Connect with us
https://yoursportsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/call-to-1.png

Sports

JMU SPCE inks deal for football field logo ad

Published

on

JMU SPCE inks deal for football field logo ad

With sponsorship logos on the playing surface now allowed by the NCAA, James Madison secured its first such deal at Bridgeforth Stadium, announcing last week that the JMU School of Professional and Continuing Education had purchased the right to place its logo at each 25-yard line.

The four-year agreement is an amendment to an existing sponsorship deal between JMU SPCE and JMU Sports Properties and like most JMU athletic department sponsorships, was facilitated by Learfield. The enhanced deal will pay JMU athletics $1,066,675 total through the 2028-29 academic year, more than doubling the previous cost for JMU SPCE.

“Not only does this enhance our revenue, which allows us to maximize student-athlete opportunities and enhance the experience we can provide,” JMU athletic director Matt Roan said in a press release, “it is most remarkable in that it is a testament to part of the mission of collegiate athletics, which is to shine a spotlight on the institution and, in this case, promote lifelong educational opportunities for our community. We’re grateful for the commitment of the SPCE leadership, as well as for the efforts of our JMU Sports Properties leadership and team.”

Schools such as Tennessee and South Carolina had already announced 25-yard line sponsorships with corporate partners, but JMU’s is believed to be the first between a Division I athletic department and one of its academic entities. Other kinds of sponsorship deals, including stadium signage and logos on basketball courts, with different branches of public colleges, are quite common, however.

JMU’s School of Professional and Continuing Education largely targets non-traditional students seeking professional certificates, adult degree programs, youth education programs and test prep courses, among other things.

The previous contract between SPCE and JMU Sports Properties was for a total of $492,459 over five years and included ribbon board advertising at home football and basketball games, sponsoring the “Kids Zone” at basketball games, digital displays during home volleyball matches, commercials during ESPN+ and radio broadcasts and more.

JMU SPCE will make quarterly payments of between $63,750 and $69,661.25 for the duration of the contract and has an exclusive window to negotiate renewal of the deal between Jan. 1 and March 1 of 2028.

JMU had more than 10,000 donors to the Duke Club this year, its most ever and has seen donations more than double since announcing a move to FBS and the Sun Belt Conference. But the Dukes, situated in a relatively small market with no local Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the Shenandoah Valley, have lagged behind some peers in terms of corporate money coming into the program, particularly Old Dominion.

The Monarchs lead the Sun Belt in corporate sponsorship money while sitting in the nation’s largest metro area without an NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL or MLS franchise.

“When you think of our peers, Old Dominion has a different ability to get corporate support than we do,” JMU associate athletic director for communications and strategic initiatives Kevin Warner said earlier this year. “You find the revenue where you can or you continue to work toward that, but there’s different pieces that affect everybody differently as you maximize revenues.”

With the cost of doing business at the Division I level going up thanks to increased scholarships, revenue sharing and other expenditures, JMU has been aggressive about increasing its donor base and revenue via corporate sponsorships.

While the naming rights for Bridgeforth Stadium and Showker Field have long been spoken for, JMU was able to generate some revenue with the opening of the Dukes’ new basketball arena in 2020. Atlantic Union Bank paid $2.25 million for 10-year naming rights to the building, while UVA Health Systems paid $3.5 million for seven years’ worth of advertising on the sideline of the basketball court.

The new deal with JMU SPCE highlights a continued financial relationship between JMU Athletics and the University as a whole. Much of the Dukes’ gameday revenue goes back to the university in the form of concessions and apparel sales.

Concessions at Bridgeforth Stadium and the Atlantic Union Bank Center are part of the university’s overall food service contract with Aramark, while proceeds from licensed Dukes gear go to the JMU Foundation.

Non-JMU sports events at the Atlantic Union Bank Center and Bridgeforth Stadium are often also money makers for the university at large rather than the athletic department.

Some of that is slowly shifting toward more profits going to sports. JMU athletics negotiated a deal with The Basketball Tournament to host the event this summer, with JMU athletics receiving $60,000 in rent from TBT.

This fall, a new concession item, the Champions Philly, will be on the menu at Bridgeforth Stadium, with one dollar from each sale going to the JMU Duke Club.

JMU is also continuing to rely on Learfield, a third-party marketing company that works with more than 200 college programs, to increase sponsorship revenue as fundraising becomes a more specialized part of the overall athletic department.

“Revenue generation has kind of always existed under the umbrella of athletics administration,” Roan told the Daily News-Record in an interview this spring. “I think what we’ve seen over the last several years, and even more right now, how important that work is in that there are almost two different umbrellas now. There’s administration that still has communications and game events, but separately there’s all those other elements we are talking about [revenue].”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Bruins Fall to No. 1-Seed Kentucky in NCAA Second Round

Published

on


LEXINGTON, Ky. – The UCLA women’s volleyball team suffered a four-set defeat to No. 1-seed Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
 
Set scores were 28-30, 16-25, 30-28, 17-25.
 
