NBCUniversal To Present Unique New NIL Opportunity During Peacock Classic College Hoops Broadcast

The inaugural ‘Peacock Classic’ men’s college basketball game featuring a 2021 National Championship rematch between Baylor University and Gonzaga University will be presented live exclusively on Peacock at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 2, from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD. Sanford Sports, in collaboration with Complete Sports Management and Range Media Partners, are partnering with NBCUniversal to present the debut event. In this landmark deal, participating student-athletes from the Baylor and Gonzaga men’s basketball teams will have the opportunity to partner with the event’s sponsors through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals facilitated by NBC Sports Athlete Direct.

Produced by NBC Sports and presented live exclusively on Peacock, the game marks the first time the two schools will meet since the 2021 National Championship Game, where Baylor defeated Gonzaga, 86-70, marking the Bears’ first-ever NCAA men’s basketball title.

NBC Sports Athlete Direct, a NIL community connecting student-athletes, advertisers and fans, will facilitate all aspects of these groundbreaking NIL deals, marking the first time participating student-athletes will have the opportunity to partner with the sponsors of a game they are playing in and be paid the same rate. Each member of the Baylor and Gonzaga men’s basketball teams who opts-in to the campaign and is eligible to participate via NBC Sports Athlete Direct will promote the sponsors via their personal social media channels. Sanford Sports, with Complete Sports Management (CSM), will serve as the event organizers, with Range Media Partners handling TV distribution and commercial partnerships.

“Presenting and sponsoring the first-ever ‘Peacock Classic’ is a historic moment for Peacock, providing fans with a must-see matchup featuring two of college basketball’s premier programs,” says Rick Cordella, President, Programming, NBC Sports, Peacock Sports. “In conjunction with NBC Sports Athlete Direct, we’re excited to offer an innovative NIL opportunity that benefits Gonzaga and Baylor student-athletes.”

Range Sports P‘Peacock Classic’resident Will Funk says, “Our goal is to create the most visible platform for student-athletes and provide them the best opportunities to showcase their skills and build their brands.  With this event, we want to play a key role in the evolution of collegiate athletics by ensuring that the student-athletes are given opportunities to monetize their name, image, and likeness.”

“Complete Sports Management is proud to partner with Sanford Sports, Range Media and NBCUniversal’s Peacock on this exciting new endeavor,” says Lea Miller-Tooley, President of CSM. “This is unique in the college basketball space, and we are proud to be at the forefront of it.”

“For the past several years, the Sanford Pentagon has become a destination for division I teams,” says Jesse Smith, vice president of Sanford Sports. “We are thrilled to have Baylor and Gonzaga tip-off on our court. Tickets for this game sold out in the first five minutes they were available to the public, so I guarantee the fanbase will be loud and it will just all around be great basketball played in a memorable atmosphere.”