The Huskies men's and women's basketball teams will wear the jersey patch, beginning with preseason games.
Add UConn Huskies men’s and women’s basketball to the list of teams to wear sponsor patches on their jerseys.
UConn athletics announced Friday that it had agreed to a deal with the University of Connecticut's health system that will put the UConn Health logo on the home and away basketball jerseys. The deal begins with the upcoming season.
Financial or contractual terms of the deal were not announced although a UConn news release said it was “among the largest integrated sponsorships in program history.”
The jersey agreement applies only to the basketball teams. Under terms of the agreement, student-athletes may appear in digital and social media content.
"Our physicians have cared for UConn student-athletes in a partnership spanning three decades," said Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, CEO of UConn Health. "UConn's championship basketball programs and UConn Health's award-winning care both reflect what can be achieved through talent, teamwork and dedication. We are proud to see our name on the uniforms and look forward to building on this partnership to promote health and wellness across Connecticut."
Jersey patch history
Commemorative patches previously have been allowed to recognize participation in a bowl game, for example, or to memorialize a deceased person of significance to the program.
In January, the NCAA Division I cabinet approved a proposal to allow schools to sell patch space on their jerseys as a way to bring in millions of dollars for athletic departments, which can use the money on everything from revenue sharing with players to capital improvements. They gave their OK to up to two sponsor patches of no more than four square inches per jersey, effective Aug. 1.
The UConn Health patch will join the Big East patch and Nike swoosh on the Huskies jerseys. The latter two do not count toward the limit of two patches.
The agreement is only for the preseason and regular season. Rules are still to be written for postseason play, such as the NCAA basketball tournaments and College World Series.
How lucrative are jersey patches?
That, of course, depends on the school, the sport, the number of sports involved and the exposure a school gets.
According to a Sports Business Journal report from Sept. 1, Tennessee and First Horizon Bank struck a 10-year, $120 million deal for sponsorship of football and eight Olympic sports that includes jersey patches and naming rights on two stadium areas. The basketball program has its own deal with a different sponsor.
In that same report, Sports Business Journal also said Notre Dame’s agreement with SoFi could bring in as much as $20 million annually. Ohio State’s sponsor is JPMorganChase with an annual payment of $17 million, per the report.
According to the SBJ College Jersey Patch Deals Directory, about 80 schools have at least one jersey patch agreement. Some, like Tennessee, have multiple agreements to cover specific sports.
