Michigan partners with Passes to provide fans 'unprecedented' access, position Wolverines as 'a leader in NIL'
Passes, a direct-to-fan engagement and monetization platform, has partnered with Michigan Wolverines athletics to create NIL value across 29 sports, recruit and retain student athletes and provide “unprecedented” fan access. The multi-year partnership through Learfield “empowers Michigan student athletes to sell exclusive content and merchandise and empowers fans to play a role in the retention and recruitment of athletic and academic talent through a new NIL fund,” according to a press release.
The partnership includes the use of the Michigan logo and trademark. It offers fans the opportunity to follow, support and engage with Michigan teams and athletes, and it will “enhance fan engagement and connectivity, while providing student-athletes with powerful tools to develop their personal brands.”
The Michigan Content Hub will be the home for fans to receive different tiers of access to exclusive content, merchandise and experience.
“All Michigan student athletes are uniquely positioned to benefit from Passes, which currently features several On3 top 10 athletes earning 6-7 figures on the platform,” the release said.
“From exclusive merchandise and signed memorabilia to post and pre-game livestreams, Passes’ versatility allows for total customization to best reach the unique interests of diverse audiences.
“For example, fans and donors can subscribe to the Team 146 Tier. Proceeds from this tier will be directed towards ensuring that the football team, through recruiting, retention, and portal transfers, will remain in contention for national championships year after year. The goal of the Team 146 Tier is to demonstrate that individual donors of any size can have a meaningful impact on Michigan’s ability to be successful in today’s dynamic college landscape.”
Passes has been in the NIL sphere for some time, having signed what it calls the largest single NIL deal in history with LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne. It also invested seven figures into the Texas One Fund earlier this year.
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Passes spokeswoman Kate Ellis told TheWolverine.com that the company’s deal with U-M is “poised to position Michigan as a leader in NIL.”
“The University of Michigan ranks highly among the world’s great institutions of higher learning and enjoys a rich, tradition-laden history in college sports,” Passes CEO Lucy Guo said. “Michigan fans like myself want to see our teams raise that National Championship trophy every year. Passes is especially proud to partner with University of Michigan and have the opportunity to work with student-athletes and the Wolverine community in Ann Arbor and around the world.”
“This partnership with Passes aligns with our university’s commitment to innovation and student-athlete development,” Michigan assistant AD for NIL Danielle Davison said. “It gives all our teams a powerful platform to showcase Michigan Athletics and connect with our passionate fanbase, while preparing our student-athletes for success in the evolving landscape of college sports.”
In addition to its NIL support, Passes plans to offer summer internships and to recruit on campus for “a variety of positions at Passes corporate office in Los Angeles.” The company has “hired on-campus support in Ann Arbor to ensure that student athletes have necessary resources to be successful on the platform.”
