AUSTIN, Texas (July 18, 2024) – Learfield, the exclusive multimedia rights holder for the University of Texas athletics department, has named Lucas Motta the new vice president of hometown team Longhorn Sports Properties.
As vice chancellor, Motta will serve as the primary liaison with Learfield College regarding the university’s overall sports multimedia rights agreements and corporate partner platform. He will work closely with UT Vice President Chris Del Conte, Athletic Directors Lois and Richard Folger and the entire athletic administration department on all aspects of the Learfield College relationship with the Longhorns.
“With the rapidly changing landscape for the NIL and across the college sports world, it is more important than ever that we examine and reexamine every aspect of revenue generation, including our sponsorship program, to ensure we are maximizing all opportunities for our student-athletes and programs,” said Chris Del Conte, University of Texas Executive Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletic Director. “Lucas brings a new vision for sponsorship and fan engagement that will deepen relationships with corporate sponsors, pioneer new sponsorship categories, refine fan engagement, develop new opportunities for the NIL and continue to lead the Longhorns brand to new heights.”
Mr. Motta brings more than 12 years of executive level sales leadership and sports sponsorship experience to the Longhorn Sports Properties team. Previously, he served as General Manager of Oregon Sports Properties at Oregon State University, where he oversaw the team’s multimedia rights agreements and successfully executed a comprehensive go-to-market strategy to increase revenue from existing and new brand partners and effectively reduce partnership attrition. Throughout his career at Oregon State, he held a variety of roles, including Director of Business Development and Senior Manager, where his strategic vision was instrumental in driving growth and innovation. Mr. Motta is a graduate of Knox College.
“We are pleased to appoint Lucas Motta as vice president of Longhorn Sports Properties,” said Kim Damron, president of Learfield Sports Properties. “His expertise in building lasting relationships and executing innovative revenue strategies will be instrumental in advancing the future of Longhorn Sports Properties, ensuring unparalleled success for our corporate partners and enhancing the fan experience across the Texas Athletics.”
Most recently, Longhorn Sports Properties teamed up with Texas Athletics to launch the revamped LHN (Longhorn Network) streaming service. As a leader in original content in college sports, Learfield Studios and Texas Athletics are currently developing a content franchise that will include exclusive behind-the-scenes access to sports programs, interviews with student-athletes and coaches, 24/7 channels and replays of the best games from ESPN’s Longhorn Network archives.
“I am excited and honored to take on the role of vice president of sponsorship for Longhorn Sports Properties,” said Lucas Motta. “I look forward to working with this talented team and leveraging the limitless brand power of the Texas Longhorns. I will work collaboratively with the athletic department to build on the great work the facility has already accomplished and lead it to even greater success in the future.”
In addition to its flagship multimedia rights division, UT also leverages Learfield’s digital ticketing and marketing platform provider Paciolan, digital solutions leader SIDEARM Sports, licensed merchandise distributor CLC and stadium and arena seating solutions provider Learfield Amplify.
About Learfield
Learfield is a diversified, influential media and technology company serving the world of collegiate sports. Learfield owns and leverages extensive industry data sets and relationships through digital and physical platforms to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness and fan engagement for brands, sports and entertainment properties. With connections to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield has a presence in collegiate sports and live events to maximize impact and reach to targeted audiences. With solutions that enable a 24/7, 365-day fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game tickets, athletic program donor identification, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, the company has been the title sponsor of the highly regarded Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
