Today’s guest column is from professors John Cairney and Rick Burton.
On Aug. 1, the NCAA opened one of the most valuable new pieces of commercial inventory in college sports, allowing Division I schools to add up to two sponsor logos to their uniforms. Not surprisingly, the market moved quickly.
Ohio State reportedly struck a deal with JPMorgan Chase worth roughly $17 million a year. Notre Dame went higher, securing an estimated $18–20 million annually from SoFi.
The University of Texas, one of the biggest brands in college sports, has chosen a different strategy. It is currently saying no.
Timing, they say, is everything. So why is the University of Texas avoiding jersey patches when other big-name programs have jumped on the bandwagon and started cashing in?
