BOISE, Idaho — Last week, Boise State football unveiled their newest NIL project — 2022 football trading cards.
The cards has cards of every single player on the roster, with 10 players having signature cards. The cards are on sale at Jacksons Food Stores around the Treasure Valley for around $13. Because each player is represented in the cards, each player will get money from the NIL deal. They are paid off the licensing of their name, image and likeness to be used on the cards.
This is a dope way to engage the fans and get players some NIL money
— Brendyn Jones (@brendyn_jones) October 5, 2022
Who are you hoping to pull on your first pack? https://t.co/WQHqMesHoZ
ONIT Marketing is the company that produces the cards. The co-founder, Sheridan Hodson, said the cards show Boise State's innovation in the NIL space.
“It's the first thing like this in the country," Hodson said. "You would think a program like University of Texas, or Alabama, or Ohio State would launch something like this? No it happened right here in Boise, because you have innovative leaders involved at Boise State that are always thinking of the next great thing.”
Cards Being Constructed
The local impact is something that Boise State was striving for. Each card is manufactured by ONIT Marketing, a Boise company, and sold at Jacksons, a Meridian based company.
Mark Van Buskirk, VP of Marketing and Merchandising at Jacksons thinks that Jacksons role helps to give back to Boise and the Treasure Valley.
“If you think about it really from our standpoint," Said Van Buskirk. "It’s giving back to the community, it’s giving back to the students and supporting every student and doing that in conjunction with Boise State is great for the community.”
While money is a big factor in the NIL conversation, Boise State says that they also want to have a huge impact on the community and the fans buying cards.
There are no top professional leagues in Boise or in the Treasure Valley so, Boise State athletics is the biggest athletic brand in the region.
NIL brings another avenue to engage with fans.
"The ability to connect with the people who support you is even more important than going out and finding the first buck," said Mike Walsh, associate athletic director at Boise State. "We talk about it all the time whether it’s for community engagement or for just finding the right alignment for brands, it’s going to be so much more powerful when it’s authentic and genuine and the best way to build an authentic fanbase and a genuine rapport and support group is to support them."
