• Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts access private forums and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!

Jersey Patches & Revenue

MontanaGrizSoccer said:
Wyoming AD has also been very public on wanting naming rights for the football, basketball and soccer fields to generate more revenue for sports. Like wise, Boise State AD has been very public on courting Albertsons, Micron for jersey patches and naming rights. New world sports live in.
Click to expand...
Never been a big fan of commercializing iconic venues. Was very happy when GB voted against selling their soul and the Lambeau naming rights a few years back. But i guess when we're desperate...
 
wbtfg said:
Who owns the jersey rights? Is it the school? Learfield? The conference?
Click to expand...
Good question, my understanding is Learfield helps market the school to potential companies and when a deal is reached they get a percentage of the revenue. For instance with the Wyoming deal, they deal was 4.5 mil over 5 years so 900K per year its being reported the school will get 5-600K/year.
 
University of Memphis reached a deal with Fed EX, besides Jersey patches, logos will be placed through the football stadium including on field logos.
 
MontanaGrizSoccer said:
Good question, my understanding is Learfield helps market the school to potential companies and when a deal is reached they get a percentage of the revenue. For instance with the Wyoming deal, they deal was 4.5 mil over 5 years so 900K per year its being reported the school will get 5-600K/year.
Click to expand...
This was from a HERO sports interview with the BSC Commish back in December. Not sure where this stands now with the conference. (https://herosports.com/fcs-tom-wistrcill-innovation-big-sky-identity-ksks/)

For all the traditional markers of success, the most forward-looking part of Wistrcill’s vision sits quite literally on the front of the jersey.

Corporate jersey patches, common in professional sports, are poised to enter college athletics. As of now, NCAA rules still prohibit commercial sponsorship logos on game uniforms beyond the apparel manufacturer’s mark. But change is coming.

In October 2025, the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee introduced a proposal that would allow schools to place additional commercial logos on uniforms, apparel, and equipment during non-NCAA championship competition. The proposal is widely expected to be voted on in January 2026, with potential implementation beginning Aug. 1, 2026, for the 2026–27 season.

Several schools are already preparing. UNLV announced a five-year, $11 million multisport jersey patch deal with Las Vegas-based Acesso Biologics, brokered by Learfield. LSU has reportedly also signed a multimillion-dollar, all-sports patch agreement.

Wistrcill is not waiting or standing pat on the opportunity.

Rather than letting each institution navigate the space individually, he took a different approach. Drawing on his sales and marketing background, he asked his presidents and athletic directors for a window of time.

“What if I tried to sell this as a whole?” he asked them.

They bought in and said yes as he took almost a multi-media rights deal to jersey patches.

Since then, Wistrcill has pitched close to a dozen companies, with plans to approach several more before February. The concept is simple and clear. One jersey patch sponsor. One logo. Across the entire conference. Men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, Olympic sports, and football. Every uniform. Every photo. Every ESPN+ broadcast. Every social media post.

“There’s one thing to sell,” he said. “It’s a pretty clear message to potential sponsors.”

The exclusivity is the point.

“We’re talking hundreds of millions of impressions,” Wistrcill said. “From August to mid-June. One sponsor, next to the Big Sky logo, for every student-athlete. It becomes part of an overall identity.”

If a company says yes and the board approves it, the deal is done. No second sponsor. No competing logos. But more importantly, one check that gets distributed back to member schools.
 
wbtfg said:
This was from a HERO sports interview with the BSC Commish back in December. Not sure where this stands now with the conference. (https://herosports.com/fcs-tom-wistrcill-innovation-big-sky-identity-ksks/)

For all the traditional markers of success, the most forward-looking part of Wistrcill’s vision sits quite literally on the front of the jersey.

Corporate jersey patches, common in professional sports, are poised to enter college athletics. As of now, NCAA rules still prohibit commercial sponsorship logos on game uniforms beyond the apparel manufacturer’s mark. But change is coming.

In October 2025, the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee introduced a proposal that would allow schools to place additional commercial logos on uniforms, apparel, and equipment during non-NCAA championship competition. The proposal is widely expected to be voted on in January 2026, with potential implementation beginning Aug. 1, 2026, for the 2026–27 season.

Several schools are already preparing. UNLV announced a five-year, $11 million multisport jersey patch deal with Las Vegas-based Acesso Biologics, brokered by Learfield. LSU has reportedly also signed a multimillion-dollar, all-sports patch agreement.

