If you have been involved in any sort of athletics over the past couple of years, the buzzword of NIL deals has been thrown around. NIL or Name, Image and Likeness has become a common appearance in Division I athletics, with various athletes receiving brand deals, commercial appearances and even appearances in video games. With all of the newfound attention, the NCAA has given the opportunity for the players to be given money to participate in these publicity events. However, the idea of NIL hasn’t reached the Division III level as much as it has for Division I.
Elizabethtown College has decided to change that. After working over the past few months, Etown has decided to partner with a high end company to help support the improvement of the athletic teams and facilities. That company is…Temu?
That’s right, Etown has partnered with Temu for at least the next five years as the Blue Jays hope to earn extra money to fund their athletic programs. Etown signed a five-year 100-million-dollar contract with none of the money guaranteed after bargaining for a higher price than initially offered by the American brand. Etown initially offered Wish.com an offer to sign a deal, however, Temu jumped on the chance before Wish.com could wait for the price to lower any sooner. Temu hopes to make it easier for Elizabethtown to get all of their athletic equipment, shipping all of the equipment straight from China and at a discounted price, giving the Blue Jays and Temu both something to benefit from.
Through Temu, Etown will receive brand new uniforms, branded with a giant Temu logo on both the front and the back of the jersey. These uniforms will be non-breathable, cotton t-shirts that happen to appear like an official jersey. The sizes of the uniforms will either be way too small or the size equivalent of a bed sheet with no friendly medium. The Blue Jays teams have also bought brand new equipment for each of the respective sports, such as cones, hurdles, and practice jerseys, however, only some of them will ship to the college and will be underwhelming when compared to the picture online. The Blue Jays are planning to purchase multiple sets of jerseys and apparel due to the rapid shrinkage of the equipment after one wash and dry cycle and the deterioration of the equipment after only a few weeks.
With the NIL deal, Etown will create a series of eight commercials which will be aired only on the one channel that you want to watch on TV and will play over and over until you are sick of the catchy jingle. For the athletes, they will be compensated for their jersey sales over the course of the year. The athletes will be required to open a TikTok shop to promote the Temu merchandise at an even lower price than originally listed.
Through the brand deal, Temu has asked the college to rename Wolf Field and the Thompson Gym into Temu Field and the Temu Center respectively. Logos will be placed on the court in Thompson Gym and the Bowers Center while banners will be hung from Wolf Field, The Nest, Ira R. Herr Field and the Kevin Scott Boyd Stadium. While there are mixed opinions about the new brand deal, there is a large opportunity for the Blue Jay athletes to make some money while they compete at the highest levels of Division III.
Etown expects the change to bring in more transfers into the program, boosting the athletic teams’ success over the next few seasons. Etown plans to put the Temu deal into effect starting in 2026-27 with the men’s and women’s soccer teams showing off the blue, white, and now orange colors that Etown will be repping for the next five years.
