Galaxy Digital puts its name on Texas Tech football stadium in 15-year partnership

Crypto and AI infrastructure firm Galaxy Digital is strengthening its ties in West Texas through a new partnership with Texas Tech that spans athletics and artificial intelligence.

The 15-year agreement will rename the home of Red Raider football from Jones AT&T Stadium to Galaxy Stadium beginning in the upcoming 2026 season. It also makes Galaxy the university's "official data center and digital assets partner."

The deal's financial terms were not disclosed in the Friday release. However, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported the 15-year agreement is worth more than $70 million, or roughly $4.7 million annually.

Beyond stadium naming rights, Galaxy said it will work with Texas Tech athletes on endorsement deals and marketing campaigns. The company will also get branding across the university's football and men's and women's basketball programs at games and online through the Texas Tech Athletics' digital and social media platforms.

Galaxy also said it expects to expand its pipeline of Texas Tech graduates to its nearby Helios data center campus.

"Texas Tech is exactly the kind of institution we want to be aligned with," Galaxy founder and CEO Mike Novogratz said in a statement. "At our Helios campus in nearby Dickens County, we're building the infrastructure that powers the code economy."

The company has already invested billions of dollars developing its 1.6-gigawatt Helios site, which is one of the largest data center campuses in North America.

Crypto and AI sports deals

The Galaxy deal is the latest in a string of sports partnerships by crypto and AI infrastructure firms.

Last week, Ripple became an official sponsor of the University of Kansas, the alma mater of CEO Brad Garlinghouse, saying XRP would become the first cryptocurrency to appear on the jerseys of a major collegiate athletics team. Ripple also committed to supporting financial and technology education for student-athletes while expanding its recruiting pipeline from the university.

AI cloud provider IREN, a former pure-play bitcoin mining company, is also getting its name out there. Last month, the company signed a jersey-patch agreement with the Golden State Warriors, which Sportico reported is worth more than $50 million annually, making it the largest sponsorship deal in North American sports.