The college sports landscape continues to shift, with revenue-sharing being the latest challenge facing schools. UK Athletics is being aggressive in its approach so far, moving the athletics department to Champions Blue LLC, a holding company, to provide greater financial flexibility, and exploring a potential entertainment district around Kroger Field in hopes of bringing in […]
The college sports landscape continues to shift, with revenue-sharing being the latest challenge facing schools. UK Athletics is being aggressive in its approach so far, moving the athletics department to Champions Blue LLC, a holding company, to provide greater financial flexibility, and exploring a potential entertainment district around Kroger Field in hopes of bringing in the money needed to be competitive in the new space. Today, UK Athletics announced its latest revenue-sharing venture, BBN United.
UK is billing BBN United as “an innovative loyalty and membership platform and the official fan club of UK Athletics.” By joining BBN United for a monthly fee, fans can get insider access to UK Athletics, limited-edition merchandise, exclusive content, and experiences with UK coaches and players. The proceeds will go directly to UK Athletics, which will reinvest them in its programs. Think of it as Club Blue, but for revenue-sharing; in fact, current Club Blue memberships will be transitioned into BBN United.
BBN United was built and will be operated by Two Circles, a sports marketing agency whose other clients include the NFL, Premier League, Wimbledon, and College Football Playoff; and JMI Sports, UK’s multimedia rights partner. Membership pricing has yet to be announced, but there will be tiers, ranging from student to premium. Membership benefits include:
- Access to exclusive premium content, including behind-the-scenes features and interviews with coaches and players;
- Members-only BBN United merchandise, limited-edition gear, and signed memorabilia delivered to members’ doorsteps;
- Invitations to exclusive events, watch parties, and meet-and-greets with Kentucky legends;
- Sweepstakes and monthly raffles offering one-of-a-kind fan opportunities;
- Early access and discounts to select UK sporting events and special experiences;
- The opportunity to directly impact the next generation of UK excellence through student-athlete development.
“BBN United is our initiative for empowering fan voices in how we support student-athletes, celebrate fan loyalty and fuel the future of UK Athletics,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said in a press release. “Whether cheering from within the Commonwealth of Kentucky or anywhere across the country, this is a great new opportunity for Big Blue Nation to directly support the Wildcats in new and exciting ways. This program, built in partnership with our industry-leading partners at JMI Sports and Two Circles, gives fans a simple rallying point around our teams and can help build a foundation for lasting success.”
Last week at Kentucky Football Media Day, Barnhart talked about the importance of growing revenue, or finding “new buckets”; UK hopes that BBN United can be one. Thanks to the House Settlement, as of July 1, schools can distribute up to $20.5 million to their student-athletes for the 2025-26 season, a figure that will increase by 4% each year.
“Most athletic departments have five buckets,” Barnhart said on August 1. “They have tickets. They have fundraising. They have concessions and souvenirs, contracts, your Nikes and Gatorades and things like that, your JMIs, those contracts. Then the last one is your conference revenue sharing from your television. Those are the five buckets that have generally occurred for most schools.
“How can you add three or four more buckets as you go forward? That’s our goal. Let’s put two or three more buckets out there and fill those up, and that’s where the LLC comes alongside us and helps us with some new thoughts.”
If you’re interested in joining BBN United, you can sign up to receive updates at BBNUnited.com.
Category: General Sports
