From Big 12 to Big Ben: Union Jack Classic and Pink Bows Foundation
- Timothy F. Bryson
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Editor’s Note (January 2026)
When I first published this piece in October 2025, the announcement alone told us college sport is global.
Since then, I sat down and interviewed Brian Dubiski (Chairman/CEO of the Union Jack Classic) on the Walk With TFB Podcast. Our conversation added clarity to what was already unfolding in plain sight and in real time.
What once looked like an experiment to the general public will now read like a strategy.
A strategy that blends college sport and internationalization, community impact, and social responsibility on purpose.
Watch the full video podcast conversation here.
Across the Pond We Go!
The Big 12 is headed to London.
By now, you’ve seen the news.
Arizona State and Kansas will face off at Wembley Stadium on September 19, 2026, as part of the inaugural Union Jack Classic.
This matchup marks two historic firsts.
The first time an NCAA football game will be played in London.
The first time a college football game will be played at Wembley Stadium.
But the most important detail is not the venue.
It is the intent.
This Big 12 conference game is the inaugural event in what is clearly designed to be a broader international series. The Union Jack Classic represents a significant progression in how college athletics embraces internationalization.
Not as a novelty. But as part of a deliberate institutional strategy.
This distinction is important.
College Athletics as a Global Actor
Over the years, global engagement has shown up in college athletics in uneven ways, particularly given how inaccessible traditional study abroad and Fulbright has been for college athletes.
NCAA foreign tours have become a staple, allowing teams to travel internationally once every four years to compete and engage in cultural immersion. These tours almost always take place during the summer, outside the academic year.
International tournaments have also gained popularity, especially in basketball and softball. Events like the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and the Battle 4 Atlantis have become holiday and break staples for teams and their supporters.
More recently, season openers such as the Aer Lingus Football Classic in Ireland and Aflac Oui Play in Paris have leveraged marquee matchups to expand the NCAA’s international footprint.
But the Union Jack Classic is different.
This game is scheduled in the middle of the regular season, during the Fall academic term.
That alone tells us this event does not happen without the approval and alignment of university leadership and trustees.
Which means this is much more than just a game.
Athletic departments are becoming global actors.
They are not simply exporting competition.
They are exporting institutional identity, influence, and opportunity.
Strategy, Not Coincidence
By participating in the Union Jack Classic, the Big 12 is positioning its football programs as ambassadors of their universities. And the goals are clear.
Increase visibility.
Generate new revenue.
Build international relationships.
Cultivate future talent pipelines.
Engage audiences far beyond traditional NCAA markets.
But international games also introduce a new and necessary conversation.
However, hosting college football abroad will increasingly demand international multimedia rights strategies. Not just for conferences or media partners, but for universities themselves.
As college athletics expands onto global stages, institutions will need to think beyond domestic broadcast agreements and consider how international media rights, digital distribution, and localized content can generate sustainable revenue that flows back to universities – especially in an era dominated by NIL and revenue sharing.
Visibility without monetization is exposure. Strategy requires infrastructure.
The conference made that intent explicit in its announcement.
In June 2023, I wrote that college athletic departments should embrace internationalization as part of their strategic plans. Not only to generate revenue, but to build global fandom, win championships, and better support international college athletes.
What we are seeing now is not coincidence. It is confirmation.
At a time when revenue sharing is reshaping college athletics and new revenue streams are increasingly difficult to identify, conferences like the Big 12 understand exactly what they are doing and why.
Sport, Safety, and Responsibility on a Global Stage
One of the most powerful insights from my podcast interview with Brian was the human story shaping the Union Jack Classic’s broader mission.
The Pink Bows Foundation was founded in memory of Madison Dubiski, the Chairman's daughter, who tragically passed away at the Travis Scott concert. What began as personal loss has been transformed into purpose work focused on crowd safety, education, and accountability at large scale events.
Out of that work emerged the Showstop® Procedure, a global training and certification model. The program equips staff, volunteers, and event organizers with the tools to recognize distress, intervene early, and prevent loss of life at sporting and entertainment events worldwide.
The Union Jack Classic is not only exporting American college football. It is embedding care, responsibility, and safety into the global sport ecosystem.
As college athletics expands internationally, this responsibility is non-negotiable.
Recruitment, Alumni, and Belonging Beyond Borders
International games also function as powerful recruitment mechanisms.
For prospective European international students, seeing U.S. universities compete on their home soil reshapes perception. The competition and its associated activations reframes access, belonging, and possibility long before an admissions brochure or campus visit.
These events also activate global alumni networks. Former students become cultural hosts, connectors, and ambassadors, turning international games into reunion sites that extend campus community far beyond U.S. borders.
In this sense, the Union Jack Classic is not just a game abroad.
It is an opportunity to kickstart long term institutional, international engagement.
Where Do We Go From Here
The growth of American football across Europe, particularly in London, has accelerated in recent years due to sustained investment by the NFL, its ownership, and international partners.
Globalization may be inevitable.
Internationalization is intentional.
We are witnessing a moment that will redefine how the NCAA engages with the world.
A moment where conferences become cultural brokers.
Where games become gateways.
Where athletes become diplomats.
This is not just about the Union Jack Classic or the Big 12 Conference.
It is about what is next.
What originally began as an experiment in exposure is evolving into a strategy of expansion.
From Montreal to Tokyo to Wembley, college athletics is writing its next global chapter.
Every athletic department needs an internationalization plan.
Walk With TFB supports athletic departments and institutions in developing intentional, responsible strategies for global engagement.
If your institution is navigating international recruitment, athlete support, or global partnerships, we can help.
Meet us there.
It's happening. We walking!
TFB
Comments