Jayson Tatum's Candy Brand Launches NIL Contest

Small Wins - co-founded by the Celtics' star - is searching for their first student-athlete ambassador

Michael Ehrlich | May 17, 2024

May 15, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives the ball / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Celtics' star Jayson Tatum's one college season at Duke was in a pre-NIL universe, but the All-Star would have certainly earned his fair share of deals in his few months on campus. Now, fresh off of leading the Celtics to their third straight Eastern Conference Finals trip - and awaiting their opponent - Tatum is jumping into the NIL game for the first time, through his candy brand Small Wins.

In conjunction with the organic and plant-based brand launching into retail stores across the country, Small Wins announced a campaign to search for their first NIL ambassador. Through a partnership with Pivotal Performance - who hosted a comprehensive eight-week NIL program for 16 Michigan State athletes - Small Wins will sign one Spartan to a paid deal.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Small Wins (@enjoysmallwins)

“What an amazing time to be able to jump into the world of NIL," shared Tony Grosso, Co-Founder, of Small Wins. "It’s been fun to get to know the student-athletes and see their personalities come through in their content. It was important to us to ensure the integrity of the brand was tied into the campaign, which is why we loved the educational component.”

Michigan State athletes in contention for the NIL deal include:
Aliyah Moore, Volleyball
Allison Cornell, Cross Country
Avery Horejsi, Volleyball
Dylan Terryberry, Track & Field
Elizabeth Anderson, Track & Field
Jalen Thompson, Football
Kaya Lily, Volleyball
Makya Clayton, Volleyball
Mia Rogan, Track & Field
Ozan Baris, Tennis
Payton Conroy, Softball
Quindarius Dunnigan, Football
Ryan Eckley, Football
Savannah Breitwiser, Track & Field
Sydnee Sinn, Track & Field
Taylor Pangburn, Cross Country

Candy fans are asked to watch the video of Tatum on Small Wins' Instagram and vote for their favorite Spartan athlete to win the NIL deal with Small Wins.

Published May 17, 2024

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