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Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork did not rule out the potential for promoting the naming rights to Ohio Stadium.
School soccer stadiums and bowl video games have more and more partnered with company sponsors. Groups can now place promoting sponsors on their uniform patches and logos on the sector, and the Massive 12 is reportedly even contemplating promoting its identify.
The Blade’s David Briggs requested Bjork about how he plans to juggle his quest for income with sustaining custom as he begins his tenure at Ohio State.
“I at all times consider a phrase: Let’s ensure we shield custom, however not assume historically,” Bjork mentioned. “How will we type of take that excellent and monetize it, commercialize it in the appropriate approach, but know that we’ve got this financial engine that we’ve got to feed, and it is solely going to develop and we’re solely going to have to seek out extra [revenue]? There’s at all times a tasteful approach which you can combine sponsors — commercialization, if you’ll — the place it’s not placing it in all people’s face.”
Two years in the past, Ohio State named Safelite AutoGlass the first-ever on-field sponsor for its prestigious soccer venue. But the Ohio Stadium identify has lasted for a century.
Might Bjork dump naming rights to The Horseshoe? He would not decide to preserving the established order.
“Yeah, clearly, there’s numerous historic worth in that and what meaning,” he mentioned. “In the event you return to how they raised the cash to construct the stadium, each county contributed, and they didn’t need to take away from state {dollars} or tuition {dollars}. If that ever has to get placed on the desk, it is the identical dialog. At this time limit, you may by no means say by no means on something. You must put every little thing on the desk, and then you definately consider it and make one of the best determination for the establishment.”
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