The 1st Creator With a Jersey Patch Deal 💰

Happy Wednesday,

This week, I planned to release a different version of this newsletter, but on Sunday, news broke that Cullen Honohan (@allhailbball) had signed on as a jersey patch sponsor for Robert Morris University’s Men’s Basketball team.

Now, we recently talked to Jack Settleman about Snapback Sports’ pursuit of something similar (they actually announced a deal of their own with Sam Houston University Football on Monday); however, Cullen’s deal with RMU is different because he’s paying $0 to get on their jersey.

Instead, he’s offering something that RMU decided was worth more: social media exposure.

In this week’s newsletter + podcast, Cullen and I break down what that actually means, what he thinks it’s worth, and who’s getting the better end of this deal. Enjoy!

🎧 [Listen to the full episode]

I know I’ll sound like a broken record when I say this, but much like Jack Settleman’s World Cup tour, or Frank Michael Smith’s game, GeoSports, the story of Cullen’s jersey patch sponsorship might end up being bigger than any content he creates with the team.

RMU basketball hasn't played a single game with Cullen's logo on the jersey. In fact, aside from some announcement content, this partnership hasn’t really even started yet. Still, according to Cullen, the program is already being searched at levels they haven’t seen in years. Meanwhile, alumni who have no idea who Cullen even is are flooding his DMs, saying that they’re more excited for this season than they’ve been in a long time.

The announcement alone is doing more for Robert Morris in 48 hours than most jersey patch sponsors do in a full season, and that’s without any money exchanging hands.

Now, Cullen told me that he has three main goals with this partnership:

But it’s that last point that interests me the most, because it’s hardest to measure. But I think Cullen is already proving its value. In my opinion, the fact that RMU (a school very few people care about) can make news by saying they’re doing something first (putting a solo creator on their jersey) is the play here.

Like the Akron Zips saw the other week, something this creative literally creates momentum for a program out of thin air, which trickles down to players, coaches, and fans in a meaningful way (and all before a single deliverable has been executed on Cullen’s side).

As I’ve said before, the story of the story is bigger than the story.

1. Ask for the big idea; you’ll be surprised what's on the table.
Cullen didn't think a jersey patch was even a possibility when these conversations started. He asked anyway. Six months later, he's the first content creator in history to have his logo on a college basketball jersey, and he values the deal “in the high six figures.”

2. Impact over virality, every single time.
Cullen's favorite content he's ever made isn't his most viewed. It's Project Prospect; a series where he helped an unknown Pittsburgh kid named Luca get ranked, get offers, and change his life. The final video made Cullen emotional, but it wasn't the most viral video he’s ever made. Still, it was the most meaningful. That series is also why RMU approached him in the first place. The work you care about most tends to open the biggest doors.

3. Creative freedom is non-negotiable
Brands exist to mitigate risk; creators thrive because they can take risks. So before Cullen said yes to anything, he made sure RMU understood one thing: he keeps creative control. Coach Toole's response was immediate; mic me up at practice, do whatever you need. The best brand partnerships don't constrain the creator; they hand them the keys and say, let us know how we can help.

4. Traditional media wants out, and creators are the destination.
When Cullen posted a vague LinkedIn job listing for a YouTube producer, a surprising number of his applicants came from ESPN, Fox, CBS, and other traditional media companies. People with decades of experience at the top of their fields, trying to leave. Their reason, almost universally: they saw the creative freedom, the flexibility, and the infinite business opportunities that come from building in the creator economy. He ultimately hired Brian Choi (who worked in the NHL and athletic administration at UBC), but the signal from traditional media is impossible to ignore.

5. The best opportunity might be in your backyard.
Cullen flies across the country every week to film with elite prospects and top programs; however, his most significant deal to date is with a school 20 minutes from his apartment. The RMU partnership works partly because of proximity, but it’s a valuable lesson: never ignore the underdog.

The part of this conversation I keep coming back to is how Cullen framed it for other creators.

He doesn't want to be the only creator to get a jersey patch; he wants to be the first creator in a line of them. The proof of concept that makes it easier for every creator who comes after him to have the same conversation with a school.

That's a bigger ambition than the deal itself, and I think it's the right one. Because if this works; if the Colonial Crazies fill up, if the players' brands grow, if RMU becomes “the internet’s team,” then every AD in the country is going to look at what happened in Pittsburgh and ask whether their school could do the same thing.

🎧 [Listen to the full episode]

📩 And don’t forget: Bottom of the Ninth is back this Friday with the top three stories in sports and business from the week.

See you then,
Tyler & Jake