decrypt.co
In brief
- Ripple struck a multi-year deal with the University of Florida to feature the $XRP logo on the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, plus digital properties and signage, alongside a commitment to fund financial and technology education for student-athletes.
- It's Ripple's latest college-sports play, following a deal earlier this year to put the $XRP logo on Kansas Jayhawks basketball jerseys.
- The branding push comes as $XRP trades around $1.41—up 34.9% over 30 days but down 49.8% on the year.
Ripple is taking its crypto-in-college-sports playbook to the Swamp, striking a multi-year marketing deal with the University of Florida that will splash the $XRP logo across the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium starting this football season.
Florida Athletics announced the deal Friday, saying the $XRP branding will appear on the field as well as on digital properties and event signage in Gainesville.
Beyond the marketing, Ripple committed to supporting financial and technology education for Florida student-athletes and the broader campus community, spanning both traditional finance and digital assets. Terms weren't disclosed.
"Florida has a long history of embracing innovation and technology to enhance the experience of our fans and advance our programs," University of Florida Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin said in a statement. "Ripple has established itself as an innovative leader in financial technology, and we're excited to welcome $XRP to Gator Nation."
The Gators deal marks Ripple's latest push into college athletics. The company previously struck a multi-year agreement earlier this year to place the $XRP logo on the University of Kansas Jayhawks' basketball jerseys, an unusual foray for a crypto brand into the marketing real estate of major college programs.
The branding blitz comes as $XRP's price has held steady without much fireworks. The token traded around $1.41 on Friday, up 0.6% over 24 hours, according to CoinGecko, leaving it up about 34.9% over the past 30 days but still down roughly 49.8% over the past year.
Spot $XRP ETF demand, a recent tailwind, has cooled: flows were essentially flat on Sept. 4, and as Decrypt reported, the funds recently ended an inflow streak. Decrypt's $XRP ETF tracker now reads $XRP sentiment as "neutral," though cumulative net inflows still stand at about $1.6 billion.
The sponsorships arrive as Ripple leans into mainstream visibility, having spent years building out its payments, custody, and treasury business and recently rolling out its RLUSD stablecoin.