These Sports Sponsors Are Scoring With Fans

Sports sponsorships are a multibillion-dollar business, with brands leveraging long-term league and team partnerships to stay top-of-mind with fans. When it comes to the most widely recognized sports sponsors, Budweiser/Bud Light’s partnership with the NFL ranks No. 1, according to MarketCast’s latest Sport Sponsors Breakthrough Study. 

• Budweiser/Bud Light was recognized as the official beer sponsor of the NFL by 72% of fans, up five percentage points from last year. 
• Other NFL sponsors also made the top ten by breakthrough, including Gatorade (63%) and Nike (60%).
• Gatorade also ranks high for MLB (61%, up seven points year-over-year) and NBA (60%, down 5%). 
• Meanwhile, Goodyear’s decades-long partnership with NASCAR continues to pay off, snagging 64% breakthrough, although that was three percentage points lower than last year.