Projected top NFL draft pick Nyheim Hines has agreed to a sponsorship deal with PC component manufacturer NZXT, joining gaming star Ninja as a celebrity endorser. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
North Carolina State’s Nyheim Hines and PC-component manufacturer NZXT claim to have one important thing in common: speed.
The NFL-bound running back, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a RB at the combine, has partnered with the company to promote its products. Step one: show everyone the joys of playing Fortnite on a PC while waiting for your name to be called during the NFL draft.
“Gaming is a great way to relax outside of football, and I really believe games like Fortnite, where we can all get in and play together, help a team stay connected,” said Hines in a press release. “Whether it’s the football field, track, or playing a PC game, I love the competition and am excited to step up my game with the battlestation that I built with the NZXT team. I’ll be dropping in a lot over the next few days, while I wait with my family to hear my name called.”
In addition to Hines, NZXT also works with Tyler “Ninja” Bevins who partnered with the company with the goal of making PC gaming more accessible. Earlier this year, Ninja became the hottest name in gaming after breaking the individual streaming record during battles with Drake, Travis Scott and Juju Smith-Schuster.
“The best thing about working in this industry is meeting PC gamers from all walks of life,” says Johnny Hou, Founder and CEO of NZXT in a press release. “It’s a really nice coincidence that our sponsored team so far includes Ninja, a professional streamer who happens to be a very big football fan, and Nyheim, who is about to be a professional football player, and is an avid gamer and Ninja fan. We’re all rooting for him this week in the draft, on the field later this year, and in all the Fortnite matches in between.”
SportTechie Takeaway
We are nearly certain this is the first gaming-based endorsement from an athlete announced within 24 hours of the NFL draft. Hines joins a gaggle of other football stars involved in gaming. Odell Beckham Jr. is an investor in esports investment and management fund Vision Esports, JuJu Smith-Schuster is a member of an esports organization (Faze Clan) and Clay Matthews recently interned for a day with a Call of Duty developer.
Suggested further reading
Why Fortnite Is Not An Esport Despite the Drake/Ninja Publicity
