Under Armour deals show how much money UC athletics miss by not being in major conference

The New York Times reports on a new equipment/shoe/jersey contract signed by Under Armour with UCLA that breaks the record for the largest college sponsorship deal ever — the fifth time in the past two years the record has been broken.

Under Armour will pay UCLA’s athletic department $280 million in cash and apparel over 15 years, an average of $18.7 million per year. It extends a trend of rapidly escalating contracts as three sportswear companies — Under Armour, Nike and Adidas — seek greater footholds in the lucrative college sports industry.

The Times story explains that the three companies are focusing their big dollars on high-profile sports programs in the so-called Power 5 conferences, including Ohio State ($16.7 million/year), Michigan ($15.8 million/year) and Texas ($16.8 million/year). It also mentions that Under Armour signed an agreement with the University of Cincinnati, not in a Power 5 conference, worth $5 million/year.

The Enquirer has written extensively about UC's efforts to join the Big 12 Conference, one of the Power 5 that's headed by Texas and Oklahoma.

Read the full New York Times story here.