On-field logos are one of the ways colleges are “trying to boost revenue for their athletic departments,” with schools “quick to capitalize on the new opportunity,” according to Shin, Williams & Boudway of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Learfield President & CEO Cole Gahagan said that the company has “negotiated about 30 on-field rights agreements.” Some of those include Georgia (Delta Air Lines); Iowa (John Deere); Illinois State (State Farm); and Oklahoma (Riverwind Casino). Gahagan said that the cost of getting on the field of a major college program “starts at about” $1M per year. Shin, Williams & Boudway noted the average annual cost of Learfield’s top-five deals “is around” $3.5M. While deals “typically include other assets such as digital ads, it’s the on-field placement that accounts for most of the cost.” The “next frontier in the commercialization of college sports is jersey patches.” If a rule change passes, “sponsor patches could begin appearing next football season.” Learfield is “already negotiating potential deals,” and uniform real estate figures to “cost more than on-field.” Gahagan said, “A top-tier program has the opportunity to command anywhere between $10 and $15 million as a starting point” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 10/31).
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