Athletic sponsorships are an integral part of professional sports. In fact, there are endless ways in which sponsors, athletes, and leagues intersect with one another. For example, think about some of the biggest commercials from the annual Super Bowl halftime. These commercials bring together some of the biggest brands, athletes, celebrities, and other pop culture hits.
The idea here is to entertain fans—even those who may not watch the NFL. However, sponsorships are much more significant than just entertainment value. First and foremost, they bring much-needed dollars into athletic sectors. In some cases, as we’ll detail below, sponsorships can even help catapult new and fledgling leagues straight onto the map.
But sponsorships are also about culture. After all, not all companies will onboard a huge sponsor if they don’t fit with their mission—just look at UK Cycling’s highly controversial deal with Shell. Cyclists tend to favor green forms of transportation… and the last sponsor they want to see pasted all over their favorite races is an oil giant like Shell.
But not all sponsorships are ill-fated. In fact, some of them seem to mesh perfectly. Let’s dive into 2022’s best new partnerships in pro sports.
Red Bull Racing & PokerStars
From the outlook, Formula One Racing and poker don’t seem to have much in common. One is about building the world’s fastest F1 engine, while the other is about building a perfect hand—and a bit of bluffing. But both racing and poker share a huge demographic of fans, which makes the partnership crossover hit. That’s because both poker and F1 saw huge expansion around the turn of the century.
Slowly but surely, poker has become a hobby on par with sports over the last two decades. In the early 2000s, online poker experienced a global boom—shortly after Michael Schumacher helped put F1 on the map for racing fans in the 1990s. That means that, for racing and poker fans, the partnership feels natural, and touches on their interests.
DoorDash Targets Female Athletes
As mentioned above, some sponsorships have the potential to push a sport or league onto the map. And it seems DoorDash is taking that charge seriously. Aside from penning a deal with NASCAR star Bubba Wallace (it seems racing sponsorships are in this year), DoorDash also signed deals with the NWSL and WNBA.
Specifically, DoorDash is now partners with Angel City FC of the NWSL and star WNBA player Chiney Ogqumike. The latter is the first sponsorship that focuses on one WNBA athlete in over ten years. These types of big-name deals are potential game-changers for both female leagues. Though not a seamless fit like Red Bull and PokerStars, DoorDash has tons of visibility as one of the US’s leading delivery services.
Manchester United & Tezos
While some crypto and financial analysts insist that NFTs will see less coverage and attention in the coming years, not everyone is convinced. This year, Manchester United signed a deal with the blockchain platform Tezos. The idea is to create NFTs and other digital assets that will help unite the team’s global fanbase.
Specifically, Man U wants to foster a future that involves Web 3.0 from the outset. They’ll do this by creating digital memorabilia and other opportunities for fans to engage with the team and its players. In keeping with other sponsorship trends, Man U pledged to donate 20% of the funds earned to its charity foundation.
Worst of 2022: Duke’s Mayonnaise
Not all sponsorships are based on bridging fan interests or laying a foundation for the future. In the case of Duke’s Mayo’s partnership with University of South Carolina. USC has one of the biggest college football teams in the country—and its primary fans are likely to use Duke’s Mayo on their favorite foods. The sponsorship is a natural fit…
Unfortunately for fans of mayonnaise and football, Duke’s Mayo decided to announce this new sponsorship by dumping a water cooler’s worth of cold mayo on USC’s head coach during a bowl game last year. The result has been an incredible ROI for Duke’s Mayo… but a clear loss for anyone who feels a little squeamish around the condiment.
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