The University of Alabama is accustomed to leading the way on the football field.

Now, the Crimson Tide, who have the most college football championships of the relevant AP era, is in a pole position when it comes to branded merchandise in the age of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

👀 sneak peak of #TheAuthentic!! More details coming later today. Lots of hard work by many to make this happen. PLEASE be patient as we get this off the ground. #RollTide 🏈🏟🤸🏾⚽️⚾️🏀⛳️🏐🎾🏊‍♀️🏃🏾‍♂️🥎🚣‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/qMfqk2vT9w

— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) October 7, 2022

At its home game at Bryant-Denny Stadium against Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 8, Alabama made some history by opening an in-stadium retail store for selling player-branded NIL merchandise.

The Authentic, as the store is called, features an assortment of officially licensed team apparel and student-athlete NIL merch. Customized Nike player jerseys, customized name and number T-shirts, headwear, official game-used memorabilia and on-demand trading cards from Topps are all expected to be part of the mix. Offerings from popular Alabama quarterback Bryce Young were among the items for sale.

The retail space will also create engagement opportunities for student-athletes to provide autographed memorabilia, conduct fan meet-and-greets and do social media marketing to support sales of their merch.

“This place is incredible,” Matt Reigle of Outkick wrote. “If you’re an Alabama fan, just hand them your wallet the second you step through the door.”

Some NIL history being made as Alabama opens in-stadium retail doors for both team and NIL merch. Bryce Young and Will Anderson will make a few bucks today just for being who they are. pic.twitter.com/aFqLSFAZLm

— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) October 8, 2022

NIL merch is a recent phenomenon. And an in-stadium retail store for selling such swag at a program as storied as Alabama is a significant development.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) formerly barred players from profiting off their name, image and likeness. But following a 2021 Supreme Court ruling and subsequent change of policy by the NCAA, college athletes can endorse products and create/sell their own merch.

Bryant-Denny Stadium, where the Alabama Crimson Tide play home games.

Many are taking advantage of it, including Crimson Tide players.

The Authentic is part of a broader major merch deal involving the University of Alabama and sports merchandise retailer Fanatics.

The NCAA’s policy reversal allowing NIL profits offers potential opportunity for promotional products distributors and apparel decorators with experience in the collegiate market.

Earlier this year, for example, Campus Ink, an Urbana, IL-based apparel decorator, got an investment from billionaire Mark Cuban to boost its nascent NIL division. At the time, Campus Ink had already helped University of Illinois student-athletes earn tens of thousands of dollars in merch sales through its NIL Locker Room launched last September. The decorator planned to share its model with athletes and universities around the country.

Opportunities for NIL merch are also emerging with popular high school athletes.

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