The Royal Blue (TRB) becomes the officially licensed collective of BYU Athletics. The organization signed a corporate sponsorship agreement with BYU Athletics.
The collective is overseen by a board, independent of BYU Athletics, with a goal to deliver a premier Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) solution that enables BYU to attract and develop gifted athletes who perform at high levels in sports and become well-equipped to thrive in family, faith, and life’s pursuits. It plans to pool funds from fans, alumni, and businesses to help facilitate NIL deals and monetize student-athlete brands.
In a released statement, Tom Holmoe, BYU Director of Athletics says, “We are excited to work with The Royal Blue as a corporate sponsor of BYU Athletics and for the opportunities they’ll bring to our student-athletes. We are certain they understand BYU’s unique mission and commitment to promote the incredible student-athletes at BYU. We believe working with the collective is the right move. As we look to our future, competing in the Big 12, this is an important signal to Cougar Nation and future recruits that we are invested in providing beneficial and substantive opportunities for our student-athletes.”
The Royal Blue has met extensively with BYU Athletics to ensure alignment with the mission and ideals of the athletic department. BYU Administration responded favorably that although the TRB’s initial focus is on NIL opportunities for the BYU football and men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes, ultimately TRB hopes to engage with student-athletes from every sport at BYU. The Collective’s efforts will be focused on leveraging the unique opportunities presented by NIL to create programs that will position teams to excel athletically while preparing each student-athlete for life beyond sports.
The Royal Blue has engaged Oncoor Marketing to operate the day-to-day activities of the collective and advise on NIL related matters. Those wanting to contribute to the collective can find more information at www.royalbluecollective.org.