CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Patriot League Executive Director Jennifer Heppel announced today that the League has renewed its exclusive multimedia rights agreement with Learfield Sports. The new pact extends the marketing partnership through 2020.
Learfield, complemented by its local entity, Patriot League Sports Properties, is dedicated to driving corporate partner relationships and selling certain League assets, as well as overseeing on-site marketing and promotions at all 23 League Championship events. Additionally, in this new five-year term kicking off during the Patriot League’s 25th Anniversary, Learfield will produce League-wide radio spots and online banner advertising for member schools to use respectively in helping to promote the Anniversary milestone with uniform messaging.
“The Patriot League is excited to extend our partnership with Learfield Sports, as they are considered a leader in the college athletics industry. They understand the goals and objectives of the Patriot League, which allows us to continue to provide additional resources to our member institutions and their student-athletes,” said Heppel.
Full Patriot League member institutions include American, Army West Point, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland and Navy. Associate members include Fordham in football; Georgetown in both football and women’s rowing; Massachusetts Institute of Technology in women’s rowing; and Richmond in women’s golf. Learfield Sports holds individual multimedia rights agreements with Army West Point, Bucknell and Fordham.
“We are privileged to have this position of being a partner in collegiate athletics,” said Learfield President and CEO Greg Brown. “We look forward to continuing moving ahead, creating unique opportunities for corporations to align with the Patriot League through a multi-faceted platform.”
Patriot League member institutions are among the oldest and most prestigious in the nation. Alumni from Patriot League colleges and universities have played a leadership role in the shaping of our country. In the classroom, the Patriot League’s full-member institutions, individually and collectively, consistently rank among the top Division I programs in the NCAA Graduation Rates Report. Since 1998, the Patriot League has ranked first among all Division I conferences offering scholarships in student-athlete graduation rates according to the NCAA Graduation Rates report.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary as an all-sport conference in 2015-16, the Patriot League finished at the top spot with 96 percent of its teams reporting a graduation rate of 85 percent or higher in the most recent data. In addition, 90 Patriot League teams earned NCAA Academic Performance Program Public Recognition Awards after posting academic progress rate scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.
Learfield Sports, which manages the multimedia rights and sponsorships for more than 100 collegiate properties nationwide, has a rich history of developing trusted, long-term relationships for over 40 years with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of college sports. The company also titles the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup and represents collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas for their respective multimedia rights and sponsorship initiatives. Learfield offers these partners with professional concessions and ticket sales, licensing and trademark consulting, digital platform expertise and venue and technology systems through its owned companies. To learn more about its history, businesses and job opportunities, visit www.learfieldsports.com.