FSU Athletics announced partnership with Truist to invest in women's sports

The GIST: Florida State University (FSU) Athletics announced Truist — a long-standing 20-year partner of the school — as their official retail bank on Monday.

• Above all, the agreement — which runs through 2026 — focuses on FSU’s women's sports, including a new InspiHER platform to recognize and celebrate the school’s female athletes.

The details: Truist will collaborate with FSU’s athletics department to create financial literacy courses and curriculum for student-athletes, teaching highly important skills in the name, image and likeness (NIL) age.

• Outside of the on-brand financial-focused slate, Truist and FSU will join forces to support the FSU community through literacy and educational equity programs, and an initiative to honor the university’s first responders and service members.

The why: Today, women make 82 cents for every $1 men make, and almost half of women don’t feel confident managing their finances. From the college sports perspective, male athletes make more NIL money. Truist understands that female student-athletes need support to bridge that gap.

Zooming out: The move indicates that Truist believes FSU women athletes will drive the bank some solid ROI. Truist is also following in the footsteps of what other prominent banking services have been doing in the pro women’s athletic space.

• In March, U.S. Bank teamed up with the WNBA in a multiyear relationship and the NWSL welcomed Ally Bank as their first official banking partner last year. Money moves, indeed.