The NCAA unearthed another revenue stream Friday, when the Division I Cabinet approved patches for uniforms in a move that could generate millions to fund college athletic departments that are looking for new ways to pay players.
Beginning Aug. 1, Division I teams can place up to two patches of no more than four square inches on uniforms for regular-season games. Those are in addition to the logos already allowed for the uniform manufacturers.
Rules committees for the postseason will decide how to handle basketball’s March Madness for men and women, baseball’s College World Series, softball’s Women’s College World Series and other playoff tournaments, with attention being paid to making sure individual schools aren’t advertising for companies that compete with NCAA sponsors.
The College Football Playoff — which includes programs from Division I’s upper-tier Football Bowl Subdivision but is not operated by the NCAA — has also been looking into how to allow patches for its 12-team national championship tournament.
Some NBA teams make eight-figure sums annually selling parts of their team uniforms to advertisers. Sports Business Journal reported earlier this month that research has shown college football and basketball teams could earn from $500,000 to $12 million for their patches.