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Georgetown Basketball Signs All-Team NIL Deal with D.C. Restaurant

Hoyas to promote fast-casual Georgetown-area restaurant DIG

Michael Ehrlich

Georgetown Basketball Signs All-Team NIL Deal with D.C. Restaurant
Georgetown Basketball Signs All-Team NIL Deal with D.C. Restaurant /
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The Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball program - one of the historically strongest brands in college basketball - might not feature the big names of rosters past, but collective Hoyas Rising combined the strength of all 15 athletes together to coordinate a NIL deal with Washington, D.C. restaurant DIG.

The Hoyas will promote the farm-sourced, fast-casual restaurant via social media posts in exchange for compensation and delicious food.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Georgetown’s MBB team this season," DIG's marketing specialist Megan Zilenziger shared with the school newspaper, The Hoya. "Specializing in seasonal comfort food that’s both satisfying and nourishing, we believe this partnership is a great fit. The DIG team is eager to see how they do this season."

The Hoyas are off to a 3-2 start to the season after an 88-83 overtime win over American University. 

“Hoyas Rising is thrilled to connect DIG with our Men’s Basketball players,” John Balkam, director of sales and athlete engagement at Hoyas Rising told The Hoya. “Working with DIG will be a great experience for our players and we hope it will attract more businesses to invest in the NIL of Georgetown student-athletes going forward.”

The collective previously coordinated all-team deals for Georgetown’s women’s volleyball and women’s lacrosse with a local smoothie bar and clothing store South Moon Under. Additionally, Hoyas Rising created a partnership with Dreaming Out Loud, a nonprofit that uses urban farming to tackle food insecurity in the D.C. area.

Regarding the launch of Hoyas Rising in the Spring, men's basketball Coach Ed Cooley shared:

"The introduction of Hoyas Rising is a long time in the making and I'm thankful to all those who have worked to develop this collaborative. The world of intercollegiate athletics continues to change, and it is imperative that we make NIL a larger element within the student-athlete experience. I am certain that our fans, donors, the corporate community, and supporters will engage with our student-athletes through Hoyas Rising."

Georgetown next faces Jackson State on Saturday.

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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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