football head coach Jim Harbaugh recently endorsed the Champions Circle initiative.
“Champions Circle and Valiant Management Group embody the core values of our program by providing NIL opportunities for our student-athletes,” Harbaugh said. “I consider them to be a trusted agent and encourage our Michigan Family to support them in their NIL efforts.
“I encourage ALL of you to contribute to Champions Circle which provides direct support to our dedicated student-athletes to ensure that they are Victors in the classroom, in the community and on the playing field.”
LEARFIELD’s services at Michigan include licensing and sponsorship management, publishing, audio, digital, and social media, data analytics, ticketing software, fundraising and much more.
More information on the Champions Circle collective can be found at its official website.
