Kansas State is adding another sponsor to its football look this season, and this one carries a hometown feel.
The Wildcats will wear the Purple Wave Auction logo on their uniforms after the university announced Wednesday, Aug. 19, what it called the program’s first sponsored jersey patch deal. Purple Wave Auction is based in Manhattan, and the patch will be part of Kansas State’s uniforms this fall.
"We could not be any more pleased to team up with Purple Wave Auction on this special partnership," athletics director Gene Taylor said in a release. " What makes it even more special is aligning with a local company and brand that share the same values and mission, and that is what we have done thanks to Aaron and Suzy McKee and Purple Wave. They are a part of our team and will be showcased to the nation all season long."
Purple Wave Auction operates as an online auction company connecting buyers and sellers of construction, ag, and fleet equipment.
Learfield brokered the deal, and the terms were not immediately disclosed. Beyond the jersey patch, the partnership will also include digital and social media activations, in-game activations, and NIL opportunities for football players.
The Purple Wave patch comes as Kansas State continues to add more commercial branding to its football presentation. The Wildcats also will have the new Monster Energy patch incorporated with the Big 12 logo on jerseys this season. Each school is receiving approximately $1 million, with the Monster logo showing up on jerseys, football fields, and basketball courts.
Just a day earlier, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, Kansas State announced that Progressive Insurance’s logo will appear on the turf at Bill Snyder Family Stadium this season. Learfield also brokered that arrangement.
Kansas State and Purple Wave Auction already have an established relationship. Last September, the two sides announced a three-year partnership that made Purple Wave the presenting sponsor of the program’s annual agricultural game, along with K-State Rodeo.
The Wildcats are not the only Big 12 program moving in this direction. Several schools in the league have added jersey patches in recent months, including Kansas, which landed a five-year deal with digital finance company Ripple that will feature the cryptocurrency XRP on jersey patches across all KU uniforms.
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