At merely 23, Ole Miss’ McKenzie Long has turned pro! In the athletic sense, she proved this at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships earlier this month, where she swept off three golds. And now, by signing a deal with the $42 billion sportswear brand Adidas, the collegiate star has paved the way for monetizing her Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). In a way, this has placed her in the same league as track star Noah Lyles and soccer G.O.A.T, Lionel Messi. Let’s have a look.

Adidas is a brand endorsed by multiple icons across a variety of sports. No wonder it enjoys a lofty net worth and is Europe’s largest in its category. But amongst its most popular faces is Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi. And as per ApparelnBags, the Messi-Adidas partnership is extremely profitable for the man, who draws a substantial sum from this contract.

In return, the company gets great mileage out of the star donning their athleisure and endorsing their range of products. Commenced in 2006, Messi’s association with the German brand matured into a permanent contract quite late, in 2017. However, the monetary gains seemed sizeable enough for the wait.

Particularly, as per Messi’s lifetime contract, his annual compensation is about $19.2 million. Moreover, he is also subjected to another $1 billion- throughout his lifetime. Joining Messi much later in the year 2016 was the American track and field phenom Noah Lyles. But it meant a big tick off his list.

Lyles had once said, “When I first signed with Adidas in 2016 along with my brother, Josephus, that was like a dream come true for us. And today is just a continuation of that childhood dream.” And not just financially, the brand helped Lyles make a fashion statement on the tracks, in his Adidas tracksuits.

While Lyles recently renewed his contract, the new details of his earnings are yet awaited. And now, joining Lyles and Messi is McKenzie Long. Striking such a weighty deal early in her career is truly a remarkable achievement for her. But for Adidas, it appears an extension of their vision that focuses on ‘next generation athletes.‘

Adidas continues to rope in younger talent along with McKenzie Long

Back in 2023, 4 Overtime Elite (OTE) athletes had joined Adidas as new ambassadors. They were Ian Jackson, Karter Knox, Mikel Brown Jr., and Adam Oumiddoch. This did not only seem a strategic step as the brand inclined towards the future of basketball as a sport, but something they did to expand their ideas among a younger generation line.

As per the Adidas website, other attempts to identify and reach the youth also followed the partnership. Thus, Overtime Elite and Adidas had agreed to pinpoint budding talent at the high school level too. Similarly, McKenzie Long’s contract appears as a great initiation in track and field, especially since the sport has been fraught with monetary problems recently. What do you think of it?