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The NCAA has approved a policy that will soon allow schools to advertise corporate sponsors on the field. The move comes amid recent legal decisions revolving around the introduction of NIL.
In the newly approved change, schools will have the ability to place logos of their partners directly on the playing surface. College football is one step closer to becoming the NFL!
We’ve already seen ad placements throughout NCAA stadiums, whether that be on the scoreboards or the sidelines, but there’s no more visible location than on the actual gridiron.
That’s certainly a win for brands as they look to market their companies to as many eyes as possible. It also offers yet another revenue stream for athletic departments.
Schools are hoping for a jolt of new, much-needed sources of revenue stemming from on-field corporate logos and, potentially down the road, jersey patches, much like we’ve seen in some professional sports.
Florida AD Scott Stricklin spoke on the decision, saying, “I believe the NCAA is going to allow us to put a sponsor logo on the field during the regular season… Pro sports are putting patches on jerseys. That doesn’t seem like something that is crazy for us to consider these days.”
He notes that shift towards the professional model, which is inevitable given the current landscape of the sport.
NIL and the transfer portal have created the collegiate forms of player payment and free agency. Playoff expansion has gotten us closer to the pro format. Traditional rivalries? Those have gone out the window with conference realignment.
The in-game introduction of the two-minute warning and new clock rules mirror the NFL, too. Heck, we might even soon see an NCAA salary cap – and nearly all of these decisions have to do with revenue.
This latest move will only help drive college football towards that final destination.
While it offers a win-win for the marketers and universities, it’s not necessarily being applauded by fans.
“My gosh, so commercials and signs on the walls are not ENOUGH???????????????”
“Turning into the NFL more every day.”
“Ruining college athletics.”
“What happened to the sport I love?”
The NCAA has already peeved viewers with its decision to shorten games under the guise of player safety. While the action moves more quickly on the field, much of the time saved has now been designated to commercial breaks – another moneymaker.
Lifelong college sports fans aren’t thrilled with the growing bottom-line influence, but it’s unfortunately something that they’ll need to get used to.