Big 12 will add Monster Energy jersey patch for every team across football, basketball

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark announced the introduction of league-wide sponsorship agreement with Monster Energy involving co-branded Big 12/Monster patches that will appear on all league football and men’s and women’s basketball jerseys. The multiyear licensing deal, which also includes the co-branded logo appearing on each Big 12 football field and basketball court, is worth around $20 million annually and makes Monster the conference’s “entitlement partner” in those aforementioned sports, according to Sports Business Journal.

“This is an important partnership for the Big 12 as we continue to grow our commercial business,” Yormark said in a statement released Tuesday after the announcement at Big 12 Media Days. “Monster Energy is a global, culturally relevant brand that aligns with who we are and where we’re going. Together, we will bring the Big 12 to new audiences, expand our reach, and deliver innovative experiences for our fans.”

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The agreement expands on the previously-established partnership between the Big 12 and Monster Energy that began last fall with the announcement as the conference’s “official energy drink.” Monster Energy is also the official title sponsor for the Big 12’s 2026 Football and Basketball Media Days.

“Monster Energy has built its brand on sports and athletes that leave it all out there on the field or the court,” Monster Energy chief partnerships officer Mitch Covington said in a joint statement Tuesday. “Partnering with the Big 12 continues that tradition of aligning with great sports teams and organizations committed to excellence. Commissioner Brett Yormark and his teams at the Big 12 Conference are always going to be on the forefront of college athletics and we want to support and be part of it.”

The new licensing deal is expected to pay Big 12 member schools around $1 million annually, per Sports Business Journal, with Monster covering the costs of installing all new logos on courts and fields. This deal will also not preclude Big 12 programs from selling their own commercial jersey patches, though it does provide Monster exclusivity regarding the energy drink market, per SBJ.

“Monster Energy represents drive, edge, ambition — qualities that mirror our student-athletes and the Big 12 conference,” Yormark said during introductory statements Tuesday on Day 1 of Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas. “Our multiyear partnership is a first-of-its-kind, built on the right brand and cultural alignment. Monster Energy is the No. 1 energy drink domestically, and will take this conference to places it’s not been before.”