Wistrcill is not waiting or standing pat on the opportunity.

Rather than letting each institution navigate the space individually, he took a different approach. Drawing on his sales and marketing background, he asked his presidents and athletic directors for a window of time.

“What if I tried to sell this as a whole?” he asked them.

They bought in and said yes as he took almost a multi-media rights deal to jersey patches.

Since then, Wistrcill has pitched close to a dozen companies, with plans to approach several more before February. The concept is simple and clear. One jersey patch sponsor. One logo. Across the entire conference. Men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, Olympic sports, and football. Every uniform. Every photo. Every ESPN+ broadcast. Every social media post.

“There’s one thing to sell,” he said. “It’s a pretty clear message to potential sponsors.”

The exclusivity is the point.

“We’re talking hundreds of millions of impressions,” Wistrcill said. “From August to mid-June. One sponsor, next to the Big Sky logo, for every student-athlete. It becomes part of an overall identity.”

If a company says yes and the board approves it, the deal is done. No second sponsor. No competing logos. But more importantly, one check that gets distributed back to member schools.
Click to expand...
The BSC could not find a sponsor before his window was up, since March it's now up to each schools AD/athletic dept to find their own sponsors, you are allowed two patches on the uniform and patches on equipment.
 
So, Montana doesn't have any Fortune 500 companies. What are some bigger companies in MT that might be possible sponsors? Town Pump (Butte...and already sponsor of The Brawl)? First Interstate Bank (Billings)? Billings Clinic? Semitool/Applied Materials (Kalispell)? The Washington Companies?

I think it would be funny to get MacKenzie River Pizza Company (now owned by Bill Foley) to be a sponsor since it started out in Bozeman.
 
Last edited:
DoubleNicks said:
So, Montana doesn't have any Fortune 500 companies. What are some bigger companies in MT that might be possible sponsors? Town Pump (Butte...and already sponsor of The Brawl)? First Interstate Bank (Billings)? Billings Clinic? Semitool/Applied Materials (Kalispell)? The Washington Companies?

I think it would be funny to get MacKenzie River Pizza Company (now owned by Bill Foley) to be a sponsor since it started out in Bozeman.
Click to expand...
Someone on here said Bill Foley owns the Whitefish Resort ??
 
MontanaGrizSoccer said:
Someone on here said Bill Foley owns the Whitefish Resort ??
Click to expand...
Yes, I believe he is the majority owner of Whitefish Mountain Resort, owns the Glacier Restaurant Group (MacKenzie River - over 25 locations in Montana, Idaho, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky & Nevada; Mambo's Italian; Craggy Range; Latitude 48; etc.),
owner of the Vegas Golden Knights (plus a couple overseas soccer teams), and chairman of Fidelity Financial.
 
Last edited:
DoubleNicks said:
Yes, I believe he is the majority owner of Whitefish Mountain Resort, owns the Glacier Restaurant Group (MacKenzie River - over 25 locations in Montana, Idaho, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky & Nevada; Mambo's Italian; Craggy Range; Latitude 48; etc.),
owner of the Vegas Golden Knights (plus a couple overseas soccer teams), and chairman of Fidelity Financial.
Click to expand...
Well there you go, has anyone in the dept reached out in the last few years nothing like calling out of the blue.
 
AI OVERVIEW
Former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. owns the 3,000-acre Candy Bar Ranch near Kalispell/Whitefish, Montana, where he has resided for part of the year for over 30 years. Known for leading the 49ers to five Super Bowl titles, he remains a prominent philanthropist in the Flathead Valley, including donating millions to local EMS services.

Flathead Beacon
+4
Key Connections to Kalispell/Montana
Residence: DeBartolo lives about five months a year at his ranch, which he calls his second home, near Kalispell.
Philanthropy: He has gifted $8 million to Logan Health for emergency medical services equipment and training over several years.
Lifestyle: He often hosts former 49ers players and guests at his Montana ranch, which features a barn with extensive team memorabilia.
Charity Work: He is involved with local charity efforts, including supporting "For the Children" in Whitefish.

Flathead Beacon
+4
The Candy Bar Ranch is named after his wife, Candy, and is located near Glacier Park International Airport (KGPI).

Reddit
Click to expand...

