A rosy outlook for UW licensed Rose Bowl gear

Snow and frigid temps haven’t stopped the roses from blooming in Madison — on T-shirts, mugs and hats commemorating the Badgers’ trip to the 2011 Rose Bowl, which sprouted up in local stores shortly after the bowl picks were announced.

Companies that make licensed products start their preparations early, monitoring teams’ records and standings almost as closely as fans to try to predict which teams will be headed to the big bowl games.

“I was reviewing artwork for probably about a month before we even knew that we’d be going to the Rose Bowl,” says Cindy Van Matre, UW–Madison’s director of trademark licensing. Her role is to ensure that UW trademarks — such as the Motion W and, of course, Bucky Badger — are used appropriately.

She also saw designs for possible UW appearances in several other bowl games that were presented to her as “if/when scenarios,” she says, a strategy companies use to be ready for all likely outcomes. Though the majority of the items will never be made, the groundwork allows the companies to jump into production as soon as official announcements are made.

A total of 58 companies have licensed UW trademarks to produce Rose-Bowl themed memorabilia, from a range of shirts, sweatshirts, caps and other apparel to glassware, flags, decals, pins and Christmas ornaments.

The money that comes into the UW from licensed products is split equally between athletics and the financial-aid office, where it funds “Bucky grants” for need-based aid for the general student population.

UW-Madison revenue from royalties was around $500,000 during the Badgers’ last Rose Bowl run in 2000, and Van Matre says she expects it will be even higher this year.