Ohio State announced a jersey patch sponsorship agreement with JPMorgan Chase on July 28.
The school’s news release said the bank will be the sponsor for all of the school’s 36 varsity sports programs. Terms were not disclosed.
The NCAA approved a rule change in January allowing schools to add up to two corporate patches to their teams’ uniforms and equipment beginning in the upcoming academic year.
The bank’s logo will be the third patch, along with ones for the Big Ten and Nike, that is affixed to the Buckeyes’ football jerseys in addition to Ohio State branding.
Ohio State made previous changes to its uniforms this offseason with new shoulder sleeves that feature metallic silver, mirroring the look of previous jerseys that were worn until 2006 and remained reserved for College Football Playoff games.
But the advertisement patches represented efforts by the athletic department to grow sponsorship revenue through some of its most prominent and visible assets.
The department in 2022 reached a naming rights agreement with Safelite to sponsor the field at Ohio Stadium. The logo of the auto glass company has been be placed at the 25-yard yard line on the north and south ends of the field in recent seasons as a result.
When the NCAA began moving toward allowing advertising on uniforms, Ohio State engaged Learfield, its multimedia and marketing provider, to seek potential sponsors.
The revenue is expected to help the athletic department continue to manage new expenses related to revenue sharing with athletes, a new compensation model that followed final approval of a settlement of three antitrust lawsuits last year.
Ohio State plans to disburse the maximum allowable amount of $21.3 million to athletes in football, men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball over the 2026-27 academic year.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State teams to add sponsorship patch on jerseys
Reporting by Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
