One of the bigger conversations in college sports right now, outside of the hooplah of eligbility and potential bills, is the idea of teams adding sponsorship patches.
Nearly two years after the NCAA allowed universities to sell football field ad space, the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved commercial jersey patches for athletic teams back in January, effective this August. Division I teams may have up to two sponsor patches on regular-season uniforms, each no larger than 4 square inches, alongside the manufacturers’ and conference logos already permitted.
We’ve already seen some major ones announced — Notre Dame (SoFi), Ohio State (JPMorganChase), Arkansas (Tyson), Army and Air Force (both USAA) are some of the programs who have announced sponsorships for their entire athletic departments, while the Big 12 entered into an agreement with Monster Energy to sponsor all football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams within the conference.
As for Florida State, while nobody has stepped up to sponsor the Seminoles, there shouldn’t be much protesting from the fan base should it happen.
92% of fans are okay with a patch in some form, with 59% up for it by any means as long as it helps with NIL and 27% making sure that it’s a cultural fit:
Comparatively, 48% of national college football fans are against sponsorship patches in any form:
Some of the comments from our readers:
“Yes, if it’s small” = less money. No thanks. Get every dollar for this supposedly broke athletic department (lol) that you can as long as it’s for a reasonable annual deal without too many years in case of a big change in the market sometime in the future. And hopefully it’s not just football. While they’re at it, I hope they’re looking at practice gear, helmet bumpers, and field sponsors, too. Need to be pulling every lever we can right now and not waiting for some pie-in-the sky resolution from the NCAA or Congress (double lol) to help us close the financial gap… do it yourself. — NeedMoreTitles
If we could turn the uniform into Premier League Kit, with logos all over it, and it meant canning CMN and paying our way out to play in either the BIG or SEC, I say they can take over the whole jersey! —BrianFSU9
Seminole Discount Liquor, or what are we even doing here — ricobert1
Yes I am happy with it for NIL but don’t take that as consent I approve where “college” football is going and how we got here. I vote St. Marks Powder as an industry partner. Or maybe some with the Blue Angels being so close to Pensacola — OrgaNole
No good. Well, except for maybe a Mounds or Almond Joy bar in honor of Coach Bowden that says, “Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t.” — LoyalHoundDog
Florida State opens its season against New Mexico State on August 29 (7 p.m. ET, The CW), with the Seminoles currently a 31.5-point favorite over the Aggies, according to FanDuel.
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