Boise State football gets into the trading card business with first-of-kind NIL deal
The Boise State football team is getting into the trading card business.
Boise State has partnered with Jacksons Food Stores to sell officially licensed and professionally designed sets of trading cards featuring each member of the 2022 football team.
Boise State is the first college football program with its entire team represented in a trading card set since federal Name, Image and Likeness legislation was passed in July 2021.
Jacksons’ investment is the largest trading card venture for any school in the country, according to a press release from Boise State. The retail chain paid a licensing fee to the players, covered the production costs for an initial 10,000 packs, and paid a licensing fee to Boise State to market the cards on the school’s social media channels and video boards during games in Albertsons Stadium.
Boise State declined to specify how much each player will make from the deal, but the players will get paid regardless of how many cards sell because of Jacksons’ upfront investment, according to associate athletic director Mike Walsh, who runs the Broncos’ NIL program.
“It’s licensing in its truest form,” Walsh told the Statesman on Wednesday. “We’re fortunate to find a partner like Jacksons that believes there’s value in creating this product because it sees the value in our student-athletes.”
Walsh said Boise State wanted to stay away from the revenue-sharing model many schools have employed in the past when announcing trading card deals. The Broncos also wanted no part in online-only cards or requiring that fans order cards before they’re printed, he said.
“We wanted to find a local company with brick-and-mortar locations that cares about connecting athletes and the community,” Walsh said.
Boise State will distribute more than 10,000 packs to 103 Jacksons locations across the Treasure Valley in the next few days, Walsh said. Each pack contains 14 cards and will retail for $12.99. One out of every 10 packs will also include a limited-edition, autographed card.
The full set includes cards featuring each player on the Boise State football team and Buster Bronco. The 10 limited-edition autographed cards include standouts Scott Matlock, Ezekiel Noa, John Ojukwu, JL Skinner, Riley Smith and more.
Players featured on the autographed cards will earn a little extra money on top of the licensing fee Jacksons paid every member of the team, Walsh said.
“I am really thankful there is an opportunity like this,” Ojukwu said in a statement. “I remember being a kid growing up in Boise and it was the coolest thing ever to get something that had a Boise State football player on it. Now to get to play a role in what those items are and see them on store shelves, I love it.”
Jacksons isn’t interested in making this just a one-time deal, and there have already been discussions about placing a second order if the first delivery sells out, Walsh said. He also said there has been discussion about expanding the trading card deal to other sports at Boise State, but those talks are still in their infancy.
“We are extremely grateful to Jacksons and their leadership team for sharing our vision and wanting to be a part of this exciting opportunity on the ground floor,” Boise State Director of Athletics Jeramiah Dickey said in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with a major player in the Treasure Valley to bring this deal to life and we look forward to finding opportunities to grow the partnership to benefit even more Boise State student-athletes and fans.”
The NCAA passed legislation in July 2021 allowing athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness. Several states have since passed NIL laws. Idaho does not currently have any NIL laws on the books.
This story was originally published October 5, 2022 at 11:23 AM.
