Legislation that would allow schools to begin selling jersey sponsors for football and men’s basketball is expected to be approved soon, according to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
Will college football uniforms start looking like NASCAR track suits? That is unlikely, according to Dellenger, but perhaps college basketball uniforms will start looking more like NBA uniforms, which have featured small sponsor patches for the last few years.
On Thursday, Dellenger reported that D1 commissioners received an update this week on legislation that will permit schools to sell sponsorship patches as soon as next fall.
There is disagreement amongst the commissioners about where the power to set and regulate standards related to the patches should rest — at the individual school level, within the various league offices, or with the NCAA. Dellenger reported that “most” people involved in the ongoing discussions believe a restriction on the number of sponsorship patches that can sold is necessary to avoid “overexposure.”
Dellenger reported last December that college leaders were pushing for a rule change that would allow schools to sell sponsor patches for football and men’s basketball. That report stated that some schools expect upwards of $10 million in revenue could be generated annually from jersey sponsors.
The development likely won’t surprise most college sports fans. In the post-House settlement era of college sports, finding new revenue streams has become essential for most major athletic departments. Many schools have begun selling on-field sponsors for their football stadiums.
A uniform sponsor, still, would likely be met with intense backlash.
Football programs like Alabama and Texas have some of the most recognizable uniforms in all of sports because they have gone untouched for decades. A Buc-ee’s logo opposite the Nike swoosh on a Texas uniform would be jarring.
It sounds like fans have until next fall to prepare for such a sight.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
