Business of Brand Sponsorships

[Fortunato500CEO]

As the 2024 season starts to ramp up and Instagram content is released, I wanted to ask a question to any Director of Lacrosse Operations, Equipment Managers, Coaches, or parents of recruits: how does the business of lacrosse equipment sponsorships work? Concentrating on the preseason top 3, how much does STX pay Duke to be their exclusive sponsor, Warrior pay UVA, and Adrenaline to supply Notre Dame with what appears to be just gloves, while their players have a mix of other brands’ arm pads, heads, shafts etc.? Looking at Loyola and Army seemingly moving from Epoch to Maverik, what is that process like when a contract expires or a brand becomes discontinued - to select a new one? How much NIL money is there for a Syracuse player to be a Gait athlete? At which tiers do brands pay programs to be their exclusive sponsor, strictly supply the equipment for free, and offer a meager discount? What is the penalty for a player who has a deep connection to a particular brand of head and they use their preferred brand when the team is sponsored by a different brand (assuming top tier)? Do coaches make equipment part of their recruiting pitch: “you can expect X pairs of the latest cleats, Y pairs of the latest gloves, Z number of helmets, and all the heads, handles, and mesh you want” per season? Do teams in the Big10 now only order one type and color pattern of glove? At what tier do coaches need to fundraise for equipment and what tier is fundraising or allocating resources for hard goods in the budget not a concern?

Any firsthand knowledge of this process is appreciated, or if there is any literature that would answer these questions, please point me in that direction. I think it is a unique aspect of the game with sticks, pockets, and gear that doesn’t get discussed, and imo is worth delving into before the season gets rolling. With brands (Epoch, Under Armour) seemingly falling off, the best teams using STX or Warrior, but the most teams using Maverik (which looks and in my limited personal experience feels lower quality than STX and Warrior) I am curious to hear what folks who have any intimate knowledge of the topic have to say.