The Big 12 Conference could become the Allstate 12. That traditional school logo, painted on the 50-yard line of your favorite stadium, could become a Merrill Lynch symbol. Oh, and the stadium named after an alum could become Crypto.com Field.
The iconic basketball jersey from your university? Expect some patches, if not a complete redesign, from companies big and small – from Chevy trucks to the pizzeria on the local campus.
The NASCAR-ification of college athletics is fast approaching, as conferences and schools hunt for additional revenue to share with student athletes while maintaining competitive investments in programs, or even keeping smaller teams alive.
“It’s a battle for money,” a key conference commissioner said Monday. “Everything will be for sale.”
Well, maybe not everything. Some schools and some conferences may try to head off the sell-off, or show some degree of restraint – here we’re guessing Michigan won’t trade the winged helmet for a Dr. Pepper symbol. At least for now.
Others might.
None of this is really new to sports or even parts of college athletics, but the scale and scope of what is to come will be dramatic and sometimes shocking. What may start as something subtle will become inescapable.
Think about how “The Rose Bowl presented by Prudential” is one thing. The Pop-Tarts Bowl that brings out a giant toaster to sink a live mascot into and then spits out a giant edible treat for the winning team to snack on is another story.
Of course, college athletics has always been about the money. But for the first time, it’s looking at a future where, thanks to a proposed settlement in the House v. NCAA lawsuit, direct compensation for athletes will happen. Suddenly, labor costs aren’t just tuition, room and board.
If athletic departments want to maintain salaries and staffing levels, let alone the number of teams they field, they need money. Television agreements have already been signed. There will be a play-off. Donors are being attacked mercilessly. Ticket prices can only go so high.
Almost no one is sure they have enough.
So patches on uniforms and corporate logos on fields and courts are approved by the NCAA. Again, this is common among the pros. The NBA has patches. The NHL has advertisements across the ice and on the boards. The NFL plays at Gillette Stadium and Lumen Field. The English Premier League promotes their main sponsor right on the front of the shirt; the club’s actual historic emblem is displayed in a smaller status on the left chest.
Then there’s NASCAR, where almost anything goes and winning drivers rattle off a list of companies in their victory speeches.
College sports, however, have largely avoided this. The Alabama football jersey hasn’t changed much over the years. The Notre Dame Stadium field remains simplistic. It was once a really big deal when Nike could put their swoosh on the iconic Penn State uniforms, but that was relatively minor and Nike made the jersey after all.
How long does that take?
The biggest and most obvious deal is being pursued by the Big 12, where the 16-team conference is considering changing its entire name for the right price — perhaps $50 million per year, or $3.1 million per team. If it helps that league close the revenue gap with the Big Ten and SEC, which have much larger broadcast connections, then everyone seems to be in favor of it.
And if the Big Twelve is willing to do that, how long will it take for the ACC to follow suit, let alone smaller conferences outside the power circles of big money.
Is some of this unfortunate? Naturally. Tradition is a big part of college sports. Company names are not inspiring. On the other hand, the Big Ten has 18 teams, including four on the West Coast. The “Atlantic Coast” Conference has two outposts in the Bay Area.
What is the value of tradition? What’s actually in a name? Maybe the Ivy League has too much brand power to be bought, but for everyone else there is a price.
If the Mid-American Conference can become the F-150 Conference and it helps keep a few swim teams afloat, who’s really going to complain? MACtion already plays football games on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings because ESPN pays them for that. The Waffle House Conference? The O’Reilly Auto Parts League? If you’re a fan of bowl season, you know there is no bottom.
Can we get Poulan Weed Eater back in the game?
The big change here is that the suits running college athletics have largely given up any pretense about what this is. If the players are paid through some mechanism, this is no longer a reason to maintain decorum.
The NCAA will soon allow corporate logos to be placed on the 50-yard line and any 35-yard line – or the equivalent on a basketball court. There are a certain number of patches allowed on team jerseys. If you want to change your team name… do so.
The bigger the brand, the higher the price.
Just know it’s coming.
Everything is Duke’s Mayo Bowl now.
