Georgia Tech QB, UGA gymnast, sign NIL deals
A University of Georgia gymnast and Georgia Tech quarterback became the first two student-athletes to ink NIL deals with a Major League Baseball team.
The Atlanta Braves announced on Monday that UGA gymnast Rachel Baumann and Georgia Tech quarterback Jordan Yates had signed NIL deals with the team. This is the first partnership between an MLB team and student-athletes after changes to studentathlete compensation rules were approved earlier this year, according to a press release from the Braves.
In early July, the Braves began their search for college athletes interested in working with the team. The three criteria for submission were being a Braves fan, playing at a school in “Braves Country” and have over 40,000 engagements with a social media post. Nearly 500 athletes messaged the organization, according to a press release from the team. Baumann and Yates were selected from that group.
Baumann, a Texas native, is a senior at UGA who competes on vault and floor but specializes in beam. She won three event titles on beam as a sophomore.
Yates is from Alpharetta. He redshirted in 2020 but saw action in three games as a backup quarterback against Syracuse. Clemson and Pittsburgh.
“We are excited to welcome Rachel and Jordan to the Braves family,” said Greg Mize, Atlanta Braves senior director of marketing and innovation. “We knew there was an opportunity to highlight the convergence of Braves Country and strong local athletes. For our first partnerships, we wanted to focus on schools in our backyard, and the hope is the program will continue to expand to include studentathletes from throughout Braves Country.”
Baumann and Yates will attend an upcoming game at Truist Park and work with the Braves’ social media and marketing team to document their experiences, according to a press release.