BOISE, Idaho — Boise State continues to thrive and set the standard in the new world of name, image and likeness (NIL) within college athletics. A partnership between Jacksons Food Stores and Bronco Sports Properties is creating profitable opportunities for all student-athletes representing the blue and orange.
In October 2022, Boise State and Jacksons launched the first-of-its kind trading card set with the entire Bronco football program represented in player packs. On Friday, the partnership expanded to include every team within Boise State Athletics.
As part of the multi-year sponsorship agreement, Jacksons plans to unveil an additional three sets during the 2023-2024 academic year. The series will include each athletic program, with releases in the fall, winter and spring.
The newest set of trading cards will be released at 104 stores in the Treasure Valley on the week of Feb. 27.
According to Boise State Athletics, each pack will include 15 trading cards and cost $12.99, the same price as the Bronco football packs last fall.
When members of Bronco Nation open a pack up, they can expect to find three cards each from Boise State men's basketball, women's basketball and gymnastics, along with two spirit squad cards.
Not only is every Bronco represented through the NIL campaign, but there is also an added bonus of six limited-edition autographed trading cards from various student-athletes. One out of every 10 packs will include an autographed card from one of the following Boise State standouts:
Men's basketball:
- Sophomore forward Tyson Degenhart
- Fifth-year guard Marcus Shaver Jr.
- Fifth-year forward Naje Smith
"I'm super excited to be a part of this opportunity," Degenhart said. "I've always collected trading cards, and to have one as part of a set with all my teammates is something I'm extremely grateful for."
Women's basketball:
- Junior forward Abby Muse
- Junior guard Mary Kay Naro
"It's a really cool opportunity to be able to have our own trading cards," Muse said. "I never would have thought this was something that was possible when I ended up coming to Boise State. It's an awesome way to connect our program to the community."
Gymnastics:
- Senior Adriana Popp (vault, beam, floor)
"We could not be more excited to build on this partnership to include both men's and women's sport programs," Boise State Director of Athletics Jeramiah Dickey said. "Our student-athletes work hard and we are proud to be able to recognize all of them with a community partner like Jacksons. Name, image and likeness continues to be a priority for our department and we are grateful to Bronco Nation for stepping up and supporting these endeavors."
At most universities, the current model forces student-athletes to do the work themselves. That often means outsourcing -- and paying -- a third-party to create connections and marketing opportunities.
Boise State, on the other hand, has set up an infrastructure they strongly believe will streamline NIL opportunities, and make them more powerful for everyone involved.
At the Inaugural NIL Awards at the College Football Hall of Fame in July 2022, Boise State earned the Best Institutional NIL Program award. The Broncos' nationally-recognized NIL program makes campaigns like this, player jersey sales and more possible.
In February alone, Boise State student-athletes partnered with the Boise Hawks for NIL opportunities through game appearances during the 2023 season. Seven Bronco athletes will be compensated by the Hawks for appearances at games and will interact with fans for autographs, pictures and the ceremonial first pitch.
Days later, The Horseshoe Collective landed its biggest individual donation to date. The collective, which raises awareness for charitable donations for Bronco athletes, received a $200,000 gift from local businessman Joe Russell.
According to Boise State Athletics, the trading cards are, "professionally designed, printed and packaged by locally owned and operated vendor, ONIT Marketing." As Bronco Nation saw with the football player trading cards, the quality of the campaign is undeniable.
"We were thrilled with Bronco Nation's overwhelming response to secure the football team trading card sets and support our student-athletes" President of Jacksons Food Stores Cory Jackson said. "We are proud to expand on this partnership with Boise State Athletics to provide more opportunity for athletes and fans."
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