Ripple has signed a five-year sponsorship agreement with the University of Kansas athletics department and designated XRP as the official cryptocurrency of Kansas Athletics.

Foreign media including blockchain outlets Decrypt and U.Today reported on Tuesday local time that the XRP logo will appear on uniforms for all sports teams at the university, including the Kansas Jayhawks football and basketball teams. It is the first time a major NCAA Division I athletics program has partnered with a cryptocurrency company.

Ripple also plans to fund education programmes for student-athletes. The curriculum focuses on traditional finance and digital assets, and the support will extend beyond student-athletes to the broader campus community. It is also pursuing a plan to connect University of Kansas graduates with careers in the technology sector.

Travis Goff (트래비스 고프), athletic director at the University of Kansas, said it is a time when innovative and future-oriented partnerships are needed in college sports. Bill Self (빌 셀프), head coach of the Kansas men's basketball team, also said he will help players understand the meaning of the partnership and how it can help them going forward.

The deal also drew renewed attention to the ties between Ripple Chief Executive Brad Garlinghouse (브래드 갈링하우스) and the University of Kansas. Garlinghouse is from Topeka, Kansas, and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the university. He said on social media, "This partnership is a rare moment where my professional and personal worlds collide."

The University of Kansas is already participating in the XRP ecosystem. Through its school of engineering, the university operates an official XRP Ledger validator.

Sports sponsorships in the cryptocurrency industry have continued for a long time, but there has also been controversy. FTX bought naming rights to the Miami Heat's home arena in 2021, but the logo was removed less than two years later. Terra signed a five-year sponsorship deal with the Washington Nationals in 2022, and its logo still remains at the ballpark. More recently, Coinbase has maintained a long-term sponsorship agreement with the NBA, and Ledger signed a sponsorship deal with the San Antonio Spurs in June last year, placing its logo on uniforms and the court floor.

The deal did not immediately affect XRP's price. XRP fell about 4.2 percent at one point on the day, and its market capitalisation held at $67 billion, keeping it in the top six digital assets. XRP traded around $1.07 after hitting an all-time high of $3.65 last year and then falling about 71 percent. By contrast, XRP futures open interest rose 1 percent slightly for several hours after the partnership was disclosed.

The deal shows that sports marketing by cryptocurrency companies is expanding to include education support and talent development. With the University of Kansas already operating an XRP Ledger validator, the partnership also carries the meaning of strengthening ties on top of an existing ecosystem rather than merely opening a new advertising channel.

Rare moment where my professional and personal worlds collide: XRP is now the first crypto on the jersey of a major college athletics program, at my alma mater. XRP Family, meet the Jayhawks. Rock Chalk! https://t.co/F6uAL0kMNS