Key Takeaways
- Kansas Athletics announced a partnership with Ripple that will place the XRP brand on Jayhawk uniforms.
- Ripple says the agreement represents the first cryptocurrency sponsorship to appear on a major college athletics program’s jersey.
- Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse called the announcement a rare intersection of his professional career and Kansas alma mater connection.
Why Is the Ripple-Kansas Partnership Drawing Attention?
Kansas Athletics, the athletic department of the University of Kansas responsible for overseeing the school’s sports programs, introduced the partnership with Ripple on July 8 as a shared commitment to innovation and excellence, bringing the XRP jersey patch into college athletics.
The university announced:
“A shared commitment to innovation and excellence. Kansas Athletics is proud to announce a new groundbreaking partnership with Ripple, bringing the XRP brand to Jayhawk uniforms.”
The announcement confirmed that the XRP brand will appear on Jayhawk uniforms under the new agreement. The multiyear deal will cover all Kansas Athletics team uniforms. The athletic program also includes major venues such as the 41,525-seat David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and the 15,300-seat Allen Fieldhouse, one of college basketball’s most recognizable arenas.
Ripple echoed the announcement shortly afterward, describing the agreement as a milestone for both college athletics and the cryptocurrency industry. “History on a jersey patch: the first-ever crypto sponsorship of a major college athletics program starts today,” the company wrote.
What Does the Announcement Mean for XRP, Ripple, and the University of Kansas?
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse highlighted the personal significance of the partnership. As a University of Kansas alumnus, he said the agreement brought together his professional work and personal connection to the school while celebrating XRP’s appearance on Jayhawk uniforms.
Garlinghouse wrote:
“Rare moment where my professional and personal worlds collide: XRP is now the first crypto on the jersey of a major college athletics program, at my alma mater. XRP Family, meet the Jayhawks. Rock Chalk!”
The Ripple chief executive’s ties to the University of Kansas (KU) go beyond the partnership. In a KU College Stories profile from March 9, 2016, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus for 2015-16, highlighting his tech career at AOL, Yahoo, Hightail, and Ripple Labs. A Topeka native with a KU economics degree, he has stayed connected by helping run Tech Trek, which brings KU students to Silicon Valley to meet companies like Google and Facebook. The profile also noted his love of watching Kansas Jayhawks games.
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