The University of Minnesota has an official NIL collective.
The university’s athletic department and its exclusive multimedia rightsholder, LEARFIELD’s Gopher Sports Properties, announced that Dinkytown Athletes is the official NIL collective of Gopher athletics.
RELATED: Minnesota’s Steven Ortiz Jr. donates NIL money to help Puerto Rico relief
Dinkytown Athletes, which is named after the historic and adjacent neighborhood to campus, launched in 2022, but it was operating as an independent collective with a mission to support Minnesota student-athletes through NIL opportunities. Now, the collective will have full support of the university.
“We are very excited to officially partner with Gopher Athletics,” Rob Gag, vice president of Dinkytown Athletes, said in a statement. “This would not have been possible without the support of our members and donors. There are many exciting things to come, and this is just the beginning.”
Not only is Dinkytown Athletes the official NIL collective of Gopher athletics, but it will also have access to Minnesota’s marks, logos and images. Fans will also see traditional marketing effort on behalf of the collective in the form of radio sports, email marketing, and display and banner advertisements.
“I have been very impressed by Rob Gag and Derek Burns and how they have operated Dinkytown Athletes,” Greg Gerlach, vice president and general manager of Gopher Sports Properties, said in a statement. “It is clear to me that their integrity, vision and energy for assisting Gopher student-athletes outside of their area of competition is genuine and built for long-term success. Our team has enjoyed working with Dinkytown Athletes, and we look forward to continued opportunities to highlight and support the growth of the personal brands of our Gopher student-athletes.”
RELATED: Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck on importance of NIL: ‘I can’t say this enough’
Minnesota fans and local businesses will be able to support the NIL opportunities for Gopher student-athletes through a number of membership packages, which range from $10 per month to $500 per month. Fans will receive benefits including access to exclusive interviews, personalized videos, signed memorabilia, and annual discounts to the Dinkytown Athletes store.
