Indiana University to start new NIL initiative this fall featuring player-specific merchandise

Indiana University announced in a press release this afternoon that it has partnered with apparel company Campus Ink for an upcoming merchandising and NIL project with Hoosier athletes.

Per the release, the team shop will open in the fall and feature player-specific merchandise, including officially licensed shirseys and other apparel, sorted by player. The release announced that in addition to the merchandising opportunities, Campus Ink will work with athletes to provide merchandising, marketing, and sales education to understand the business behind the scenes.

Indiana alumni Mark Cuban was quoted in the release, saying, “I’m really excited that the leading NIL company, Campus Ink, and the best university on the planet, my alma mater, Indiana University, are working together. The sky is the limit!”

Cuban invested in Campus Ink just under two months ago, with the specific intent of helping the company expand its NIL program. At the time of Cuban’s investment, Campus Ink was working primarily with the University of Illinois, operating stores in Champaign and Chicago. Since opening in September in 2021, the stores had raised over $70,000 for Illini athletes.

It seems safe to say that Cuban’s investment is a significant reason behind Indiana being the second university to partner with Campus Ink, which should come as no surprise given his past support of Indiana’s NIL ventures.

The new initiative will absolutely help Indiana on the recruiting trail in all sports, and Cuban believes that Campus Ink’s approach will help level the playing field for some of the lesser-known college athletes who have been left out of some of the eye-popping individual deals we’ve seen so far.

“While the best names in college sports will get taken care of by endorsements and high profile contracts, there are thousands of other student-athletes that need help,” Cuban said. “Campus Ink’s solution is going to change that.”