The dominoes are in free fall when it comes to endorsement patches for college athletics.
The Big 12, at its football media days on Wednesday, became the first conference to announce a league-wide $20 million deal with Monster Energy, which is expected to pay all 16 members $1 million annually through a new partnership placing a Big 12-Monster patch on all football and basketball uniforms.
It’s a deal that several folks online are criticizing for the low cost and aesthetic, as the logo will be everywhere from the league logo to the gridiron and courtside. Kansas followed up Wednesday’s announcement with their own Crypto jersey patches on Wednesday morning. Oklahoma State, too, previously dropped its patch with the Osage Nation. Arkansas, LSU, Michigan State, Memphis, UNLV and Wisconsin have all debuted similar partnerships for jersey patches.
All the uproar over the company and the potential look of these patches is justified, but it’s important to understand why. An era of college sports is over, and the Big 12 will now have teams sporting as many as two ads on their uniforms in 2026. It’s sad, and another indicator of change in a landscape that’s only becoming more money hungry as we move along.
These schools, though, aren’t exactly in a position to refuse the money, either. We’ve removed the guardrails, and even with the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule, I’m hardly convinced we’ll see a legitimate solution to the high-dollar deals and transfer portal madness in the foreseeable future. Schools are fighting hard to balance the books, and an extra $1 million for a jersey patch is a no-brainer.
Patches were a big part of the Day 1 slate at Big 12 Football Media Days in Frisco, Texas.
I’d like to think, though, there was a point in time where a school wouldn’t do this to themselves. It felt like football, at least in the NFL and college, had held out long enough to make a point uniforms were off the table. But the damn broke when UNLV became the first school to announce a partnership late last year.
Another facet of college football’s aura is out the door as we approach August. What a shame. Some argue it’s a trivial thing to get upset about, but is nothing sacred? Can I not watch an instant replay without someone peddling energy drinks and crypto?
Guess that’s asking too much anymore.
