WACO, Texas – Baylor Athletics has partnered with Playfly Sports Properties, the emerging leader in sports marketing, media and technology, to announce a new 10-year multimedia rights agreement. Playfly will take over complete management of Baylor Athletics’ multimedia rights on June 1, 2023, but a designated transition team will immediately begin laying the groundwork for future success.
“We are excited to partner with Playfly Sports,” Baylor Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades said. “The relationship with Playfly will help us continue to elevate our brand, while creating new sponsorship opportunities through innovative methods. We look forward to working collaboratively with Playfly to expand the Baylor brand and take the next step forward in our mission of Preparing Champions for Life.”
Baylor’s partnership with Playfly will leverage the company’s multimedia rights expertise and its expansive suite of marketing and media solutions to further grow the Bears brand multi-dimensionally. Playfly Sports will target existing platforms and identify new opportunities for corporate partners to engage fans, while helping Baylor Athletics expand its fanbase. Playfly will manage all sponsorships for Baylor Athletics, along with making strategic capital investments to improve the overall experience for both fans and corporate partners.
In addition to selecting and onboarding a staff dedicated to fostering and developing strategic partnerships for the department, Playfly will fund a full-time data and analytics team member to help fuel smarter, data-driven solutions.
Baylor is also a Founding Member of the new Playfly Innovation Lab, a collection of athletics thought leaders and hand-raisers intent on driving the next wave of innovation across the collegiate landscape. This advisory will work together to ideate and incubate new ideas aimed at universal priorities including fan development and revenue generation among others.
“The Baylor brand and values are some of the strongest across the entire collegiate athletics arena, fueled even further by the Bears’ passionate fan base in Waco and beyond,” said Christy Hedgpeth, President of Playfly Sports Properties. “Mack Rhoades is building an unmatched program both on and off the field, supported by talented staff with a competitive spirit and an eagerness to try new things. We can’t wait to get on campus and utilize our data-first approach to increase Baylor’s footprint in the marketplace.”
A host of other schools have recently selected Playfly Sports as their MMR partner including Nebraska, UCF, FAU and George Mason. Playfly’s long-standing partners include Auburn, LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, USC, Virginia among many others, as well as both the Pac-12 and the Big Ten Conferences.
Playfly will begin a transition process, which involves making contacts with existing and potential clients prior to taking over all operations on June 1, 2023.