In a hotly contested matchup featuring two extended deuce sets, UCLA (19-13) was unable to withstand the offensive firepower of Kentucky (27-2). The Wildcats hit an impressive .400 as a team, powered by standout performances from Brooklyn Deleye (30 kills) and Eva Hudson (27 kills).
 
In her final appearance in the Blue and Gold, Cheridyn Leverette rose to the occasion with a team-high 22 kills at a .294 clip. She closes her Bruin career ranked 24th on UCLA’s all-time kills list, cementing her legacy as one of the program’s most consistent offensive threats.
 
Marianna Singletary added 15 kills and two blocks, while Eliana Urzua chipped in 11 kills to give UCLA three attackers in double figures. Setter Kate Duffey orchestrated the offense with 50 assists, her fourth straight match reaching that mark, falling just one dig shy of a double-double.
 
 At libero, Lola Schumacher anchored the defense with 20 digs, her fourth consecutive 20-dig effort.
 
After the teams battled to 14-14 in the third frame, neither side led by more than two points as the teams traded blows. Singletary hammered a from the middle before Leverette found some seams on the pin, but Kentucky would nudge ahead 23-21, forcing a UCLA timeout. However, the Bruins regrouped and fought off two set points with clutch swings from Leverette and Urzua. 
 
The drama escalated into deuce territory. UCLA earned its first set point at 26-25 after a Singletary kill, only to see Kentucky erase it with a quick side-out. The Bruins pressed again, forcing another set point at 28-27, but the Wildcats answered once more. Finally, Leverette delivered the decisive blow, her 16th kill of the night, slamming down the ball to seal a 30-28 victory.
 
In the opening set, UCLA jumped out to a 5-1 lead behind Leverette’s serving run, but Kentucky quickly answered with consecutive scoring bursts to seize momentum. The Bruins rallied late, forcing three set points at 23-22, 26-25, and 28-27, but the Wildcats closed on a decisive 3-0 run to take the opener, 30-28. Singletary tallied seven kills in the frame, with Leverette adding six.
 
UCLA briefly held a 5-4 edge in the second frame, but Kentucky’s 6-1 surge swung control. Leverette reached double-digit kills by the media timeout, yet a seven-point run pushed the Wildcats ahead 21-12 en route to a 25-16 win.
 
Singletary’s back-to-back aces helped UCLA tie the score at 5-5, but Kentucky’s balanced attack proved too much. The Wildcats pulled away 25-17 to clinch the match and advance to the round of 16.
 



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Track and Field Wraps Season Opener

Published

on


NORMAN — The Oklahoma men’s and women’s track and field team closed out the OU Winter Field Fest on Friday night at the Mosier Indoor Facility, highlighted by 12 individual event wins.

Floyd Whitaker kicked off the meet with a personal-best jump of 16.40m (53’9.75″) to win the event title and mark No. 6 in the OU history books.

In the men’s weight throw, Brendon See tossed a personal-best 21.05m (69’0.75″), claiming the event title and moving his name up to No. 2 in OU history.

During her debut with the Sooners, Jacelyn Neighbors secured the women’s pole vault title, clearing 19.15m (62’10”).

In her first collegiate track meet, former OU volleyball player Hannah Pfiffner put up a stellar performance, clearing 1.79m (5’6.5″) in the women’s high jump, good for a personal best and tied for No. 7 in OU history.

Kennedy Clarke found success in the women’s weight throw with her mark of 19.15m (62’10”).

Breaking into OU’s top-ten performance list at No. 5, newcomer Kennedy Stringfellow marked 7.77m (25’6″) for the men’s long jump title.

OU’s Tucker Smith claimed the men’s shot put title with his toss of 18.65m (61’2.25″).

Sophomore Samuel Toili finished first in the men’s 60m dash with his personal-best time of 6.81. Newcomer Morgan Little stood out in her first performance for the Sooners, claiming the women’s 60m dash title and staking her name at No. 4 in the OU history books.

In her collegiate debut, freshman Kassidi Watkins claimed the women’s long jump title, marking 6.18m (20’3.5″).

Redshirt-freshman Tyley Dotson nailed a 15.20m (49’10.5″) in the women’s shot put, earning the event title.

Closing out the night, Trey Bartholomew cleared 6.18m (20’3.5″) in men’s high jump, earning himself the event title and moving his name up to No. 3 in the OU record book. Junior Tyson Ritz also etched himself into the history book at No. 9 with his clearance of 2.18m (7’1.75″).

The Sooners collected 26 more personal bests for a total of 34 on the day.


Following the completion of the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Dec. 6, Oklahoma returns to action on January 16 at home, hosting the Owen Hewett Invitational.


For more information on Oklahoma Track & Field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.
 





Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Pitt Sweeps UMBC to Advance to 10th Straight NCAA Round of 32 Match

Published

on


PITTSBURGH – The Pitt volleyball team (27-4, 18-2 ACC) swept UMBC (13-12, 7-3 Big East) 25-10, 25-17, 25-13 on Friday night at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers set a program NCAA Tournament record with a .518 hitting percentage, and Olivia Babcock broke the single-season program kills record with her 546th of the year, surpassing Wendy Hatlestad’s mark from 2003. With the sweep, Pitt advanced to its 10th straight NCAA Tournament Round of 32.

