The Ohio State name, image and likeness market was restructured this week.
On Thursday, Gene Smith announced that The 1870 Society will be the premier NIL collective for the Ohio State football program. Even more, THE Foundation is now the lead collective for Ohio State men's and women's basketball programs, as the Cohesion Foundation will ensure that student-athletes from all sports can use purpose-driven NIL commitments to impact the community.
BREAKING
— The 1870 Society (@the1870society) September 7, 2023
Were excited to announce The 1870 Society Collective as the PREMIER NIL entity for @OhioStFB! We believe that success is not just about achieving great things, but doing it the right way in the image of how @OSU_AD has led Ohio State Athletics the last 18 years. pic.twitter.com/RrqyblylUi
“It’s my pleasure to introduce The 1870 Society as the premier NIL collective for Ohio State football,” Smith said in the video. “The 1870 Society is dedicated to creating NIL success for our student-athletes through education, empowerment, business opportunities and community engagement, all while meeting the high expectations of integrity and compliance we have always maintained.
"This is a call to action for Buckeyes everywhere. The 1870 Society provides exclusive access to unique content and experiences you won't find anywhere else."
Launched in April, The 1870 Society is backed by Jason Priestas, Mark Stetson and Aidin Aghamiri, among others, and is listed as a for-profit collective. However, it does not intend to generate profits from the endeavor. Its exclusive content includes The Ryan Day Podcast, where Day and Michael Bennett discuss the past, present and future of the Ohio State football program, and Tyvis Tries, a video series where Tyvis Powell battles current Ohio State athletes in their respective sports.
Smith's description of The 1870 Society as Ohio State football's "premier NIL collective" is one of the first times a collective has earned such a moniker. The hope is fans will buy into the program, providing a unified plan for boosters.
For as little as $1.99 a month, you can become a member of The 1870 Society and gain access to The Ryan Day Podcast. Each of The 1870 Society’s nine membership tiers, based on monthly contributions, comes with additional perks ranging from an authentic Buckeye Leaf sticker and a photo autographed by a player to tickets and pregame field access to an Ohio State football game and tickets to a “Heisman Lunch” featuring past Ohio State Heisman Trophy winners.
