The University of Kansas is making headlines with a groundbreaking sponsorship deal that will feature the cryptocurrency XRP on jersey patches across all Jayhawks athletic teams. This five-year agreement with digital finance company Ripple marks one of the most lucrative jersey patch deals in college sports history.
A Pioneering Partnership
Kansas Athletic Director Travis Goff emphasized that the partnership goes beyond just a logo on a jersey. “It’s one thing to put a logo on jerseys. It’s a whole other opportunity to bring to life the story of what that business represents,” he told Sports Business Journal.
The deal was facilitated through Goff’s relationship with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, a Kansas graduate and Topeka native. Garlinghouse, who served as student body president at KU, sees this as a meeting of pioneering industries: crypto and blockchain with collegiate athletics.
What the Deal Includes
- Jersey patches featuring XRP across all KU sports teams
- Branding at Kansas athletics venues, digital properties, and event signage
- Funding for financial and technology education programs for KU athletes
- Job placement and internship opportunities for Kansas graduates at Ripple
Industry Context
Kansas becomes the second Big 12 school to sell a jersey patch, following Oklahoma State’s agreement with the Osage Nation. The deal also comes on the heels of the Big 12’s own sweeping jersey patch deal with Monster Energy, which pays schools around $1 million annually but allows individual schools to sell their own patches.
Embracing Innovation
When asked about potential controversy around promoting a cryptocurrency, Goff called it an “emerging” opportunity rather than a risk. “Is there a little bit of a leap of faith on both parties’ sides? I think it is. … At the end of the day, you’re working with a space and a category that is very innovative and can rapidly change.”
Learfield EVP Andrew Wheeler praised Kansas for its openness: “What college athletics is clearly showing is an openness to aggressive partnerships outside of traditional thinking.”
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