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College sports haven’t been impacted by the recent push that’s seen plenty of professional teams rake in even more money by slapping sponsored ads on jerseys. However, it sounds like it may only be a matter of time until that changes.
Soccer fans were already very familiar with the sponsored logos that were plastered across the front of basically every jersey before the NBA became the first member of North America’s “Big Four” sports leagues to give teams the green light to rake in some extra revenue with the ad patches that were initially rolled out in 2017.
The NHL first allowed teams to put ads on practice jerseys in 2010, and it expanded that practice to the sweaters used in actual games in 2022 (a year after it had scrawled some writing on the wall by allowing helmet sponsorships). Major League Baseball went the same route beginning in 2023, and while NFL uniforms remain unsullied, there’s always a chance that could end up changing.
Jersey ads have not infiltrated the world of college sports thanks to an NCAA rule that outlaws them, but that may not be the case for much longer based on a new initiative that’s worth keeping an eye on.
According to Yahoo Sports, the sports marketing firm Learfield is gearing up to lobby for what it’s dubbed the “Performance Partner Alliance” in the hopes of giving college athletic programs the opportunity to generate some additional dough by linking up with brands who’d be allowed to throw their logo on jerseys.
The change would not only hinge on the repeal of the NCAA policy prohibiting jersey ads but the ability to sway the likes of Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour to tweak the preexisting contracts that ensure their branding is the only logo (aside from conference and bowl game patches) permitted on uniforms.
The outlet notes the commissioners of the MAC and Big 12 seem to be open to the idea, and the topic is expected to be on the table when the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee convenes for a meeting in January.
I doubt there are many fans who are clamoring for jersey ads, but it seems like a fairly inevitable development now that college sports have evolved to a point where money is more important than it’s ever been courtesy of the advent of the NIL Era.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out.