The players’ unions for the U.S. women’s national soccer team and the WNBA are joining with the licensing arm of the NFL players’ union as founding partners of a business that will provide group licensing and brand management services to athletes.
REP Worldwide, which stands for Representing Every Player, was launched Monday.
The initiative stems from the work of NFL Players Inc., an arm of the NFL Players Association, which has allowed athletes to tap revenue streams independent of their contracts, supplementing their own salaries and helping to fund their union.
The NFLPA will work in collaboration with founding partners to develop the business.
“Building on the athlete likeness commercialization successes we’ve seen through the NFLPA, REP Worldwide can immediately stand alone in terms of what it can offer athletes and partners alike,” said NFL Players Inc. President Ahmad Nassar.
When the women’s national team reached a new contract with U.S. Soccer in April, the players earned the right to control group likeness rights for licensing and non-exclusive rights in sponsorship categories where the federation did not have a sponsor.
REP Worldwide will be guided by an athlete advisory board as well as an executive board that includes representatives from all three unions.
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