Playfly’s first collegiate jersey patch deal

Playfly’s first collegiate jersey patch deal

February 18, 2026

Playfly Sports Announces First Collegiate Jersey Patch Deal
Playfly Sports has facilitated the first-ever collegiate jersey patch sponsorship agreement between Louisiana State University (LSU) Athletics and Woodside Energy. Woodside Energy is the Official Partner of LSU Athletics. The logo will appear across all 21 varsity competition uniforms beginning in the 2026-27 athletic season.
^Playfly

A.J. Preller agrees to multiyear extension with Padres
The San Diego Padres extended the contract of A.J. Preller, their longtime head of baseball operations. The length of his new deal was not announced. The Padres ranked second in attendance in 2025 and within the top five after each of the last four seasons. The Padres are also exploring a potential sale of the team in November. Joe Lacob, principal owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, has been rumored as a leading candidate to acquire the team.
^ESPN

Off­season = Selling Sea­son
The offseason is the beginning of sales season. NFL marketers are targeting luxury on a broad scale. Ingrid Petri, NFL vice president, said they are pitching to luxury brands in Europe. The organization is trying to appeal to its customers, which 47% are female. The NFL is locked into an exclusive partnership with Novartis, signed with American Express and signed with PayPal.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Wicket Expands Agreement with Major League Soccer to Power Identity-Driven Experiences Across MLS Events
Wicket is the leading facial authentication platform provider in live events. Wicket announced an expanded agreement with the MLS. It will deploy its facial authentication technology across multiple MLS league events in 2026. This will improve the fan experience through faster, more personalized access, inclusive of ticketing, payments and credentialing.
^{MLS Soccer}

Silver: NBA likely to move forward on expansion discussion in March
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league will start to make decisions on expansion at a Board of Governor’s meeting in March. Silver says the two cities he is interested in are Seattle and Las Vegas. They won’t be voting in March, just meeting to think of next steps for interested parties.
^{KOMO News}

University of Arizona signs 15-year naming rights deal for McKale Center
The University of Arizona’s McKale Center will now be known as McKale Center at Alkeme Arena. The college signed a 15-year naming rights partnership with Alkeme Insurance that is worth $27.7 million. It is now the largest public known arena naming rights partnership in the Big 12. The collaboration also puts Alkeme into Arizona Athletics’ top tier of corporate partners. This includes new exterior and interior branding at the 14,688-capacity venue, premium hospitality spaces, and integrated digital platforms, along with expanded visibility across national television broadcasts.
^{The Stadium Business}

MLBPA executive Tony Clark to reportedly resign just months before labor fight due to expiring CBA
The MLBPA executive director, Tony Clark, is expected to resign from his position. He and the MLBPA were expected to start touring spring training facilities on Tuesday. Their first stop at the Cleveland Guardians camp was canceled. The current collective bargaining agreement will expire Dec. 1. There is expected to be a furious labor battle ahead of the new CBA.
^{Yahoo Sports}

JuJu Watkins becomes first athlete to co-create a design for Nike LeBron sneakers
USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins is the first athlete chose to co-create a sneaker for LeBron James’ Nike NXXT Gen line. Her first “Silver Lining” color way will release this summer. The shoe’s colors are meant to capture the college hoops star's ability to find light in difficult moments, the brand says.
^{Yahoo Sports}

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