Another wealthy name tied to the Flathead Valley. Debartolo was responsible for organizing the Play60 Camp at Kalispell that brought Jerry Rice, Dwight Clark, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, etc. to the area about 10 years ago. I'm not sure what business he would want to promote through sponsorship, though.

While not a lot of big business located in MT, there's plenty of celebrities who have had residence just in the Flathead Valley alone. I had family in real estate that mentioned Michael Jordan as well as Julia Roberts had property on Big Mountain (Whitefish), Phil Jackson (MT native so not surprising) on Flathead Lake, and actor John Lithgow had worked directly with my family member when he came to the area. Just to namedrop a few.
 
Last edited:
DoubleNicks said:
Another wealthy name tied to the Flathead Valley. Debartolo was responsible for organizing the Play60 Camp at Kalispell that brought Jerry Rice, Dwight Clark, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, etc. to the area about 10 years ago. I'm not sure what business he would want to promote through sponsorship, though.

While not a lot of big business located in MT, there's plenty of celebrities who have had residence just in the Flathead Valley alone. I had family in real estate that mentioned Michael Jordan as well as Julia Roberts had property on Big Mountain (Whitefish), Phil Jackson (MT native so not surprising) on Flathead Lake, and actor John Lithgow had worked directly with my family member when he came to the area. Just to namedrop a few.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t have to be a Montana business but makes sense to promote local.
 
DoubleNicks said:
Another wealthy name tied to the Flathead Valley. Debartolo was responsible for organizing the Play60 Camp at Kalispell that brought Jerry Rice, Dwight Clark, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, etc. to the area about 10 years ago. I'm not sure what business he would want to promote through sponsorship, though.

While not a lot of big business located in MT, there's plenty of celebrities who have had residence just in the Flathead Valley alone. I had family in real estate that mentioned Michael Jordan as well as Julia Roberts had property on Big Mountain (Whitefish), Phil Jackson (MT native so not surprising) on Flathead Lake, and actor John Lithgow had worked directly with my family member when he came to the area. Just to namedrop a few.
Click to expand...
DeBartolo is the family that used to own the San Francisco 49ers. Hence Rice, Clark, Craig, etc. 49ers greats.
 
GallatinGriz03 said:
DeBartolo is the family that used to own the San Francisco 49ers. Hence Rice, Clark, Craig, etc. 49ers greats.
Click to expand...
Still does technically. The current principal owner (Jed York) is the son of Denise DeBartolo York and nephew of the aforementioned Eddie DeBartolo Jr.

It might seem like a stretch but that's why I included some of the giving he has done in the Flathead in that post. Maybe since he gave to Logan Health he might want to support a nearby college that might be considering expanding their healthcare/medical offerings and training.
 
DoubleNicks said:
Still does technically. The current principal owner (Jed York) is the son of Denise DeBartolo York and nephew of the aforementioned Eddie DeBartolo Jr.

It might seem like a stretch but that's why I included some of the giving he has done in the Flathead in that post. Maybe since he gave to Logan Health he might want to support a nearby college that might be considering expanding their healthcare/medical offerings and training.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I misread your post. Thanks for the clarification on the connections between the DeBartolos and the current ownership group of the 49ers. Grew up a 49ers fan (since the Vikings were dog water until Moss was drafted) so that name sounded familiar. Would be awesome if they donated to UM. Maybe, the coming PA school could use a named benefactor.

As several posters point out, there are several wealthy individuals in the Flathead valley, Missoula valley, Bitterroot, etc. The key is how to connect the potential donors to the University, and more specifically to athletics, so that they see a benefit to the state or their local community due to their gift. Good athletic programs tend to increase student enrollment, but higher student enrollment at UM doesn't lead directly to a tangible benefit for themselves, or broadly to the Flathead valley.
 
Hopefully new president can think outside of the box. Forget Jersey Patches.

Boise State renamed there student union building with a sponsorship from west mark credit union for 8.5 million over 10 years.

Under the deal, Westmark credit union becomes Boise State’s exclusive official credit union sponsor and will open a Westmark micro-branch inside the Student Union Building. Westmark will contribute more than $8.5 million over 10 years to the university.
 
Marshall has agreed to a five-year deal with the Marshall Health Network that will see the company's logo appear on all Thundering Herd jerseys. The deal, brokered by Learfield, is the second jersey patch agreement in the Sun Belt and 11th nationally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top