The Big 12 Conference recently announced a landmark partnership with Monster Energy, valued at $20 million annually, which introduces the first-ever conference-wide jersey patch deal for college sports. This agreement will place co-branded Monster Energy-Big 12 patches on football and basketball team uniforms, as well as field and court logos, while also branding the leagues as “Monster Energy Big 12 Football” and “Monster Energy Big 12 Basketball” during regular seasons. Along with these elements, Monster Energy will integrate Big 12 assets into its global marketing campaigns across more than 100 countries, promising expanded international exposure for the conference.

Despite the milestone nature of the deal, the partnership has faced scrutiny from some industry insiders who argue that the $20 million annual payout—roughly $1 million for each of the Big 12’s schools—undervalues the conference’s worth. Critics contend that individual school-specific jersey patch agreements can be worth multi-million-dollar sums, suggesting the collective patch deal may suppress the market value of school-specific sponsorships. Additionally, concerns were raised that the co-branded patch limits exclusive branding opportunities for individual schools, which could diminish the attractiveness of school-level corporate partnerships.

On the other hand, the Big 12 emphasized that the deal’s financial value extends beyond the annual fees. Monster Energy has committed to funding conversion costs and matching investments dollar-for-dollar in advertising efforts to promote the conference domestically and internationally. While some acknowledge this, experts also caution that sharing jersey and field logo space with a major conference partner like Monster could reduce overall demand from other brands wanting exclusive visibility on team assets. Playfly CEO Craig Sloan pointed out that this deal inevitably impacts individual schools’ asset rights but also highlighted potential collaborations between the conference and schools to find revenue growth paths that preserve school-level deals.

The Big 12’s commissioners approved the Monster Energy partnership, and shortly after the announcement, Kansas revealed a separate jersey patch sponsorship with cryptocurrency firm XRP, signaling that schools may still pursue their own deals. The deal currently covers only football and basketball regular seasons, with the conference continuing to explore partnerships for Olympic sports and football championships, alongside ongoing collaborations like that with Phillips 66 for basketball tournaments. Monster Energy did not provide a statement in response to inquiries about the deal.