Iowa State University Athletics
ISU And Learfield Extend Partnership Through 2038
10.09.2025 | Athletics
Cyclones to capitalize on innovative revenue generation and NIL strategies
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State Athletics and Learfield, the media and technology company powering college athletics, are set to enter the new age of college athletics with a transformative long-term partnership extension focused on revenue generation and student-athlete marketing opportunities. The Cyclones will maximize sponsorship revenue through Learfield's integrated data and digital solutions and utilize Learfield Impact NIL services to provide an industry-leading combination of people, content, and technology for brand partners and Cyclone student-athletes.
"Iowa State Athletics is honored to extend our relationship with Learfield, the industry's premier multi-media rights company and a trusted partner for nearly 20 years," said Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard. "Not only has Learfield committed to re-investing in our athletics program, but they also recognize the numerous opportunities that will be available as a result of our innovative investment in CyTown. This extension will allow us to leverage CyTown to significantly grow our financial resources at a critical time in our athletics' program's history."
"Thanks to the incredible work of our Cyclone Sports Properties team, Learfield has a demonstrated track record of success and growth, and we look forward to working with them to foster innovative ideas to provide more opportunities for local and national brand partners to engage Iowa State fans, while also giving our student-athletes opportunities to grow their personal brands through Learfield Impact NIL services," he added.
Learfield has been Iowa State's exclusive multi-media rightsholder since the 2006-07 academic year, however, the partnership between the two parties traces its roots to 1984 when the department signed its first-ever multi-media rights agreement to become the second collegiate property in Learfield's sports portfolio. With this extended partnership, the agreement runs through the 2037-38 academic year.
Iowa State Athletics and Cyclone Sports Properties have consistently strived to create impactful NIL opportunities, an effort that will now be further enhanced through the utilization of Learfield Impact and the addition of three NIL-dedicated staff members in Ames. Learfield's industry-leading approach to real NIL combines on-campus NIL leadership and resources, cutting-edge dealmaking technology through Compass NIL, and impactful student-athlete and brand partner storytelling through Learfield Studios, providing an unmatched ability for student-athletes to build their brand and create impact for brands with which they have authentic connections.
Learfield's solutions are backed by Fanbase, the largest fan record database in college athletics, giving Iowa State the ability to pull fan insights on millions of Cyclone fans and compare benchmarking analysis across the Big 12.
Since the 2011-12 academic year, ISU is the nation's only institution to average at least 50,000 fans at home football games (13-straight seasons), 12,000 fans at home men's basketball games (15-straight years), and 9,000 fans at home women's basketball games (17-straight seasons), excluding the COVID-impacted 2020-21 academic year.
Through Learfield's programmatic digital marketing services Iowa State's brand partners experienced more than 40% growth in digital campaigns in 2024-25. ISU has also doubled year over year output of sponsored social media content marking it as one of the fastest-growing content distribution channels.
"With the significant changes facing college athletics, we are proud to step up with an innovative long-term partnership extension with Iowa State Athletics to maximize revenue generation for the Cyclones," said Kim Damron, Learfield's President of Sports Properties. "Jamie is a fantastic partner and an innovator in our industry, and we look forward to taking our partnership to the next level, including industry-best NIL services and solutions."
By connecting additional Learfield enterprise offerings, Iowa State continues to unlock more revenue potential through partnerships with CLC and SIDEARM Sports. Licensed merchandise sales have grown by nearly 36% over the last three years while Iowa State's official athletics website and mobile app have unlocked 249% growth in fan records since 2021.
As part of the long-term extension with Learfield, Iowa State will also expand its relationship with Learfield Amplify. The Cyclones will now utilize Learfield Amplify Development to work directly with the ISU Foundation, growing year-round philanthropic support for ISU Athletics teams, programs, and initiatives.
About Iowa State Athletics
A founding member of the Big 12 Conference, Iowa State University supports more than 400 student-athletes competing in 18 sports, seven men's and 11 women's teams, at the varsity level. The Cyclones have won 19 team national championships, 140 individual national crowns, and 162 conference team titles. ISU student-athletes also thrive in the classroom, having established a school-record Graduation Success Rate Score (GSR) for 10-straight years, as its 2024 mark equaled the school-record of the previous two years and its most-recent multi-year 990 institutional Academic Progress Rate (APR) was also a school-record. Iowa State's 92 percent GSR for its male student-athletes was a school record, ranked second in the Big 12 and improved for the 10th-straight year, while its female student-athletes GSR of 98 percent tied for third in the conference, matched the second-highest score in department history and marked the 19th-straight year it topped 90 percent. In conjunction with the University and ISU Research Park, the Athletics Department is partnering with Goldenrod Companies on construction of the first multi-use district to be built on a college campus, the innovative CyTown, which is located between Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium and slated to open in 2027.
About Learfield
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield's presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors' Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
