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The most prime marketing real estate in the country right now might be space for a jersey patch on a Texas Longhorns uniform.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Icon Sportswire\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The athletic programs for the Ohio State Buckeyes<\/a> and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish announced jersey patch deals last week worth $17 million (with Chase Bank for Ohio State) and $18 million (with SoFi for Notre Dame)<\/a>. This news immediately prompted discussions about how much the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies could potentially earn from similar deals.\u00a0<\/p>\n “It won’t be long until a school signs a jersey patch deal for over $20 million,” Nola Agha,\u00a0sports economics consultant and professor of sports management at the University of San Francisco.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cMore [brands] are showing interest in the jersey patch, more so than in the pro leagues, because it\u2019s so new and so different,\u201d Jason Miller,\u00a0EVP of commercial revenue and head of properties at Excel Sports Management, said\u00a0to MarketingBrew in April<\/a>. \u201cThey see that as a national platform, whereas no matter how much you want to say that a local sports team is a national platform, Duke, Alabama, Ohio State [are] arguably more national than some of the biggest\u00a0NBA teams.\u201d<\/p>\n The Longhorns and Aggies will likely play every one of their games on national television. Given that both are determined to be at the forefront of the financial arms race of recruiting and resources, a jersey patch deal seems inevitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe current climate, given the demands on athletics departments, the way things are changing under our feet on almost a daily basis and, quite frankly, the need to find revenue and resources however you possibly can \u2014 everybody\u2019s heads have turned very quickly on this,\u201d\u00a0American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti said to\u00a0SBJ<\/a>, who oversees a league that houses three Texas schools.<\/p>\n SoFi and Chase Bank both dropped nearly $20 million on jersey patch deals with Notre Dame and Ohio State. How much could Texas or Texas A&M command on the open market for a jersey patch?<\/p>\n In February, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte came vehemently against desecrating the Longhorns uniform with a patch this fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re burnt orange and white,\u201d Del Conte said at a Texas Athletics town hall<\/a> in February. \u201cWe\u2019re not wearing black, we\u2019re not wearing green \u2026 Why would I want to put Sonic on my jersey?\u201d (Why did Sonic have to catch a stray? Jeez.)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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