Wisconsin's newest jersey sponsor? 'Iconic brand' a 'no-brainer'

"But I'd sure love to see that," he said.

Wisconsin, UW Health announce jersey patch sponsorship for four women's sports

Prairie du Sac-based Culver's will have sponsorship patches on Badgers football, men's basketball and men's hockey jerseys starting in the 2026-27 season.

Tuesday's announcement came nearly three months after Wisconsin unveiled UW Health jersey patches for four women's sports: volleyball, basketball, hockey and softball.

The first game with a Culver's patch on a Badgers uniform is scheduled to be the football opener against Notre Dame at Green Bay's Lambeau Field on Sept. 6.

Culver's bought ad space on the Kohl Center basketball court in 2025 and has had its logo in the ice rink there and LaBahn Arena.

Culver, the restaurant chain's co-founder, said he wondered about overexposure before the company signed onto the jersey patch deal, which he said was an expansion of its existing marketing agreement with Wisconsin.

"But the more we thought about it, given this opportunity, yeah, we should do it," Culver said. "I'd hate to see one of my competitors on there. And that would have happened, I'm sure of that. But I think they gave us first crack."

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Terms of the agreement for jersey sponsorship patches weren't disclosed.

Generating revenue is a key component of the agreement for the Wisconsin athletic department, said Mitchell Pinta, deputy athletic director and chief revenue officer. But Culver's also brings NIL opportunities, fan engagement and an established presence in Wisconsin, he said.

"When you can check those boxes as well as have an iconic brand like Culver's who's been such a mainstay in the state, been such a mainstay with Badger athletics, it was a no-brainer," Pinta said. "I can't think of a more perfect growth of a partnership."

Wisconsin has been preparing for the option to sell advertising space on its uniforms since 2024. Learfield, which operates the Badger Sports Properties marketing group, got started working on valuing jersey patches late that year while the NCAA was considering allowing them. Former Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh mentioned them as a potential new revenue source months earlier.

The NCAA didn't formally approve sponsor patches until early 2026, and it limits them to 4 square inches, smaller than in many pro sports leagues.

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Contract extensions with Badger Sports Properties and Under Armour in the last two years set the path for selling sponsorship patches at Wisconsin and clearing them to be on Badgers uniforms, respectively.

Wisconsin has to notify Under Armour of the company as well as the size of and placement of sponsor patches. Within that agreement, Wisconsin has to give Under Armour a make-good benefit of sponsorship on media assets for each team. The total value of that make-good can't exceed $1 million per year.

Jersey patches aren't the only assets Wisconsin has to sell as it attempts to find new sources of revenue. Direct revenue-sharing payments to players that started in 2025 increased the need for growth.

Wisconsin has brought in more concerts and private events. Selling naming rights for gates at major venues is a possibility. A sponsor logo on the field at Camp Randall Stadium, set up through a Big Ten deal, appeared for two games last season.

"We need to continue to turn over every rock," Pinta said. "How do you engage as many people to help drive revenue to the department as possible that isn't tied directly to ticket sales?"

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Culver's has restaurants in 26 states and is preparing to enter a 27th in 2027, Culver said. He said he'd love to also have his company's logo on jerseys in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio because of how much business it does in those states, but its marketing budget isn't that big.

Being on jerseys in Wisconsin, where the company started in 1984, made sense.

"We opened our 1,088th restaurant, yet I'd still never dreamed that someday we'd have our logo on the jerseys of basketball, football and hockey," Culver said.

"But here we are. We made the decision to say yes, and we're helping support the Badgers. This definitely helps them. I know it does. They are looking for ways to make budget and this is our way of helping them. And we're proud to do it."