American Safety signs a five-year deal to become Tulane baseball and volleyball's first-ever jersey patch partner, part of a historic athletics agreement.
The Tulane Green Wave athletics program is entering into a historic first regarding jersey patches.
After the NCAA approved patches for uniforms to generate funds for athletic departments, programs were able to introduce a new revenue stream for the first time on uniforms.
For the Green Wave, that will apply to baseball and volleyball with a buyer that has New Orleans area-roots, as they announced that American Safety has signed on as the inaugural jersey patch partner for those two sports.
It’s a five-year term – the biggest corporate commitment in school history – and the rollout is set to begin for the 2026-27 season.
While the branding will only appear on baseball and volleyball uniforms, the partnership rights trickle down into both the football and basketball programs.
That includes IP and branding access with signage visible on television, digital opportunities, and fan engagement programming, spanning a full platform sponsorship rather than a patch deal.
The arrangement is managed by Learfield's Tulane Sports Properties, who operate as the athletic department's multimedia rights holder.
American Safety was founded in 2019 in Belle Chase, Louisiana, and now has an operate that spans across eight states.
They offer transportation services, environmental response, disaster recovery, and industrial support for both the industrial and hospitality industries.
They have a fleet that has grown to over 400 vehicles, which has allowed for a deal to be finalized of this magnitude.
Tulane athletic director David Harris spoke on their focus on the local community as a natural fit, and the deal as a way to spotlight locally grown businesses while elevating the programs within the Green Wave.
Tulane Sports Properties GM Steve Stroud sees the deal as evidence that jersey patches and similarly emerging sponsorship opportunities are a real source of revenue for programs.
As for what the partnership will immediately look like, the visible changes will be apparent this fall, but the real test will be time.
Volleyball will have the first on-court debut as they start their campaign under new head coach Dex Schroeder.
For the future, digital and in-venue activations will be expected to build throughout the season alongside signage on the broadcast.
The deal ultimately signifies the Green Wave’s commitment to creative revenue streams across multiple sports.
Moreover, it signifies that they are equally invested in non-revenue generating sports and are actively looking for ways to change that by starting with those sponsorship patches in baseball and volleyball.
