As we kick off another college football season, fan excitement and anticipation are at all-time highs! The attention on college sports is like never before: the passion, the tradition, the rivalries, the new innovations around NIL, the emergence of legal sports betting in some states, technology driving new fan experiences, and all that makes college game days great.
We start this weekend with today’s 18th annual College Colors Day. The national holiday, created by our CLC business, serves as the unofficial kickoff of college football season and encourages fans to represent their favorite teams. Join us in sharing your photos on social media using #CollegeColorsDay.
We will have staff all across the country supporting our university partners, brand sponsors and fans this weekend and throughout the year:
- Our collegiate sports properties on campuses across the country and our Paciolan ticketing software teams will be working their magic at more than 70 home games this weekend alone.
- Our LEARFIELD Audio crew will be producing more than 120 game broadcasts which fans can find on The Varsity Network and across satellite and terrestrial radio across the country.
- SIDEARM Sports will engage tens of millions of fans through their official athletic websites, mobile apps, live streaming, and stats.
- LEARFIELD Amplify’s ticket sales and fundraising efforts represent 40 partners, generating over $130M in ticket revenue and philanthropic dollars annually.
- LEARFIELD Amplify installed over 600,000 seats at over 80 stadiums for this weekend.
- Fans at more than 100 universities will be enjoying the work of LEARFIELD Publishing through print and digital game programs specifically for this weekend’s game.
- Over 100 colleges and universities across the country use large format LED video displays and control systems designed, installed, and operated by our ANC team.
- We have four teams participating in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff games on national television this weekend, plus we represent the merchandise licensing rights for the games themselves.
- Registration is now open for our LevelNext esports Official College National Championship for EA Sports’ Madden NFL 23.
- Our brand clients will be showcasing their commitment to college sports in advertising utilizing school marks and IP and through sponsorship activations, many of which include student-athletes for the first time utilizing LEARFIELD Allied.
And there is much more!
This week also began the presentation of the prestigious LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup award to schools identified by NACDA for their excellence. It is our 15th year as the title sponsor and we are proud of what athletic departments across the country and across all divisions have done to create opportunities for student-athletes to grow as people and to compete for championships. Congratulations to all those being recognized.
As we continue through this year, we have a host of initiatives that will benefit schools, brands, licensees, and fans alike! Follow us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn and check back here regularly for updates of note.
Whether you are working the sidelines or cheering on your team from the stands, from your phone, or your living room, know that LEARFIELD is working to unlock value for our school partners and enhance the fan experience!