UMBC on Saturday filed for multiple trademarks after becoming the first 16 seed to defeat a No. 1GETTY IMAGES
After No. 16 UMBC defeated No. 1 Virginia on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Warriors G Stephen Curry "sent the school his unreleased" Under Armour Curry 5 shoes "for the players to wear" in yesterday's second-round loss against Kansas State, according to Scott Gleeson of USA TODAY. UA provides UMBC's uniforms and shoes, and Curry is "one of the brand's most prominent athletes." Curry sent the shoes "to the school and not the players directly, in order to comply with NCAA benefits rules." Both the school and athletic program "tweeted photos thanking" Curry for the gesture (USA TODAY, 3/19). ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf noted UA's six-year deal with UMBC "expires this year." Sources said that UMBC "does not receive any cash for its deal," but gets "discounted prices on shoes and apparel in exchange for wearing the Under Armour logos on them" (ESPN.com, 3/18). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted UMBC on Saturday filed a "few trademarks" with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office after attorneys "pointed out to school officials that they didn't have 'Retrievers' or 'Retriever Nation' trademarked." UMBC also filed to trademark "16 over 1." UMBC AD Tim Hall said, "With all the attention, it made sense for us to take care of it right away." While the trademark approval process "could take a year, the school could at least make a case against the many opportunists putting its name and logo on T-shirts this week without giving the school a cut" (ESPN.com, 3/18).
MORE THAN JUST AN UPSET: In Baltimore, Tkacik & Wenger write UMBC has shown a "real desire to capitalize on a moment that could be transformative for the school’s financial and academic future." For a university "long considered something of a well-kept secret -- lauded in academic circles," but with "little reputation among the general public -- analysts said the win could be a turning point for the school, bringing more attention, more out-of-state applications and more fundraising." The UMBC bookstore yesterday "awaited a new shipment of custom gear to commemorate the big win: 'We Made History' and 'All Bark and All Bite.'" Purchases in-store and online were "surging." From the "end of the game Friday to Sunday morning, the store received about 3,500 online orders -- almost as many as the total for the entire previous year." Apex Marketing Group President Eric Smallwood said that UMBC’s games next season "could get more airtime on ESPN now" -- which will "boost the profile of any of their corporate sponsors." Smallwood: “This may help push the naming rights for the new venue. The timing is perfect” (BALTIMORE SUN, 3/19). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay notes before the tournament, America "barely knew what UMBC was," but after the upset, the country was "ransacking UMBC’s souvenir store." It "did not matter that half of the country still isn’t sure what UMBC stands for." UMBC will "always have that piece of history" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/19). In Baltimore, Jones Shaffer noted fans "crashed the university’s website during and after" Friday's win, with "as many as 1 million unique visitors online at one point" (BALTIMORESUN.com. 3/19).
TOP OF MIND: A quick look at Twitter demonstrates how UMBC captured the sports world's imagination. ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr.: "No one will remember the teams that make the Final Four in 2018. Everyone will remember UMBC forever." The Ringer's Bill Simmons: "Thanks UMBC - that was one of my favorite bandwagon jumps in a long long time." NFL Network's Rich Eisen: "Hey UMBC, thanks for the memories. You personify what people love most about college basketball." NBA.com's David Aldridge: "We are all Retrievers @UMBC_MBB Thank you from all mid-/low majors everywhere!" Dude Perfect: "Thank you UMBC. That was fun." SI's Michael McCann: "UMBC wisely using the attention they earned in defeating UVA to boost applications and admissions. This is the 'Doug Flutie Effect' in action."
