Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark announced on Tuesday that Monster Energy will become the entitlement partner for the conference’s football and basketball regular seasons as part of a reported $20 million multiyear agreement. The partnership means the league’s games will now be branded as “Monster Energy Big 12 Football” and “Monster Energy Big 12 Basketball,” while schools will also feature branded patches on jerseys and Monster branding on football fields and basketball courts.
The announcement spread across social media after college football reporter Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports shared the news on X.
Some questioned whether the reported financial return justified the increased corporate branding.
“This conference has been on the craziest downwards trajectory since Texas and OU left,” one fan wrote.
Another user joked, “In 5 years it will be full NASCAR and every inch of uniform will have some type of advertising.”
One fan commented, “All that for 1 million dollars per school. Yikes.”
“Cannot wait for the memes that come out of this,” another fan posted.
While another added, “Can I still just say Big 12 Football? Lol.”
Not every reaction was negative, however. Some viewed the partnership as a smart financial move.
“That’s actually a great sponsorship,” one fan wrote.
Big 12 Commissioner on Brendan Sorsby
While Yormark was eager to discuss the conference’s partnership deal, he declined to address the controversy involving former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
When asked about the ongoing dispute surrounding Sorsby’s gambling-related eligibility case and the Big 12’s legal action involving Texas Tech, Yormark made it clear that Media Days was not the venue for that discussion.
“Today is not the time to address that issue,” he said. “Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools.”
Later in the news conference, Yormark also corrected a reporter regarding previous comments about conference unity, saying he had been misquoted before reiterating his focus on the league’s future.
“No, I didn’t say greater than 12; you misquoted me. I said, ‘We’re going forward as 16 strong.’ And that’s my answer to your question. But thank you for that question. Appreciate it,” he said.
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