Upon Further Review: Law Firm Advertising on College Football Jerseys
This fall, one East Coast law firm is running a new marketing play: courting college football fans through a first-of-its-kind uniform sponsorship.
Indeed, starting in 2026, Grungo Law, a personal injury firm, will be the “Official Jersey Patch Partner” of the Temple Owls (5-7 overall last year; 3-5 in the AAC). Per Above the Law, the law firm’s logo will appear on the Owls’ game and practice jerseys; beyond being Temple’s first jersey patch sponsor, Grungo Law is the first law firm to land on a Division I collegiate jersey in any sport.
The NCAA first approved commercial uniform patches in January, allowing corporate logos to appear on uniforms starting Aug. 1. While several schools – Notre Dame, Ohio State, and LSU among them – partnered with Fortune 500 companies, so far, Temple is the first to make a deal with a law firm.
Could a football sponsorship make sense for your firm? Classic legal answer: It depends.
Grungo Law is not a client, but if I were advising on this tactic, I’d look at it a few ways:
Audience.
Who’s going to see your logo, and how do they fit into your ideal client profile? Grungo Law is a personal injury firm; it speaks to a consumer base, advising them after injuries, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and the like.
Demographics-wise, the college football audience skews male; 56 percent of viewers are men, according to Racasse Audience Intelligence. This fits well with Grungo Law’s target market; male drivers are nearly three times more likely to be involved in serious car accidents.
According to Racasse, the median age of a college football fan is 37 years, but nearly half – 47 percent – are 16 to 29 years old, a generation unlikely to have already formed law firm relationships.
In terms of geography, Temple provides Grungo visibility at six home games in Philadelphia, 10 minutes from its Philly office. (Not to mention TV coverage on ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN+ and the CBS Sports Network.)
For Grungo, this audience makes sense: a mix of both genders, with a few more of the accident-prone; younger and untethered to another law firm; and native to its service area. The same may not be true for a niche B2B firm or one less focused on the Philadelphia area.
Authenticity.
Does the sponsorship make sense for this firm? Does it feel like a natural fit? A football sponsorship would feel like a disconnect for a white-shoe firm like Cravath or a science-dense patent practice.
Grungo Law, however, passes the vibe check. The first words on its home page are “Proud Partners” of various sports teams, including Temple. This precedes information about its service area and the button to request a consultation. The firm leads with its sports investments.
The lawyers are athletes, too, according to their biographies: Brad Parker played football, baseball and track; Alec Pereira plays soccer.
Marketing Mix.
Is this a one-off sponsorship or is it part of a marketing ecosystem to drive visibility and action? Is it disconnected from the rest of the firm’s marketing?
To be sure, many a law firm has sponsored an athletic endeavor to appease a partner whim. This isn’t a mortal sin, but marketing – in whatever form – will work best when all of your tactics work together.
From the outside looking in, Grungo Law has integrated the Temple sponsorship well. As noted, it’s prominent on the website, confirming to any Temple fan who lands there that they are in the right place. Elsewhere in the site, we can see that Grungo Law also sponsors all of the Temple Athletics programs, not just football; it also supports Saint Joseph’s University Athletics, the Phillies, the Flyers, Flyers Charities and the Big 5 Classic. Philadelphia sports fans – self-described as The Most Passionate Fans in America – see the firm logo everywhere.
Beyond logo visibility – and again, from the outside looking in – I’d want to see additional tactics that educate the Temple audience on what exactly Grungo Law does. Recognizing the name and logo is one thing; knowing to call the firm for personal injury matters is another. This could be radio spots on the pre- or postgame shows; ads on the SEPTA routes that serve Lincoln Financial Field; sponsorship of the injury report; geofenced ads on game day.
These sponsorships are not inexpensive. Any law firm considering one must ensure it’s not throwing a Hail Mary pass, but executing a thoughtful offensive plan that will generate points all season.
