OpenLocker announced a collection of autographed collectibles featuring the name, image and likeness of Florida student-athletes.
The nine Florida student-athletes a part of the NIL deal are Trinity Thomas (women’s gymnastics), Trevor Etienne (football), Shemar James (football), Aliyah Matharu (women’s basketball), Zippy Broughton (women’s basketball), Alex Klatsky (men’s basketball), Elisha Dees (diving), Morgan Hurd (women’s gymnastics) and Victoria Nguyen (women’s gymnastics).
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OpenLocker, a sponsor of the NIL Summit, had the student-athletes sign their personalized collectibles at the event, which took place at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta last weekend.
Each athlete also made an appearance on the OpenLocker podcast giving fans an opportunity to interact with them via the company’s media properties. Buying an athlete’s rare collectible, with a series size limited to 10 per athlete, allowed fans to participate in an exclusive virtual meet and greet with the athlete. The cards ranged in price from $49 to $89 and also granted access to the Gataverse, an exclusive community for Florida fans offering virtual and real-world utility connected to local merchants and national brands.
Collectibles featuring the NIL of Florida student-athletes are available for purchase in the Gataverse marketplace on OpenLocker’s proprietary FanTech platform. Gataverse members, UF student-athletes and their families receive discounted rates on StayGainesville rental properties which are conveniently located near the university’s stadiums and event venues.
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“We are very excited about the NIL Summit to showcase and share our creative NIL solutions with hundreds of schools and athletes,” Brian Klatsky, president and founder of OpenLocker, said in a statement. “This activation with the University of Florida will bring to life the unique ways in which OpenLocker expands opportunities for student-athletes.”
“This is pretty special,” said Ben Chase, director of NIL for the Florida Gators. “Gataverse, and the leadership team at OpenLocker, created a unique NIL activation for our nine NIL Summit attendees, from across five different sports. It really shows they care about maximizing NIL opportunities for every athlete, and that aligns directly with our mission here at Florida.”
