MADISON – The Wisconsin Badgers’ trademark red-and-white uniforms will now include some of a Wisconsin company’s trademark blue.
Culver’s and the Badgers have agreed to a jersey patch sponsorship deal that will put the restaurant chain’s logo on the Badgers’ football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey jerseys, UW announced June 30.
“Yes, the revenue piece is important,” Wisconsin deputy athletic director Mitchell Pinta said. “It was equally important to find the right partner who shared the same values with us and a partner that could help create incremental NIL opportunities for our student-athletes, a partner who could help engage the community and a partner who could help elevate the fan experience.”
Culver’s co-founder Craig Culver told the Journal Sentinel that seeing the Prairie du Sac-based company’s logo on Badgers jerseys is a “very prideful thing.”
“I’ve been a huge Badger fan my whole life,” Culver said. “I’m a Wisconsinite and very proud of Wisconsin. … Getting into business a long time ago and Culver’s 42 years ago, I never imagined that I would see the Culver name, the logo on a Badger uniform. Still yet today, I’m thinking, ‘Holy cow, how did we get here?’”
The sponsorship will take effect in time for the 2026-27 sports seasons, which will start with the Sept. 6 football game against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field. Pinta declined to indicate the length of the contract.
The Culver’s jersey patches are in addition to the company’s on-court logo at the Kohl Center.
“It is great marketing for us, whether you’re a Badger or not,” Culver said. “Those games are viewed all over the country.”
Culver’s – a UW sponsor in various ways since 2000 – has more than 1,000 franchise locations in 26 states. The Wall Street Journal reported June 19 that it is the fifth-largest burger chain in the country by sales, citing market-research firm Technomic.
“Sales are strong in spite of some of the woes out there,” Culver told the Journal Sentinel. “We’re very blessed. People love the ButterBurger, the cheese curds, the frozen custard and such. But in my opinion, it’s far more than that. It’s always about people.”
Culver’s is piece of Badgers’ broader sponsorship puzzle
UW already announced a jersey patch sponsorship with UW Health for women’s basketball, volleyball, women’s hockey and softball. UW Health has been the athletic department’s title sponsor for women’s sports and an NIL sponsor for several athletes on women’s teams.
The NCAA’s Division I Cabinet approved sponsorship patches for uniforms, equipment and apparel in January, with a limit of two patches on uniforms and one on equipment. The patches cannot be larger than four square inches.
Pinta did not explicitly rule out additional jersey patches in future seasons aside from the Culver’s deal for the three most prominent men’s teams and UW Health deal for the four most prominent women’s teams.
“Our focus right now is making sure we can get this launched in the right way,” Pinta said. “We’re going to continue to evaluate and look at different opportunities. There’s still a lot of other sponsorship opportunities that we’re out in the marketplace for. … How we approach that, what that looks like in the future, only time will tell.”
UW could follow the example of some of the professional sports franchises in the state and have gate sponsorships at its venues. (The Green Bay Packers, for example, have the Miller Lite Gate, Fleet Farm Gate and American Family Insurance Gate, among others.)
“How can gates at some of your iconic facilities, how can those potentially have corporate partner branding?” Pinta said. “There’s some other signage opportunities throughout our venues that we’re really looking at.”
Pinta and UW also are looking at other potential revenue sources such as concerts and venue tours. Camp Randall Stadium will host AC/DC, and the Kohl Center will host Phish, Mumford and Sons and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Wisconsin’s emphasis on new sponsorship and revenue opportunities comes amid rising operating costs for the athletic department and a rising bar for how much money is needed to assemble competitive rosters in high-profile sports.
“We want to continue to drive revenue, and we want to do it in a way that isn’t just raising ticket prices,” Pinta said. “There are other opportunities that we need to take advantage of.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Badgers to add Culver’s logo to uniforms for football, 2 other sports
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
