All articles tagged with #sponsorship
President Donald Trump will ride the honorary lap for the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix in downtown Washington, D.C., after Penske executives navigated political hurdles to locate the race near Capitol grounds, highlighting a notable sports-political convergence with bipartisan attention and strong corporate backing.
Formula 1 will end the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort after 2026 because the circuit must stand on its own financially, lacking government backing despite strong crowds and sponsorship; a rotation is unlikely, but Zandvoort could serve as a standby for replacements, with Imola and a potential German GP mentioned as near-term alternatives, preserving the event’s legacy.
Progressive Insurance is expanding its college football game-day footprint to 13 programs, adding on-field branding, LED signage, in-game video-board features, and digital/social integrations across Boise State, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, SMU, Syracuse, Texas Tech, USC, and Wake Forest. The sponsorship, backed by Learfield, aims to boost fan engagement and support student-athletes as the 2026 season kicks off the weekend of Aug. 29.
JPMorgan Chase becomes the Olympics' first global banking partner for the 2028 Los Angeles Games in a nine-figure deal, likely north of $200 million for a four-year cycle, granting exclusive marketing rights under the revamped Olympic Partners program. The move accompanies a broader push into sports sponsorship, including hiring over 100 additional Southern California bankers to support the LA Games and a focus on brand strength, client engagement, and employee pride to measure ROI.
Yahoo Sports reports Kawhi Leonard was allegedly hired by Daktronics for a multimillion-dollar sponsorship tied to the Clippers’ Intuit Dome video board, with sources claiming he did little to no work and that the deal could be a way to sidestep the NBA salary cap. The piece notes this follows scrutiny of his Aspiration sponsorship and references an NBA investigation into Leonard, Ballmer, and the Clippers, with potential sanctions or a settlement possibly not resolved until 2027; Clippers deny any wrongdoing.
A new facet of the NBA probe into the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard centers on a multimillion-dollar sponsorship with Daktronics tied to the Intuit Dome, which insiders say could be a method to skirt the salary cap; the league’s outside counsel continues the investigation, and a Clippers–Raptors trade remains on hold as details unfold.
Texas is positioned to secure the biggest jersey patch sponsorship in college football, underscoring patch deals as a growing revenue trend for programs like the Longhorns.
With NCAA rules allowing up to two extra commercial logos on uniforms this season, major jersey-patch deals are becoming a central NIL/revenue strategy. Notre Dame and Ohio State have already inked patches worth about $18-20M per year and $15-17M per year respectively (Notre Dame with SoFi for six years; Ohio State with JPMorgan Chase across all 36 varsity sports). The trend is accelerating: a Big 12 conference-wide Monster Energy deal at about $20M, and Michigan State’s reported $40M over 10 years with MSU Federal Credit Union illustrate patch value far outpacing many pro deals. Kentucky’s rights partner JMI is actively seeking a sponsor, with Kroger among potential candidates. Patch size is capped at four square inches, but these deals signal a seismic shift in how NIL revenue is monetized across college sports.
Notre Dame announced a six-year jersey sponsorship with SoFi, reportedly averaging $18–$20 million per year and becoming the most valuable jersey deal in college athletics; SoFi will be the official financial services partner with patches on all Fighting Irish uniforms and will launch the SoFi Champions Scholarship for walk-ons, as the program eyes the 2026 season after a 10–2 finish in 2025.
Notre Dame announced a front-of-jersey sponsorship with SoFi, adding patches on football uniforms (up to two patches per jersey, each no larger than four square inches) starting Aug. 1, plus a patch on equipment and an additional patch during conference championships. The deal is valued at about $18–$20 million annually, making it one of the largest jersey-sponsorships in college sports and helping offset rising roster and program costs. SoFi patches will appear alongside Under Armour, and Notre Dame will continue not to print players’ names on the backs of jerseys.
Buckeyes land $17M-a-year Chase jersey patch deal
Ohio State has secured a record jersey-patch sponsorship with JPMorgan Chase, earning more than $15 million per year across its 36 athletic programs, a figure that eclipses many other deals and signals a growing trend of corporate branding on uniforms in college football (and a likely follow-on path for the NFL).
Ohio State will feature the first-ever jersey patch sponsor across all 36 varsity teams with Chase Bank in a deal with JPMorgan Chase, reportedly near $17 million per year. The partnership includes NIL opportunities and financial literacy resources for Buckeyes athletes, with patches debuting this season across sports, including football on Sept. 5 against Ball State.
Ohio State announced Chase Bank will become the first jersey patch sponsor for all 36 Buckeyes teams as part of a broad JPMorgan Chase partnership that also funds NIL opportunities and financial-education programming, with Chase branding expanding at Ohio Stadium and the Schottenstein Center; the football patch debuts Sept. 5 against Ball State, and ESPN circles the deal at roughly $17 million per year for OSU.
Dustin Poirier says Bud Light terminated his endorsement immediately following his public drunkenness arrest in Atlanta, a loss he acknowledges but one that aligns with his push toward sobriety; he has apologized for the incident, criticized promoting alcohol, and noted his family loses out on the remaining deal money as he focuses on cleaning up his act.