College Basketball Crown Launches First-of-its Kind NIL Endorsement Opportunity for Postseason Competition

March 25, 2025 at 12:03 PM EDT

Unrivaled Initiative Introduces the Vivid Seats Ambassador Program, Providing $500,000 in NIL Compensation and Student-Athlete Endorsement Deals on Behalf of Vivid Seats

The College Basketball Crown today announced a first-of-its-kind Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) endorsement opportunity for a postseason college basketball tournament with the launch of the Vivid Seats Ambassador Program. Presented by Vivid Seats, a leading online ticket marketplace and the tournament’s Official Ticketing Provider, this groundbreaking NIL initiative will award student-athletes from the tournament’s top four finishing teams with brand ambassador endorsement deals on behalf of Vivid Seats. The innovative program was made possible through the tournament’s strategic relationship with Vivid Seats, which was brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, and further underscores the event’s commitment to enhancing the postseason experience for college basketball.

Launched by FOX Sports and AEG, the College Basketball Crown is a premier postseason college basketball tournament taking place from March 31 to April 6, 2025, in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena and airing on FOX and FS1. The tournament will feature 16 elite teams from conferences including the Big Ten, Big 12 and BIG EAST, along with additional at-large participants.

“We’re thrilled to pioneer this new chapter in collegiate athletics,” said Geoff Lester, Vivid Seats Chief Commercial Officer. “At Vivid Seats, our business revolves around seamlessly connecting fans to the live events they love. This unique NIL ambassador program is a natural extension of that mission—empowering student-athletes to inspire fans, elevate their brands, and ultimately bring audiences closer to the moments that matter most, both on and off the court.”

The Vivid Seats Ambassador Program offers $500,000 in NIL brand ambassador deals, rewarding the top four teams:

Champion (Primary Ambassador Team): $300,000 NIL package
Runner-up (Secondary Ambassador Team): $100,000 NIL package
Semifinalists (Third and fourth Ambassador Team who do not advance to finals): $50,000 NIL package each

Participating student-athletes will engage as brand ambassadors on behalf of Vivid Seats. Athletes from qualifying teams will have opportunities to leverage their name, image, and likeness through various marketing campaigns, including social media activations and more.

“This initiative represents an innovative shift in college basketball's postseason landscape,” said Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports, and board member of the College Basketball Crown. “It not only enhances competition, but also underscores our commitment to supporting student-athletes by unlocking new commercial opportunities.”

Enthusiast Sports & Entertainment, Inc. will facilitate the Vivid Seats Ambassador Program, managing all aspects of the athlete-related NIL contracts and promotional activities associated with the program.

“We have been strategically aligned with Vivid Seats from day one on enhancing the postseason college basketball experience,” said Nick Baker, President and COO of AEG Global Partnerships and board member of the College Basketball Crown. “This groundbreaking initiative is the perfect representation of that shared vision, and we’re proud to see it come to life at the inaugural College Basketball Crown.”

ABOUT THE COLLEGE BASKETBALL CROWN

Launched by FOX Sports and AEG, the College Basketball Crown is a premier postseason college basketball tournament debuting in March 2025 in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena. Featuring 16 elite teams from the Big Ten, Big 12, BIG EAST, and additional at-large participants, the tournament offers a new and highly competitive postseason opportunity for student-athletes and fans alike. The inaugural College Basketball Crown will take place from March 31 to April 6, 2025, with all games airing on FOX and FS1.

Key partners of the inaugural College Basketball Crown include:

Vivid Seats – Official Ticketing Provider
GHOST® – Founding Partner; Official Energy Drink and Hydration Partner
JSX – Founding Partner; Official Air Carrier
Circa Resort & Casino – Founding Partner; Official Host Hotel
MGM Resorts International – Official Partner

For more information on the College Basketball Crown, visit: https://collegebasketballcrown.com.

ABOUT AEG

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. The company operates in the following business segments:

Music through AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including the production and promotion of global and regional concert tours, an extensive portfolio of clubs, theaters and other music venues, concerts and special events and world-renowned festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival;
Venues and Real Estate, which develops, owns and operates world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like Crypto.com Arena and L.A. LIVE, Uber Platz in Berlin and The O2 in London;
Sports, as the world’s largest operator of high-profile sporting events and sports franchises including the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and Eisbären Berlin;
Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating, and other strategic partnerships;
And Ticketing, which, through its AXS.com ticketing platform, provides more than 400 clients worldwide with ticketing services that cover the gamut of entertainments, including sporting events, arena tours, music clubs festival, rodeos and family events.

Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 90 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.

ABOUT VIVID SEATS

Founded in 2001, Vivid Seats is a leading online ticket marketplace committed to becoming the ultimate partner for connecting fans to the live events, artists, and teams they love. Based on the belief that everyone should “Experience It Live,” the Chicago-based company provides exceptional value by providing one of the widest selections of events and tickets in North America and an industry leading Vivid Seats Rewards program where all fans earn on every purchase. Vivid Seats also owns Vivid Picks, a daily fantasy sports app. Through its proprietary software and unique technology, Vivid Seats drives the consumer and business ecosystem for live event ticketing and enables the power of shared experiences to unite people. Vivid Seats has been recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Companies for Customer Service in ticketing. Fans who want to have the best live experiences can start by downloading the Vivid Seats mobile app, going to vividseats.com, or calling 866-848-8499.