Originally published at: What Is a Jersey Worth?
Justin Southwell shares thoughts on OSU incorporating sponsorship patches for this upcoming school year.
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Great piece and I agree. Something about selling our soul, which a jersey might not equate but might be a reasonable facsimile.
I think itâs in immensely bad taste to have a patched tie-in with Osage Nations, of which a large part is casinos and gambling. And thatâs not even considering the poor timing of announcing this in the wake of Sorsby-gate. The one thing I kept thinking through all that hullabaloo was âIâm so thankful this doesnât have anything to do with OSUâ.
I should have known better than to think there would be no way weâd screw ourselves in some related way. 
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And what are the other options? Bueller? Thatâs what I thought.
I appreciate the sentiment of this story, but college football sold its soul a long time ago. I mean the Poulan Weedeater Independence Bowl? Really?
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Exactly. As I said on another post, college sports became a business when the Supreme Court allowed conferences to make their own media deals back in 1984.
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I second Justinâs thoughts and sentiment. If I could get my time machine to work I would turn time back to a simpler more pure time for college football. Unfortunately that time does not exist. Back before NIL where we took advantage of athletes to build these monstrosities called the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, ACC, and the former PAC-12? Before realignment? Before bowls sold their naming rights? Back when it was a purely amateur sport? When players were paid under the table? Before it was all about the money. Wait, itâs always been about the money. There is no pure time in sports. It has never existed.
The best we can hope for is to play on as level a field as possible. That takes money. It is the time we live in. I remember when the Cowboys played at Lewis Field, before Boones millions. I donât want to go back to that time.
I respect the tradition of the uniform. I love the pride of being an OSU Alum. I will always be Loyal and True.
A patch on a uniform will never change that. Hopefully a patch on a uniform and any other scheme the Athletic Department, Alums, Students, and Donors comes up provides sufficient resources to allow our teams to compete against our opponents fairly and equitably.
Unfortunately we are not playing on a level field. We have to try keep up with the other teams or we will left on the outside looking in. We have been there before and it wasnât pretty. We have to change with times or get left behind.
And thatâs the saddest part of all.
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You can look at this as a negative, that is your right. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I respect you for yours.
The Sorsby situation has nothing to do with this. I would hope you focus on the positive of OSU linking with the proud Osage Nation and their amazing culture and heritage. Or any of the multitude of tribes that were forced to relocate to Oklahoma by a benevolent government (not one of the better parts of US history) but now proudly stand as Oklahoma citizens.
Members of the Osage tribe include a previous Vice-president of the United States, an Air Force major General killed at the Battle of Midway in World War II, an astronaut who helped save the astronauts of Apollo 13, actors, artists, ballerinas and to many more to mention.
I donât like the marketing angle either, but I will focus on the positive if it helps our teams.
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As I mentioned: Iâm not naive enough to think passion pays the bills. There are other naming rights. There are facility deals. There are dozens of other avenues that donât require putting another brandâs name on the one sacred symbol of the program. The uniform should be the last thing you touch. Not the first.
Name it Osage Nation Field at Boone Pickens Stadium presented by Bank of Oklahoma for all I care. Leave the uniforms alone.
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Agreed. But venues are already shared spaces to play. Uniforms have a bit more meaning, at least to me, in representing the university.
Thoughtful response, and Iâm sure Iâll get there eventually. Iâm mostly upset that leadership didnât tap out all other naming rights options before going straight to the uniforms. It was just the next step to them. They just donât view uniform representation the same way I do, specifically collegiate athletics representation. Theyâre simply mimicking what theyâve seen done at the professional level.
My fear is the slippery slope, because itâs never going to be enough. Corporations shouldnât be allowed to dictate what goes where because they throw large sums of money around.
I remember how I felt when I got to my locker on first ever game day and saw SOUTHWELL stitched across the back. That sense of accomplishment brought me nearly to tears feeling like I actually made it. All that hard work that got me there was worth it.
Pretty soon could be some kid who did the exact same thing, who put in all that hard work and should be able to feel the way we all felt, but they look at their jersey and their nameplate says âWE HAVE THE MEATSâ
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Good article. I do wonder if there is a middle ground here. You speak about the Nike Swoosh being on the uniform and that Nike earned it. Would you feel different about the new logo if it was from one of the programâs significant corporate sponsors who has supported the program for 20 (or more) years? IMO, you donât open it to the highest bidder. You open it to the highest worthy bidder who has visibly supported the program for at least a decade (or more).
Yeah, good question. Honestly, in a perfect world, the swoosh wouldnât be there either. I view their logo as functional rather than promotional. They designed and manufactured the uniform, and the product supply agreement is part of the relationship.
Essentially, Nike = we built this / Sponsors = we paid to be here.
If Nike disappeared from the uniform tomorrow, youâd lose the answer to a legitimate question about the uniformâs origin. If the Osage patch disappeared tomorrow, nothing about the uniform itself would change. It would simply be Oklahoma State again.
With the long-term supporter sponsorship route you described, I think it could be unintentionally messy. Who decides which brand has truly earned it over the other contenders? And then once that decision is made, other brands will feel slighted and youâve got to deal with damage control and hurt feelings.
In my opinion, if another brand has truly earned its place in the Oklahoma State community, they donât need a patch to prove it. I feel like there are still other ways to honor long-term partners rather than promoting their brand on an OSU uniform. Letâs just draw the line and say some things are not for sale. The uniform should represent the university, the conference, and the athletes. Nothing else belongs there.
I greatly appreciate your views. Totally understandable and valid. The unfortunate fact is the players and fans are the last ones considered before any changes occur (from realignment, hiring/firing of staffs, ticket and concession prices, game times, etc). Itâs called getting the short end of the stick. I could use more colorful analogies but this is a public forum.
The athletes are finally getting their share after far too long. Hopefully guardrails are coming to curb the transfer portal merry go round. That just leaves the fans. What do we get? Everyone supposedly in charge saying âWeâre doing it for the betterment of the sport. You just need to buy your tickets and merchandise and Shut Up.â
I havenât liked the changes since corporate sponsors started appearing. Everything since then only makes things worse. My opinion doesnât matter. My wallet does. I voice my opinion to vent, knowing full well No One is Listening. I learned this lesson many years ago when it comes to college sports. I just hope for the best.
Justin, keep fighting maybe someone will finally hear.
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What is being hidden with all the money flying around is they get an education. I donât know the graduation rates. Make that a priority for all the money. Some will make enough that if takes care of will be set for life even not playing in the league.
Agreed. To me, the jersey is an extension of the player.
That said, I would feel worse about it if the kids werenât the reason for needing the $ in the first place.
Man, well said. Give them an inch and theyâll take a mile. Somewhat off topic but it seems to be trickling down even into youth sports. Saw something about how baseball equipment is all neon-colored and outrageously expensive. Corporations, greed, money, promoting fear that if you donât have this then youâll get left behind⌠and weâre perpetually getting the short end of the stick.
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Yawn! Dude talks about not putting a patch on a US flag, but didnât touch upon how many things sold VIOLATE the Flag Code. Yes, even T-shirts that have a US flag on it violates said flag code, so does having those huge flags at stadiums before games. Itâs just a little patch and oSu found a sponsor that is very much a huge part of Okie culture. Cry me a river, bro. 
But Justin is entitled to his opinion and I respect it, just donât agree w/ it.
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