10/25/2023

Iowa Pork Group Cuts Deal With College Football Players

This unique relationship is giving them great exposure

On Sept. 2, a college football fan headed to X, formerly Twitter, to post a photo of two Iowa State University players standing next to each other with the names Hamann and Bacon. The Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), tagged on the post, immediately smelled an opportunity.

"I texted our promotions person that evening and said, 'Hey, we’ve got to do something with this,'" said IPPA Communications Director Kevin Hall. "She responded 'yes,' in all-caps, with five exclamation points."

By the end of the month, IPPA had crafted a "name, image and likeness" (NIL) deal—an arrangement that allows college athletes to be paid for sponsorships—with the two players, defensive lineman Tommy Hamann and linebacker Caleb Bacon. After the staff scanned the Cyclones' roster, it added two more players to the deal, defensive back Myles Purchase and tight end Tyler Moore. The four gathered for a photo and video shoot encouraging Iowans to "Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon." 

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.