Name Image Likeness

Missouri Tigers' Receiver Luther Burden is Keeping Fans Happy and Full

As hype for the Mizzou football season grows, Luther Burden III increases his status as a fan favorite by upgrading his cult classic Old Vienna chips

Noah Henderson

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) takes a photo with Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) takes a photo with Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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For the first time in a long time, being a Missouri Tigers fan is fun. It has been a decade since the Tigers have been of college football relevance: the last time the Tigers finished a season ranked in the AP Poll was 2014 and their last truly great team was during their 2013 Cotton Bowl championship run highlighted by nostalgic NFL players Dorial Green Beckham Jr. and Michael Sam. Thanks to the folks in the Missouri athletic department who have bought into head coach Eli Drinkwitz vision for success, the Tigers enter the 2024 season fresh off of another Cotton Bowl victory ranked at 11th in the AP preseason poll.

An integral piece of Drinkwitz’s “pro-tempo” offense are players who are of a professional level. At Missouri you must look no further than Luther Burden III, an elite wide receiver projected to be a top five pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Burden is the clear top WR priority amongst NFL scouts. Burden possesses elite speed and rare yards-after-catch ability that make his upside very enticing as a prospect ­­– but beyond his on-field attributes Burden holds another elite metric, a strong brand and NIL portfolio.

In 2022, Burden, a St. Louis native partnered with a St. Louis chip staple, Old Vienna chips, to create a product unique to the elite wideout. And so, Luther Burden’s Honey BBQ version of the popular Old Vienna Red Hot Riplets chips were born: the result, an instant cult classic. Today, fans of the Honey BBQ flavor received phenomenal news:

That's right. Now Tigers fans, and anyone hungry for an NIL based snack, have the ability to purchase tailgate size packages of Burden's chips. With Tigers fans happier, and hopefully, hungrier than ever the new offering will do exactly what it says, be a staple at Mizzou tailgates.

The shared success of the chips between Burden and Old Vienna should be taken note of. For many regionally based consumer-packaged goods companies, investing in NIL is a low-risk way to grow your audience and potentially reach mass exposure through the success of athlete partners. Two years ago Old Vienna took a chance on an unproven five-star freshman heading to a pedestrian football program, now in 2024, his and Missouri football's success look to have yielded large dividends for the chip company.

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Noah Henderson
NOAH HENDERSON

Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness. 

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