Overview
- The Big 12 announced on July 7 a multi-year partnership that will brand regular-season football and basketball as 'Monster Energy Big 12' and place a co-branded Monster/Big 12 patch on all conference football and basketball jerseys and on fields and courts.
- Commissioner Brett Yormark said the deal will bring about $20 million annually to the conference, which equates to roughly $1 million a year per member school, and the agreement does not prevent schools from signing separate sponsorships.
- Industry sources and commentators criticized the price as low for conference naming rights, warning the pact could undercut individual school asset value and limit premium sponsorship opportunities.
- Yormark declined to address the Brendan Sorsby gambling litigation at media days and said the league is 'going forward as 16 strong,' while the Big 12 has filed court papers to preserve its disciplinary authority over the matter.
- The conference said it will expand its monitoring agreement with IC360 to watch for betting violations and has scheduled an August meeting of presidents and athletic directors to enforce a zero-tolerance policy on derogatory chants directed at BYU fans.