Ripple’s university strategy is evolving from blockchain labs to XRP logos in packed stadiums

Ripple is extending XRP’s push into US college sports, adding Louisville to a campaign that has rapidly expanded since July.The crypto company said Monday it struck a partnership with Louisville Athletics that will give XRP prominent exposure around the university’s basketball program, including branding on Denny Crum Court, extending a strategy that has already put the token on Kansas jerseys and the University of Florida’s football field.Louisville marks Ripple’s third major college-sports agreement in roughly 10 weeks. The sequence reflects a broader effort to move XRP beyond financial and crypto audiences and into consumer-facing spaces where the company has spent years building relationships through research and education.Ripple takes an old university strategy into stadiumsThe college campaign builds on an academic network Ripple started years before universities began putting XRP logos in front of sports fans.Ripple launched its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) in 2018 to finance blockchain research, curriculum development, and technical projects. The program now spans more than 60 universities in 27 countries and has supported more than 800 new or expanded f...