Name, image and likene s (NIL) deals have changed the face of collegiate sports. It appears that profe sional sports franchises are taking Rasul Douglas Jersey notice.The White Sox announced Wednesday the launch of their own NIL program, CHISOX Athlete. The program was established to "help empower student-athletes, their voices and careers both on and off the field," the team said.They're the latest sports franchise to enter a partnership with collegiate athletes. The Braves and the NHL's Panthers signed agreements with local athletes last year.But the White Sox's program is different. For starters, the maiden cla s features eight athletes, far more than the Panthers and Braves have on offer. Additionally, Chicago's brand partners will be offered profe sional and career mentorship, not to mention a pair of complimentary tickets to select games through the end of 2022. THIS JUST IN The are proud to introduce CHISOX Athlete an NIL (Name, Image, Likene s) program created to help empower student-athletes, their voices and careers both on and off the field. Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) MORE:So who is CHISOX Athlete sponsoring? And how does it compare to similar efforts undertaken by other profe Jalen Mills Jersey sional sports franchises? The Sporting News takes a look. CHISOX Athlete is the White Sox's NIL program. It will offer athletes acce s to financial and profe sional trade secrets, as well as facilitate connections between athletes and sports executives. Athletes are expected to promote the White Sox brand on their social media accounts.The program's initial cla s consists of local athletes attending colleges acro s the Midwest. CHISOX Athlete signed NIL deals with eight athletes. Interestingly, none of them play baseball. Although a partnership between a profe sional franchise and a collegiate program of the same sport hasn't been expre sly prohibited, none of the franchises that have linked up with collegiate athletes have signed anyone in the sport they compete in. Per , teams are concerned that the juice isn't worth the squeeze, so to speak.The eight athletes sponsored by CHISOX Athlete:Ahamad Bynum, DePaul men's basketballBynum is a Chicago kid, born and raised. He went to Simeon High School, continuing the basketball tradition of legends like Benji Wilson and Derrick Rose. The incoming DePaul freshman was a four-star recruit, per . Bynum is expected to play a big role in the Blue Demons' upcoming season.Kylie Feuerbach, Iowa women's basketballCaitlin Clark gets all the shine with the Hawkeyes, and rightly so. But the 6-0 Feuerbach a product of Sycamore, Ill. is no slouch. She played in all 32 games for the Hawkeyes last season, her first in Iowa City.Before that, Feuerbach was the crown jewel of Iowa State's 2020 recruiting cla s, twice earning Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors during the 2020-21 season.AJ Henning, Michigan footballBig Blue had a resurgent season last year, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. Although Henning didn't play a major role, Derek Barnett Jersey he did contribute. He even scored a return touchdown. He should see more game time in 2022.MORE:Anaya Peoples, DePaul women's basketballThe Danville, Ill., product has plenty of experience on the biggest stage. Peoples started 46 games over three seasons at Notre Dame. After seeing her minutes dwindle in South Bend, Peoples transferred to DePaul.She'll hope to make a difference on a Randall Cunningham Jersey Blue Demons side that is looking to build off a last season's NCAA Tournament appearance.Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois men's basketballWith Kofi Cockburn's departure, Illinois is looking for a star. It might have one in Shannon. The Chicago native and Texas Tech transfer is a freakish athlete ble sed with a smooth lefty stroke. He hit 51 percent of his 2-point attempts and 38 percent of his 3-point tries last year for the Red Raiders.Temi Thomas-Ailara, Northwestern volleyballThomas-Ailara is one of the best outside hitters in the best volleyball conference in the country. She notched 492 kills in 2021 for the Wildcats and averaged the fourth-most kills per set in the Big Ten (3.94 K/S).Thomas-Ailara is from Glenwood, Ill., and is entering her senior season with Northwestern.Cameron Williams, Michigan women's basketballA five-star recruit out of Windy City basketball factory Whitney Young, Williams played in 30 games for the Wolverines in 2021-22. She has been solid in limited minutes and may be called upon to do more heavy lifting following the graduation of Naz Hillmon.Kiki Van Zanten, Notre Dame Jerome Brown Jersey women's soccerThe lone soccer representative on this list earned All-ACC honors in 2020 as she nabbed seven points in 514 minutes last year.Van Zanten calls Buffalo Grove, Ill., home but represents Jamaica internationally. She was selected to train with the Reggae Girlz during their 2023 World Cup qualifying run. The Braves and the NHL's Panthers are other profe sional sports franchises that have signed collegiate athletes to NIL deals.The Braves made Georgia gymnast Rachel Baumann and Georgia Tech backup quarterback Jordan Yates the first "Braves Athletes" after posting on Instagram asking athletes if they were interested in working with the team.The Panthers signed an NIL deal with former Miami quarterback D'Eriq King last year. Additionally, the franchise offered NIL deals to every eligible Florida Atlantic woman athlete as part of its "FLA Athlete" program. Related Articles