Legends Partners with Blueprint Sports for NIL Deal Across Power Five Colleges

Legends, the global experiences company, has announced a strategic partnership with Blueprint Sports (BPSE), a collective supporting name, image, and likeness (NIL), to extend operational capacities, service offerings, and NIL industry expertise to Power Five colleges.

This collaboration, part of Legends' expansion into the US college sports sector with Legends College, will focus on philanthropic fundraising, student-athlete sponsorships, memberships, exclusive events, and merchandise fulfillment.

Legends and Blueprint Sports have existing partnerships with major sports universities, including Kansas, Maryland, Utah, and Villanova. These schools will be the initial beneficiaries of the strategic alliance.

Legends College President Mike Behan highlighted the transformative period in college athletics, emphasizing the substantial opportunities and challenges in establishing sustainable revenue models for NIL collectives.

The partnership aims to provide universities and NIL collectives with a comprehensive and sustainable solution for long-term revenue generation in support of student-athletes.

Blueprint Sports supports over 25 universities, with a significant presence in the Power Five conferences, including the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Atlantic Coastal Conference, and Pac-12.

Rob Sine, CEO of Blueprint Sports, emphasized the delicate task of balancing college athletics' traditional institutional legacy with the new era of NIL.

The collaboration with Legends seeks to leverage their combined knowledge, track records, and resources to offer a forward-facing solution to an industry undergoing substantial change.

This strategic move positions Legends to compete in the evolving NIL space against other agencies such as Learfield and Playfly. Learfield, a key player, recently reduced its debt by $600 million in September and added $150 million in equity investment.

In a significant development, a US federal judge temporarily blocked the NCAA from enforcing prohibitions against recruits signing NIL endorsement deals, opening doors for NIL collectives to sign athletes without eligibility concerns.