World no.1 women’s amateur golfer Rose Zhang handed first adidas student-athlete NIL endorsement
Rose Zhang entered the U.S. Women’s Open as the best female amateur golfer in the world, having recently added “National Champion” to her growing list of achievements after winning both the individual and team titles at the 2022 NCAA D1 Women’s Golf Championship.
She also made history earlier this month by becoming the first student-athlete to join team adidas by entering into a Name, Image and Likeness endorsement agreement with the brand.
Earlier this year, adidas announced the first wide-sweeping, equitable and inclusive NIL network reaching more than 50,000 eligible student-athletes across 23 sports and all genders at 109 D1 universities.
This announcement moves the brand into the next phase of its NIL program as adidas begins to welcome individual student-athletes as brand ambassadors, the first group of whom will be women competing in multiple different sports. As part of her multi-year contract with adidas, Rose will represent the 3-Stripes both on and off the course in all competition, training, and other play outside her university team obligations. She will also feature in brand marketing campaigns promoting the newest products in golf apparel and footwear.
Zhang said: “adidas has been a major part of some of my biggest wins as an amateur, so this is an exciting moment for me.
“I’m most comfortable wearing the 3-Stripes on the course and can’t wait for what’s ahead.”
Rupert Campbell, President of adidas North America, said: “We are happy to officially welcome Rose to the adidas family.
“Rose embodies a winning Impossible is Nothing attitude on the golf course and we’re excited to start this new chapter of working with student-athletes.”
Tim McNulty, global director of sports marketing, adidas Golf, said: “Rose is an extraordinary athlete, a class-act both on and off the golf course and is determined to be the best in the world every single day.
“Having Rose join team adidas is something we’ve been looking forward to for quite some time, and we look forward to supporting her as she continues to make her mark on women’s golf around the world.”
