
Mason Howell's partnership with Shake Shack highlights the growing trend of amateur athletes being compensated for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) in sports.
Mason Howell is 18 years old and is currently a high school senior competing as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion.
NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness, referring to the rights of athletes to earn money from their personal brand and endorsements.
The NIL landscape for amateur golfers has evolved to allow them to secure endorsement deals and representation, reflecting a shift in how amateur athletes can monetize their status.
Shake Shack has partnered with U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell, allowing him to wear its logo during the Masters. This marks a significant moment in the world of NIL, as Howell, an 18-year-old amateur, will be paid for promoting a restaurant chain.
AUGUSTA, Ga. â What would Bobby Jones think of the press release sent out on Wednesday morning? Thatâs when the PR team at Shake Shack announced that the company has âofficially partneredâ with reigning U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell to wear its logo on his sleeve when he competes this week at the Masters.
Yes, an 18-year-old high school senior, playing as an amateur at the golf cathedral built by the most famous amateur golf has ever known, will be getting paid to promote a restaurant chain.
Care to comment, Mr. Jones?
The time to litigate the idea of amateurs getting paid for their name, image and likeness (NIL) has come and gone, college athletes several years down the road in terms of being compensate in more than full scholarship. High school and college golfers have followed suit, with several top-ranked players already having agents and sporting endorsement deals, tour cards still long from secured.
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Give credit to Shake Shackâs marketing team for appreciating an opportunity with Howell. On Thursday and Friday, heâll be playing in the same pairing as defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy and current Players Championship winner Cameron Young. The groupâs exposure on TV and streaming platforms will likely make the undisclosed amount that itâs paying Howell worth it.
Recall in 2023 at Augusta National when Sam Bennett, also a U.S. Amateur champion, opened with back-to-back 68s to sit in third place after 36 holes. His storyâa fifth-year senior at Texas A&M who was playing in memory of his father, who had passed away two years earlierâwent viral. Accounting for not just TV time, but Internet searches and social media traffic, business expert at the time told Golf Digest that Bennettâs exposure was worth in the millions of dollar range.
The decision to partner with Howell comes as the chain is releasing a new, limited-time âclubhouse pimento cheese menuâ as a nod to the Masters iconic sandwich. The menu includes a Clubhouse Pimento Cheese Burger and Clubhouse Pimento Chicken Sandwich, plus a side of pimento available in-Shack only, âall featuring a Shake Shack spin on the Southern classic with Shack Sauce and chopped cherry peppers.â
Howellâs arrangement is more than a one-week gig; Shake Shack said itâs two-year sponsorship, the first ever âlong-termâ partnership with an athlete.
âGrowing up in South Georgia, we take pimento cheese pretty seriously,â Howell said in a press release. âSo when the opportunity came to partner with Shake Shack on the new Clubhouse Pimento Cheese Menu, it was a no-brainer, especially after tasting the burger and chicken sandwich. They absolutely nailed it. This time of year, pimento just feels right, and Iâm excited about whatâs ahead for our partnership.â
Ironically, the release referred to Howell as a professional, an understandable mistake given the blurred lines these days in sports. And as to whether Bobby Jones might approve? Well, he wasn't just a champion amateur golfer ... he was a business man, too.
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