Best Friends Animal Society and the Big 12 Conference Team Up for Historic 2025 Partnership
Best Friends Animal Society and the Big 12 Conference are teaming up throughout 2025 to help dogs and cats in America’s shelters find loving homes. Best Friends, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, is the first-ever animal welfare partner of the Big 12 Conference.
The partnership will tip off at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s and Men’s Basketball Championships taking place March 5-15, 2025 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. Best Friends’ in-game activations will drive awareness of adoptable pets from network partner The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City and share ways for attendees to join Best Friends in pet lifesaving efforts. Players will also have the chance to take part in the fun, with a special “tunnel” cuddle lounge where they can interact with adoptable puppies before taking the court.
In addition, Best Friends will have a booth throughout both weeks of Big 12 Fan Fest presented by Phillips 66. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet adoptable pets from The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, spend time in the cuddle lounge, and enter to win a trip to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, UT, the nation’s largest companion animal sanctuary.
“It’s a great honor for Best Friends to be the very first animal welfare partner of the Big 12 Conference,” said Julie Castle, Chief Executive Officer, Best Friends Animal Society. “Kicking off this year-long partnership at this month's tournament combines two of my greatest loves – pets and basketball – and I’m looking forward to engaging sports fans from around the country in our work to help more pets find loving homes.”
The partnership will continue throughout 2025, with partner activations at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship, Baseball Championship, Softball Championship, Day of Service, Homecoming Series 2025, and Football Championship Game 2025.
“The Big 12 Conference is proud to partner with Best Friends to champion a cause that unites our communities beyond the playing field,” said Sean Desmond, Vice President of Partnerships and Ticketing at the Big 12 Conference. “Our student-athletes and fans share a passion for teamwork and making a difference, and together, we’re working toward a future where every pet has a home.”
For more information about Best Friends Animal Society or how to bring home a new teammate from a local shelter or rescue, please visit bestfriends.org.
About The Big 12 Conference:
The Big 12 is in its 29th year as one of the nation’s premier conferences in college athletics under the leadership of Commissioner Brett Yormark. Since joining the Conference in August 2022, Yormark has elevated the Big 12 to new heights, emphasizing marketing, brand building and instilling an innovative strategy that has resonated across the college athletics landscape. Starting Aug. 2, 2024, the Conference is composed of 16 universities spanning 10 states and four time zones. The Big 12 members include Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah and West Virginia. The Big 12 began play in 1996 and is the home of 87 team NCAA national championships, and 764 individual national champions. The Big 12 Conference office is located in Irving, Texas.