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College sports could be closer than ever, and the NCAA is getting prepared the only way they know how: by protecting potential revenue streams and intellectual property before protecting students!
Josh Gerben of the Gerben Law Firm, which specializes in trademarks, has a terrific video breaking down what the NCAA has done here.
The NCAA has filed a trademark for "BATTLE IN THE BUBBLE."
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) August 31, 2020
The filing, made on August 26th, indicates:
1. The NCAA intends to use a bubble for potentially multiple sports.
2. The NCAA intends to sell BATTLE IN THE BUBBLE branded clothing.#NCAA #bubble pic.twitter.com/9M1bobLBw5
The phrase “Battle in the Bubble” was trademarked by Indianapolis on August 26th. The filing indicates the NCAA intends to offer “entertainment services in the nature of athletic contests, games, tournaments, exhibitions, and other athletic events at the college level.”
The application isn’t limited to any specific sport, so we could see it being used in everything from field hockey to lacrosse. If you’d like a copy of what the NCAA has done, we found this which seems to indicate what’s in the application.
So it appears you’ll be able to buy some “Battle in the Bubble” t-shirts and gear, or maybe you’ll just see the branding on the infamous towels at all March Madness men’s and women’s games (we still have some from the 2011 NCAA Men’s Regionals and the 2015 Women’s Final Four, and the absorbency levels remain wonderful on our countertops).
So who are the new “Corporate Champions” that can’t wait to get in on this one? Bubblelicious Gum? Will Starbucks start serving Bubble Tea in March like it’s a Pumpkin Spice Latte? Which business monoliths will get to cash in on young people as billboards in 2020-21?
There’s only one guarantee: The :15 clip from artist PPCocaine that’s on your TikTok feed every other swipe is absolutely getting played until you want to jump off a bridge if this mark goes through.