College Athletes Sell More Than 50,000 Items on AthleteMerch.com in First 60 Days
ATLANTA, May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- College athletes on AthleteMerch.com, the official merchandise platform powered by YOKE, sold more than 50,000 items in their first 60 days, establishing direct-to-fan merch as a mainstream NIL income stream for student-athletes nationwide.
The platform gives every NIL Club member a turnkey way to launch a personalized online storefront and sell fan gear tied directly to their name, image, and likeness. Athletes build stores around their name, jersey number, photos, and personal brand. YOKE handles design, production, fulfillment, shipping, customer service, and instant payouts. Zero upfront costs. Zero inventory risk.
The milestone draws on NIL Club's foundation of more than 650,000 registered student-athletes across 2,000+ colleges in all 50 states. To date, the platform has paid out more than $10 million in merchandise to athletes, as part of a broader ecosystem that has generated over $50 million in total athlete earnings. At launch, NIL Club announced AthleteMerch.com as a new direct-to-fan commerce layer within its existing athlete monetization ecosystem.
"We built this because athletes shouldn't have to wait for a brand to notice them. They already have the audience. They already have the brand. We just built the store. 50,000 items sold in 60 days tells you the rest."
Adoption has spread quickly across every level of college athletics. Football and basketball athletes are active on the platform, along with athletes in golf, gymnastics, swimming, track and field, volleyball, baseball, softball, and other non-revenue sports. In the first 30 days alone, 5,521 college athletes launched storefronts on AthleteMerch.com. Today, the platform hosts 7,975 live athlete stores nationwide.
Unlike traditional college merchandise that routes revenue through schools and licensing intermediaries, athletes on AthleteMerch.com earn directly from every sale. Items are made to order. Athletes use built-in AI design tools to build polished storefronts fast, promote directly to their audiences, and build year-round income without relying on one-off deals.
The 50,000-item milestone reflects a broader shift in college athletics. NIL began with collectives controlling the money and deciding who received it. AthleteMerch.com represents the next chapter: athlete-owned storefronts, direct fan relationships, and income that no collective, school, or intermediary controls.
NIL Club members ready to launch their own storefront can get started today at AthleteMerch.com.
AthleteMerch.com, powered by YOKE, gives every NIL Club member a turnkey way to build and run a direct-to-fan online store. YOKE handles design, production, fulfillment, shipping, customer service, and instant payouts.
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