Under Armour, Baltimore, and UCLA recently announced a 15-year, $280 million shoe and apparel sponsorship, making it the largest such deal in NCAA history.
The agreement will pay UCLA $15 million in cash up front. The school subsequently will receive about $11 million annually in rights and marketing fees. Under Armour will supply an average of $7.4 million in clothing, shoes and equipment each school year and will contribute an additional $2 million during the next eight years for upgrades at athletic facilities, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
The school’s current partnership with adidas expires next year, so officials were free to negotiate a new contract, according to the report. The new deal, announced Tuesday, also means that Under Armour has two of the five richest collegiate apparel deals in collegiate sports history. It also signed a 10-year, $90 million deal with Notre Dame.
Nike and Ohio State have the second-largest apparel deal, at 15 years and $252 million.
At a press conference announcing the deal, Under Armour founder Kevin Plank said it was about adding a major West Coast program to its stable that includes Auburn University and the University of Wisconsin.
“This deal was about geography,” he said. “It was important for us to plant our flag in L.A.”
For more information, visit underarmour.com. — J.L.