Pitt opened the first set by building a 15-8 lead heading into the media timeout. UMBC used both timeouts during the next four-point run, sparked by kills from Abbey Emch, Marina Pezelj and Blaire Bayless. Babcock then delivered a 4-0 service run to secure the 25-10 win.

The second set followed a similar script, as the Panthers once again held a 15-8 advantage at the media timeout. UMBC called a timeout at 18-9 after kills from Bre Kelley and Bayless, but Pitt maintained control and closed out the frame, 25-17, on a Retriever hitting error.

The third set was tied 5-5 before Pitt surged ahead with a 7-2 run behind Brooke Mosher’s efficient, balanced distribution. UMBC called timeout at 17-9 in an effort to slow the momentum, but the Panthers continued to roll, taking the set 25-13 and completing the sweep.

Pitt returns tomorrow to face Michigan (22-10, 11-9 Big Ten) in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 at 7 p.m. The match will stream on ESPN+.



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Open Season at GVSU Holiday Open

Published

on


ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Kalamazoo College men’s and women’s track and field teams opened indoor season Friday at the GVSU Holiday Open. The competition marked the Hornets’ first track and field meet of any kind since 1980 for men’s, 1981 for women’s, and the first indoor competition since 1939 (men only).

Drew Abbott was the first competitor for Kalamazoo, finishing No. 10 overall and as the top Division III runner in the men’s one-mile run open field at 4:26.08.

In the men’s 400-meter dash, Bram Derksen posted a 53.87-second time, and Elliott Anderson ran his 400m in 55.33.

Allison Mayer became the Hornets’ first official women’s indoor track competitor by running a 10:54.84 3000m. Maya Alkema ran the 5000m in 18:37.56.

On the men’s side in the 5000m, Jack Schneider ran at a time of 15:56.47 and John Lonsway finished at 16:49.87.

Kalamazoo men’s and women’s indoor track and field will travel to Trine for the Sean Brady Invitational after the holiday break on Jan. 17, 2026.

 



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Nebraska volleyball begins national title chase with win over LIU

Published

on


Related coverage in the video aboveNebraska volleyball hosted LIU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.Bergen Reilly to Andi Jackson and Nebraska was up 6-2.Jackson would later bump Nebraska’s lead to 15-9.A kill from Taylor Landfair ended set 1, giving Nebraska the 25-11 set victory.Rebekah Allick on the block, and it’s 3-0 Huskers in set 2.Allick and Jackson were leading the Huskers by the end of set 2. Nebraska defeated LIU 25-15 in the second set.A 4-0 run for the Huskers kicked things off in set 3.Nebraska was dominating LIU in set 3.Allick claimed match point for Nebraska.The Huskers got the 25-17 set win and the sweep over LIU.The Huskers will face Kansas State in the second round of the tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |

Related coverage in the video above

Nebraska volleyball hosted LIU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Bergen Reilly to Andi Jackson and Nebraska was up 6-2.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Jackson would later bump Nebraska’s lead to 15-9.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

A kill from Taylor Landfair ended set 1, giving Nebraska the 25-11 set victory.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Rebekah Allick on the block, and it’s 3-0 Huskers in set 2.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Allick and Jackson were leading the Huskers by the end of set 2. Nebraska defeated LIU 25-15 in the second set.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

A 4-0 run for the Huskers kicked things off in set 3.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Nebraska was dominating LIU in set 3.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Allick claimed match point for Nebraska.

The Huskers got the 25-17 set win and the sweep over LIU.

This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

The Huskers will face Kansas State in the second round of the tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.

NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |





Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Track and Field Post Strong Performances at SVSU Holiday Invite

Published

on


UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Adrian College track and field team traveled to Saginaw Valley State University for the Holiday Invite, showcasing strong performances across the board.

On the men’s side, Joseph Sheridan set a personal best in the 400m dash with a time of 51.06, earning 23rd place. In the mile, both Jessie Strickland and Nick Doerr set personal records, with Strickland crossing the finish line in 5:06.00 for 21st place and Doerr finishing 22nd in 5:07.95. Brandon Berry soared to a fifth-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.94m and cementing his place in the program’s top-10. In the long jump, Ian Chavis claimed 10th with a leap of 6.15m (20-2.25), while Forrest Schroeder posted a solid 12th-place mark at 6.09m (19-11.75).

The women’s team also had notable performances. Abigail Raftis ran the 400m dash in 1:06.36 for 26th place, and Alayna Paeth set a personal best in the 800m with a time of 2:38.94, earning 22nd place. In the high jump, Alysia Townsend cleared 1.57m (5-1.75) to finish sixth. The long jump saw Piper Pierce take 23rd with a mark of 4.63m (15-2.5) and Emily Peterson finish 26th at 4.30m (14-1.25).


Up Next: The Bulldogs are back in action on Saturday, January 17th where they will head back to Saginaw Valley State University. The meet is scheduled to kick-off at 10:00 AM.

 



Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending