The University of Arizona has signed a $60 million stadium naming rights deal with Casino Del Sol, creating a new record in Big 12 Conference history.
SportsPro.com reports the naming rights partnership includes new exterior and interior branding, field logos and digital platforms, and an expanded integration into national television broadcasts.
Casino Del Sol is an enterprise of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. The agreement also enables Casino Del Sol to join Arizona Athletics’ “pillar partner” roster with category exclusivity in casino, gaming and resorts.
The deal was negotiated by Arizona Sports Enterprises (ASE), the university’s in-house multimedia rights, and corporate partnerships division.
Desireé Reed-Francois, the university’s director of athletics, stated the increased costs of running her department forced the school to “be aggressive in securing new revenue streams.”
Photo courtesy of the University of Arizona
College sports should evolve into Semi-pro status. 20% of the revenue should go towards education. Instead, it’s all into sports or a drain. Football and basketball should be de-coupled from Universities.