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13-Year-Old Soccer Star Whitham is Youngest to Sign Nike NIL Deal

McKenna Whitham makes NIL history with Nike partnership

Michael Ehrlich

13-Year-Old Soccer Star Whitham is Youngest to Sign Nike NIL Deal
13-Year-Old Soccer Star Whitham is Youngest to Sign Nike NIL Deal /

13-year-old soccer prodigy McKenna "Mak" Whitham has made NIL history as the youngest athlete to sign with Nike. 

Whitham joins an exclusive roster of NIL athletes for Nike that includes college basketball superstars Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Juju Watkins of USC. Nike previously signed Angel City FC and US Women's National Team member Alyssa Thompson to a NIL deal prior to her turning pro.

The California-based Whitham - who is currently home schooled - plays for the Slammers FC HB Koge and is a member of the U.S. under-15 youth national team.

"It means everything to me," Whitham told ESPN's Charlotte Gibson. "I'm just super excited to be part of the Nike family. They've done so many great things so far. And it motivates me even harder. I mean, not every kid gets to get signed by Nike."

Whitham shared the partnership news on her Instagram account with the message, "Thankful and excited to join the Nike Football family! Being a Nike girl from Day 1, it truly is a dream come true."

According to Gibson, Whitham has joined multiple National Women's Soccer League teams over the past few months for workouts and trainings, including Kansas City Current, Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC.

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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