In the 10-year collaboration, MSUFCU branding will also be worn on athletes’ practice attire. For football players, the MSUFCU logo will be worn across the bumper of the helmet.

During the press conference held in Spartan Stadium, multiple student-athletes displayed what their uniforms will look like with the MSUFCU logo. Men's ice hockey player Tommi Männistö, volleyball player Ky Clayton, men's basketball player Coen Carr, football player Nikai Martinez, women's soccer player Emerson Sargeant and women's basketball player Theryn Hallock were all in attendance. 

Each jersey had a small patch reading "MSUFCU" in green and white. 

"The right partner was the most important partner, and what MSUFCU has done over time for MSU made it a no-brainer," said Jon Palumbo, deputy athletics director and CEO of Spartan Ventures at the press conference. 

This is the first across-the-board partnership in collegiate athletics. 

In April, the University of Wisconsin Madison announced a similar program with UW Health, although it was limited to women’s basketball, volleyball, hockey and softball.

"The MSU uniform is iconic, in creating this groundbreaking partnership we gave careful consideration to whom the right partner will be," Palumbo said. "It had to be a partner who aligned with our partner and our mission, without a doubt MSUFCU is that partner." 

Jersey sponsorships have become commonplace in professional sports over the last decade. The National Basketball Association introduced sponsor patches in 2017, while Major League Baseball started in 2023. The National Hockey League also permits sponsor patches on jerseys, and many clubs in international soccer leagues do so as well. 

College athletics, however, have been slower to embrace uniform advertising.

"There is a long shared history between MSU and MSUFCU; that connection runs deep, across campus, across faculty and staff," MSUFCU Board Chair Janet Lillie said. "When I first heard about this partnership, I immediately recognized the meaningful longterm impact it will have on our student-athletes." 

The partnership is one of many first steps MSU has taken to further its monetization of sports. 

In December of 2025, the board approved a resolution allowing the university to enter into a strategic brand management agreement with the nonprofit Spartan Ventures. The resolution allowed for the creation of its for-profit counterpart, Spartan Media Ventures, which has drawn criticism from board members for a lack of proper disclosures. 

Trustees have called these strides to capitalize on MSU athletics “groundbreaking.”

Earlier this year, President Kevin Guskiewicz, Athletic Director J Batt and board chair Brianna Scott, among others, were placed on the board of directors of Spartan Ventures. 

On Friday, Scott said Spartan Ventures was on track for the July 1 launch, despite Guskiewicz’s departure. 

“Everything is related and framed as a position versus a person,” Scott said on Friday. “Whoever sits in that position, it will apply to that person just as much as it applied to Kevin."

The University of Kentucky announced that Batt will be assuming the same position at the university and leading its for-profit LLC, Champions Blue, as CEO.

Spartan Ventures CEO Jon Palumbo cosigned a statement confirming that Spartan Ventures will still launch on July 1, regardless of leadership changes. 

“In light of the recent news of upcoming MSU leadership transition, our message is simple: Spartan Ventures is moving forward and it is primed to elevate MSU Athletics to new levels,” the statement read.