Washington State has signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the school announced. As part of the agreement, all Cougars sports programs will have jersey patch ads.
The $8.43 million agreement is the largest in school history and also includes a $250,000 donation to the Cougar Athletic Excellence Fund during the first year of the partnership. The deal also includes youth camps and a video series that will show the connections between Washington State athletes and tribal youth, the university said.
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By getting jersey patches across all sports, Wazzu is the first Pac-12 program to land the adds since the NCAA paved the way for schools to do so. Playfly Sports helped facilitate the agreement.
“This is a historic partnership rooted in Eastern Washington,” said Washington State athletics director Jon Haarlow in a statement. “It brings together two tradition-rich communities as we chart an exciting new path forward as leaders in the Pacific Northwest and the new Pac-12.”
Washington State and the 12 Tribes of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have had a relationship since 1997. The sponsorship deal is the next step of their partnership.
“The Colville Tribes has partnered with WSU for decades now on a variety of topics related to education and culture,” said Jarred-Michael Erickson, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. “We are pleased to continue our partnership with this new and historic involvement in WSU’s athletic program.
“Athletics instill character, and that is an important quality for Colville. There are multiple aspects to this deal, but I am sure our membership will especially enjoy seeing a Colville Tribes patch on WSU jerseys. Go Cougs!”
Washington State, Pac-12 preparing for new era
Washington State has found itself at the forefront of the Pac-12’s rebuild after a wave of conference realignment. Wazzu and Oregon State committed to rebuilding the league and will now get ready to begin a new era on Wednesday.
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State are all on the way in, bringing the Pac-12 to eight football members. Gonzaga is also joining after leaving the West Coast Conference.
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With the additions, the Pac-12 is also getting ready to begin a new media rights deal. CBS will be the league’s primary media partner while The CW will continue to be part of the agreement. The conference then struck a five-year deal with USA Sports, securing three media rights partners.
Additionally, The CW recently announced a streaming partnership with ESPN. As part of the agreement, CW Sports live events will exclusively stream on the ESPN app. That means the Pac-12 will have even more reach.
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