Major SEC program facing backlash from college football fans over proposed jersey addition

LSU Tigers' jerseys could be in for a noticeable change in the aftermath of the House settlement and the new era of the NIL space.

Schools can now allocate up to $20.5 million directly to student athletes this year with that figure increasing annually. The revenue sharing model is the first-of-its-kind in college athletics, and significant moves are bound to be made in order to keep the money rolling.

In response, LSU has approached the NCAA about selling jersey sponsorship patches to outside brands, according to a report from New Orleans Advocate. The proposition is currently pending approval.

LSU athletics is the first, and likely not the last, to approach the NCAA about using jerseys for additional revenue, much like what is in place at the professional level in leagues like the MLB, NHL and NBA.

Some college football fans, however, don't seem to be in love with the idea. The traditions of college sports, especially football, have already begun to change amid conference realignment and the NIL/transfer portal era.

"I absolutely despise and disdain putting logos on college uniforms and fields," one LSU fan wrote. "Do better LSU.

"This is awful," one added. "Leave the uniforms alone. Don’t degrade them with advertising. I absolutely hate this."

"College football has become a complete wild west money grab," one fan responded. "There is almost nothing about that makes sense at this point."

College football leaders have previously voiced the potential revenue stream that sponsorship patches would bring for respective schools. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said as much last year.

“We’ve had jersey patches in bowl games,” he said. “I would anticipate there’s going to be a continuing push, and we’re going to have to come to some agreement in this new environment on where those limits exist.”

"I don’t like it, but jersey sponsorships have hit almost every sport and it’s bound to happen," another fan responded.

"I’m not surprised by this at all," one wrote. "It’s a very natural next step in the commercialization of CFB. It’s something that has been considered in many college sports for a few years now. But this sucks. I love CFB rivalries. I love CFB helmets. And I love CFB uniforms. It just sucks."

LSU, if allowed, is expected to take advantage of the opportunity across all sports, according to the report.

“LSU has mapped out where the patches would go on every jersey, from cross country to football. Most of them would appear on the chest in purple and gold," Wilson Alexander wrote. "Meanwhile, a program official said the school doesn’t want to have “some crazy, NASCAR-like situation,” meaning the advertisements are likely to be fairly self-contained."