A giant endorsement deal has led to one of the funniest team names in recent memory, and I promise what I’m about to tell you is not a lie. Michigan State’s basketball team will now be known as the “MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage.”
Michigan State basketball added a shameless sponsor to their name
Meet the ‘MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage’
Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Under the new five-year deal, Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage will be the presenting sponsor of the famed men’s basketball team which will now be known throughout the Breslin Center as, “MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage.” The team is a perennial powerhouse, making eight Final Four appearances in the NCAA Tournament since head coach Tom Izzo took the helm in 1995.
Update: Michigan State has issued the following statement on the sponsorship deal.
If this all sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is. I’m all for teams finding new ways to raise revenue that doesn’t involve bilking taxpayers out of money, but there’s something just wrong about having a team “presented by Rocket Mortgage,” which is why we need all teams to be presented by something.
- The Ohio State Buckeyes presented by The Cleveland Tourism Board
- The Duke Blue Devils Presented by GoGurt
- The Kentucky Wildcats Presented by Jack Daniels
- The Florida State Seminoles Presented by Sizzler
- The Wisconsin Badgers Presented by String Cheese
- The UCLA Bruins Presented by Big Baller Brand
- The Texas Longhorns Presented by Longhorn Steakhouse
The possibilities are endless for our grim capitalist future.
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