The Notre Dame Fighting Irish collected victories or national titles outside of wearing the famed gold helmets. Past Fighting Irish teams paid millions to rock Adidas or Under Armour on the game day uniform.
This year’s Notre Dame team will continue sporting the latter shoe/clothing brand. Except now Notre Dame struck a record-shattering deal to sport another patch this season.
Notre Dame agreed to a brand-new multi-year jersey sponsorship deal with SoFi, with college football insider Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports reporting the news Tuesday morning. And per Dellenger, this new partnership will be the first of its kind in terms of revenue and logo.
Yet also fired up critics.
Closer Details Emerge on Notre Dame SoFi Partnership
This $18 to $20 million deal now becomes the richest partnership in NCAA history. Even more than what shoe clothing brands Adidas, Nike and UA pay schools. SoFi also beats out Ohio State’s deal with JP Morgan with this contract.
Notre Dame calls this move “Our 4 for Ever” promise.
“SoFi shares in this commitment to developing strong, ambitious leaders who are set up for success at Notre Dame and beyond. Together, our relationship will create lasting value for our student-athletes and their families for generations to come,” ND vice president Pete Bevacqua and athletic director James E. Rohr said in a news release.
SoFi Reaction to Linking With Notre Dame
Meanwhile the loan company revealed its own excitement for linking up with the historic university.
“The grit, discipline and determination of Notre Dame’s student-athletes reflect the same ambition we see in our members every day. We are proud to partner with Notre Dame Athletics to help inspire the next generation and create opportunities that will shape their financial futures,” said SoFi CEO Anthony Noto in Notre Dame’s release.
So football becomes the first to wear the logo among the Fighting Irish sports teams. But volleyball and other fall sports will have a patch sowed onto them too.
Even famous alumnus and ESPN anchor Hannah Storm dropped a hype video announcing the partnership.
Proud to welcome @SoFi as the Official Financial Services Partner of ND Athletics! Together, we’re empowering a new generation of champions to get their money right.
Info → t.co/WiC8etmW6r #Golrish | #SoFiPartner
Reactions Pour for Notre Dame/SoFi Deal
So how does the rest of the sports world feel about this record deal? Unfortunately fan reactions were mixed.
“This is not a flex this is an actual disgrace! What’s the consumer get for this?? Cheaper tickets nope, cheaper merch nope, cheaper concessions nope. I’m appalled,” one fan posted on the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter.
Another fan called the university “sell outs” online. Yet one defended the Irish, saying online how ND “has once again proven who the biggest brand in college football is.”
The women’s lacrosse team also liked the move, posting how this is “making moves for the future” with a four-leaf clover emoji.
But this deal continues to embolden the new era of college athletics were brands outside of clothing apparels can intervene and strike a partnership. JP Morgan and SoFi more than likely won’t be the last non-clothing companies making their way into collegiate sports in the near future. Especially in the NIL era.
Notre Dame’s Landmark $20 Million Deal Sparks Mixed Reactions