All members of the Texas Tech baseball team will be offered five-figure NIL deals by the NIL collective, The Matador Club.
The Matador Club is a non-profit with the specific goal of offering Texas Tech student-athletes NIL deals. According to its website, in exchange for signing these NIL contracts, student-athletes will “promote local charities through social media, in-person appearances, and other avenues.”
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This announcement makes Texas Tech baseball the third Red Raiders team to receive such a deal from the alumni-run organization. In July of 2022, the collective announced 100 Texas Tech football players would receive NIL contracts. Later that same year, the collective offered all members of the Texas Tech softball team NIL deals.
While it has been reported that the baseball contracts are in the five-figure range, the specific amount has yet to be disclosed. Previously, The Matador Club offered football players $25,000 annual contracts and softball players $10,000 annual contracts.
BREAKING: The entire #TexasTech baseball team will sign "five-figure NIL deals" with the @MatadorClubOrg. They become the 3rd Red Raider team to be signed to a team-wide deal. #WreckEm
— Red Raider Nation (@RedRaiderNation) May 16, 2023
FULL STORY: https://t.co/xpg3RuKTal
Under both of these previous agreements, student-athletes were paid monthly and these deals were non-exclusive — allowing players the opportunity to seek out additional NIL offers. It is likely that these same terms will apply to these new baseball deals.
RELATED: NIL deals surge in women’s basketball, trailing only football, report finds
It remains to be seen, but lucrative NIL deals may help baseball programs like Texas Tech retain players, even if they are selected in Major League Baseball’s upcoming draft.
Roster-wide NIL deals are becoming increasingly popular, so much so that The Matador Club is not the only collective doing so for Texas Tech. Level13 made history when it offered the entire Texas Tech women’s basketball team $25,000 deals. At the time, this was the largest NIL deal of its kind for a women’s NCAA team.
