One of the greatest marks of a true competitor is a willingness to outperform one’s self.
Nick Saban has been one to prove himself right and others wrong in his coaching career.
RELATED: Alabama unveils official NIL entity: ‘Yea Alabama’
At the University of Alabama, he has done it by winning six national championships, capturing eight Southeastern Conference titles, producing countless All-Americans, crowning four Heisman Trophy winners, and placing over 100 athletes in the NFL Draft. Saban has the Crimson Tide as the most discussed program in college football, and he’s about to run a new culture.
People thought the emergence of NIL (name, image, and likeness) would have Saban undone, but he warned the nation that Alabama is the best at playing hardball if it is the route. The Tide has a way of making things look bigger and better than its competition, and NIL opportunities are not different. Saban and Alabama are now applying major pressure to college football with the new ‘Yea Alabama’ NIL venture. The school’s fight song is becoming the ultimate entity as a gateway for fans, donors, and businessmen to get behind Alabama’s student-athletes in facilitating their NIL opportunities. Saban has been about creating value for one’s self and doing it the right way. He sees the ‘Yea Alabama’ venture as the right way to put the nation on notice.
“I have always believed that our players should have the chance to benefit from their name, image, and likeness,” Saban said.
“Yea Alabama is an exciting new resource to help Crimson Tide student-athletes create value for themselves through a variety of NIL opportunities. The Alabama brand is one of the most powerful in sports, and our partnership with Yea Alabama provides exposure for our athletes that is unmatched in college athletics.”
RELATED: Alabama unveils NIL partnership with Fanatics for TAMU game
Yea Alabama has a three-pronged structured approach to satisfy various options of connecting: The Fans, The Legends, and The Sponsors.
The Fans
The fans are monthly subscribers who select a specific level of support in exchange for exclusive content throughout the year.
The Legends
The legends are individuals who want to make tax-deductible contributions to the Walk of Champions nonprofit.
The Sponsors
The sponsors are brands looking for endorsement opportunities with student-athletes at The University of Alabama.
Subscribers can choose from four different levels, which all have the option to be paid monthly or annually. In addition to exclusive content and access to events, subscribers will have the opportunity to purchase unique merchandise available only to those with a subscription. As part of Yea Alabama’s lunch, a limited-edition T-shirt is available for anyone to buy for $25.
Alabama recently partnered with Fanatics to launch “The Authentic” store inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for NIL.
Saban is showing college football that the Tide is as cutting-edge as any other program, if not more.
Jimbo Fisher used NIL to buy Texas A&M a No. 1 recruiting class in 2022. Saban saw the league move to hardball, and his mindset is about to have Alabama at another level. The ‘Yea Alabama’ venture is about to have recruiting through the roof.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
