Mizzou Athletics Delivers Historic Sponsorship Growth, NIL Opportunities in Partnership with Learfield

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Athletics announced today record-setting sponsorship growth to support its athletics programs and student-athletes in the current dynamic landscape of college athletics. Working alongside longtime partner Learfield, Mizzou has expanded its portfolio of corporate relationships with both homegrown Missouri and nationally recognized companies, reflecting the growing strength of the Mizzou brand, the department's competitive success and its ability to deliver meaningful business results for partners.

"In less than three years, we have more than doubled our sponsorship revenue with over 130% growth, establishing significant NIL resources to help our teams secure the talent to compete for championships," said Mizzou Director of Athletics Laird Veatch. "That investment reflects the momentum and strength of the Mizzou brand and demonstrates the value we're creating for our partners. We have asked the major corporate brands in our great state to seize this opportunity to partner with us to continue elevating our university brand and state economy - and many of those brands are responding in record fashion. We are incredibly grateful to these partners, and to our Learfield colleagues at Mizzou Sports Properties, and proud of the momentum we're building together.

"As we continue to build these powerful partnerships across Missouri, we're grateful for the incredible alignment we have with state leadership, particularly Gov. Kehoe and Sen. Schmitt, who have clearly demonstrated their support and recognition of the economic impact and brand development power of Mizzou Athletics for the State of Missouri."

The growth in commercial revenue includes expanded partnerships from several of Missouri's most recognizable businesses that have deepened their commitment to Mizzou Athletics through premium hospitality assets, branding and fan engagement platforms. With the growth of significant partnerships, Mizzou Athletics has seen a dramatic increase in average sponsorship deal size of nearly 140% since 2025. Among the most visible examples of growth are expanded collaborations with corporate partners that have increased their investment to become Diamond Club members, Mizzou's premier partner program.

Members of the elite Diamond Club support Mizzou Athletics through premium sponsorship assets, including football and Olympic sports jersey patch partnership by Ambetter Health, a Centene company, EquipmentShare's naming rights to the North End Zone premium club, and Multipli Credit Union's naming rights to the South End Zone premium space. Missouri was also an early adopter of on-field branding, featuring Shelter Insurance and EquipmentShare logos on Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. These brands now join MU Health Care, the Exclusive Health Care Partner of Mizzou Athletics, in the Diamond Club.

Learfield's national corporate sales platform in collaboration with Mizzou Athletics has attracted new relationships with leading consumer brands like DoorDash, Kingsford and Geico, and other blue-chip brands seeking to connect with Mizzou fans. These partnerships have broadened Mizzou's commercial footprint while creating new opportunities for fan engagement and brand activation.

By leveraging the Learfield Impact NIL services, and in collaboration with Every True Tiger Brands, Mizzou Athletics has also emerged as a leader in the rapidly evolving NIL landscape. The department has built a comprehensive NIL ecosystem designed to connect student-athletes with meaningful business opportunities while helping brands maximize the value of authentic athlete storytelling. Working collaboratively across campus and with Learfield's NIL and content teams, Missouri has created a structure that allows partners to leverage student-athletes in innovative campaigns spanning social media, digital content, recruiting initiatives, community engagement and brand marketing.

"It's been an honor to partner with Laird and his team to drive significant sponsorship growth from both Missouri-based businesses and national brand partners," said Cole Gahagan, President and CEO of Learfield. "This growth reflects the strength of the Mizzou brand, the strategic approach to adopt new opportunities, and the value of our partnership."

ABOUT MIZZOU ATHLETICS
Mizzou Athletics supports 450 student-athletes across 20 varsity programs while competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics in the Southeastern Conference. Guided by its core values - Earn Trust & Respect, Live Our Will to Win, Dare to Demand Excellence and Believe Every Step Matters - Mizzou is committed to developing championship-level programs, creating transformative student-athlete experiences and uniting the state of Missouri through competitive excellence.

ABOUT LEARFIELD
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield's presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors' Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.