Valiant Management, The M Den team up to sell replica Michigan basketball jerseys
The leading Michigan Wolverines marketing agency, Valiant Management, has partnered with The M Den to sell replica men’s and women’s basketball jerseys, both organizations announced Tuesday. The M Den is the official merchandise retailer of Michigan athletics. The two groups have teamed up for other NIL endeavors in the past with autograph signings, trading card sales and more.
The jerseys are Valiant brand, not Jordan like the ones Michigan wears during games. They’re selling for $120 a piece on The M Den website. Men’s basketball center Hunter Dickinson has his own jersey being promoted, but fans can customize one with another player’s name and number — from either the men’s or women’s squad — as well.
“Student-athletes will make more than 50 percent of the retail profits,” Valiant representative Justin Roh told TheWolverine.com. “Also, the men and women receive the same compensation for their jerseys, in our efforts to provide equal opportunities to both men and women student-athletes at Michigan.”
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Custom jerseys have been available at The M Den for Michigan football players for some time. But getting the deal done for basketball was more challenging, since the jerseys actually say ‘Michigan’ on the front. With that came copyright issues to work through.
“Before the Ed O’Bannon case, we could do player’s numbers on the back,” M Den owner Scott Hirth told the Action Network in 2022. “When it was Denard Robinson, we could make No. 16’s in the store. After O’Bannon, we could only do the No. 1 and the year.”
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The deal is not with the University of Michigan, but instead only The M Den.
“The University of Michigan is not a party to this agreement,” Michigan associate athletic director Dave Ablauf told The Action Network, discussing the football jersey deal.
Michigan women’s basketball is amidst an unprecedented run under head coach Kim Barnes Arico. After making its first ever Sweet 16 appearance in 2020-21, the Wolverines made it to the Elite Eight last season. They currently rank No. 13 in the nation with a 16-4 record.
Michigan men’s basketball is 11-8 overall but 5-3 in the Big Ten, which places them tied for second place in the conference. The Maize and Blue have made a Big Ten-record five consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, dating back to former head man John Beilein‘s tenure. Head coach Juwan Howard has won five NCAA Tournament games over the last two seasons.
