They're Lovin' It

You’d be hard-pressed to find many brands throughout the world that are bigger than McDonald’s, and, here at Maryland, men’s and women’s basketball players are in partnerships with the international powerhouse through their respective NIL deals.

Faith Masonius, Brinae Alexander, Lavender Briggs and Julian Reese all have lucrative deals with the company, with the student-athletes spotlighting the company’s food, beverages and app on their social media in exchange for payment.

"It is special to see Maryland student-athletes capitalizing on NIL opportunities, especially with brands on the national scale,” said Grayson Wagner, Maryland’s Director of NIL Services. “McDonald's sees the value in working with athletes like Brinae, Faith, Lavender and JuJu who have created and built strong brands off the court and deserve to be compensated for their efforts."

The ability to work with a brand as well-recognized as McDonald’s made the opportunity an easy choice for the players.

“For as long as I can remember, McDonald’s has been in my life,” Alexander said. “It was very surreal for a brand that big to come to me to want to advertise for them and then I get paid for it. Getting this through college basketball is another eye-opener because it shows all the possibilities that the sport can give people.”

“Whether people want to admit it or not, everyone eats McDonalds at some point,” Masonius added. “It’s fun to be part of a brand that everyone knows, everyone loves and that’s so accessible to everyone.”

The women’s players all live near a local McDonald’s, making it easy to grab a quick snack and still spotlight the company in the process. They also find it fun and informational to all be working with the same company, making sure they compare price points and other terms of the agreement to make sure they’re all getting the most out of their individual brand. 

“It’s important we do that so we all succeed and all get as much out of brands as we can,” Alexander said.

Masonius was also drawn to the opportunity to be part of a community with other DMV athletes.

“McDonald’s works with a lot of athletes in the DMV area and they support all those DMV athletes really well, which I think is really cool and special.”

For the student-athletes involved, the experience has been a memorable one that will leave lasting lessons and open up more doors in the future. 

“This was really only the second big NIL deal I had so I was really excited,” Alexander said. “And I knew partnering with McDonald’s was just going to open up more opportunities for me in this space.”