Mizzou men's and women's basketball players will take the court next season with a new logo stitched onto their jerseys. Mizzou Athletics and Learfield announced that World Wide Technology will become the program's new jersey patch partner starting with the 2026-27 season, putting the St. Louis-based company's brand on both programs' uniforms for the first time.
A Deal Rooted in Existing Ties
According to mutigers.com, World Wide Technology's logo will appear on the uniforms of both the men's and women's basketball teams beginning next season, and the company's mark will also be placed on Norm Stewart Court at Mizzou Arena. The agreement follows the company's existing relationship with the university, which has partnered with World Wide Technology on technology modernization efforts across University of Missouri System campuses and University of Missouri Health Care, per the same source. Learfield's own announcement, reported by learfield.com, confirmed the brand mark will be featured on the uniforms of both Tiger basketball programs beginning this fall.
World Wide Technology was founded in 1990 and has grown into a global technology solutions provider headquartered in the St. Louis region, with more than 14,000 team members and over 60 locations worldwide, mutigers.com reports. David Steward is the company's founder and chairman, while Jim Kavanaugh serves as co-founder and CEO, the site notes.
Coaches and Administrators React
Mizzou Athletics Director Laird Veatch said the department is proud to bring the company on as a partner, framing the investment as a sign of belief in the Tigers' commitment to competing for championships. Men's basketball coach Dennis Gates pointed to Steward's history of community involvement, work connected to the Steward Family Foundation, while women's basketball coach Kellie Harper said the program is grateful for the investment and Steward's confidence in Mizzou's athletes.
As first reported by ABC 17 News, the arrangement ties a company with deep Missouri roots and global reach to the state's flagship basketball programs. The station's report, authored by sports director Nathalie Jones, situates the partnership within a broader wave of jersey sponsorships hitting Missouri athletics this year.
Part of a Bigger Shift in College Sports
The move comes months after the NCAA cleared the way for this kind of branding. The NCAA Division I Cabinet approved commercial logos or patches on uniforms, equipment and apparel for non-championship competition, according to the NCAA. Beginning Aug. 1, 2026, Division I teams were permitted to display up to two additional commercial logos on uniforms and apparel, each no larger than 4 square inches, during the preseason and regular season, the NCAA's rule states.
That rule change has already reshaped revenue strategy across the sport. As Sports Business Journal notes, corporate jersey patches are now being treated as the next frontier in college athletics commercialization, with apparel providers, multimedia rights operators, conferences and schools all involved in bringing sponsorship inventory to market. Deal terms, the outlet adds, are frequently not disclosed publicly — and Mizzou's agreement with World Wide Technology is no exception, with no financial figures released.
How Other Programs Are Cashing In
Missouri is far from alone in chasing this new revenue stream. Tennessee's men's and women's basketball teams will feature jersey patches from a corporate sponsor for the first time this year through a deal with Knoxville-based Axle Logistics, which will sponsor the jerseys through the 2030-31 season, according to USA TODAY. That agreement is reportedly worth more than $3 million annually to Tennessee's athletic department, the outlet reports, underscoring why selling jersey sponsorships has become another way athletic departments generate new revenue amid rising roster-building costs tied to revenue sharing and NIL payments.
World Wide Technology's branding push extends beyond Columbia. St. Louis University will add a patch featuring the company's logo to its uniforms this season under a strategic partnership, with the company's name appearing on all SLU sports uniforms, according to stltoday.com. Mizzou has also struck a separate sponsorship with Ambetter Health that places a jersey patch on football, baseball, and men's and women's basketball uniforms, a deal on3.com described as historic. Veatch told that outlet the athletic department's sponsorship revenue has grown by more than 130% in less than three years.
