Financially significant companies are always going to be more able to forge sponsorship deals with major sporting leagues and athletes. As a brand, once you are involved in major sponsorship deals, it becomes easier to continue to develop this aspect of your company. This creates an elite group of brands with an iron fist around sports sponsorships, who can sponsor anything from players, to clubs, and even leagues. We've created a list of some of these brands to give you an idea of the biggest players in this game.
Coca Cola
Coca Cola was the world's 3
rd biggest brand in terms of net worth in 2016, at an estimated $USD73.1 billion. The company obviously has the capacity to get involved in some major sports sponsorships, and it certainly does this. Coca Cola Company is majorly invested in the
NBA, the the Olympic Games, and previously had naming rights to the English Football League. These are just a few of the major sporting leagues with which Coca-Cola is aligned. Clearly, this is one of the brands with an iron fist around sports sponsorships.
MJ puts down a cold coca-cola
Gatorade
As a sports drink worth a huge amount of money, it makes sense that
Gatorade would be significantly invested in sports. Perhaps the most significant of these investments is the brand's relationship with the
NFL, the biggest league in the world in terms of revenue-generation. Adding to this, the company has alliances with leagues such as the
PGA Tour, NBA, and
MLB, which are all leading leagues in their respective sports. Gatorade also sponsors a number of high profile athletes, including Serena Williams, Usain Bolt, Dwyane Wade, and Peyton Manning.
Gatorade gets plenty of air time through its partnership with the MLB
Emirates
Perhaps best known for its involvement with soccer,
Emirates holds some huge cards in the sporting world. Most notably, the airline company has branded the FA Cup, and is the major sponsor of EPL giant Arsenal. On top of this, it has significant investments in rugby, motor sports, golf, and, closer to home, the AFL and cricket, justifying its place on this list.
Like soccer? Then Fly Emirates.
Nike
As the leader in sports apparel – worth around $US15 billion, three times more than its nearest competitor in Adidas –
Nike was never going to miss out on this list. Nike is a major sponsor of both the NFL and the MLB, but it is perhaps more renowned for its sponsorships of some of the world's best athletes. To look at a list of athletes sponsored by Nike is almost to look at a list of sport's biggest superstars. The sports apparel giant holds major sponsorship deals with names including Usain Bolt, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, and Lebron James. Not bad. There are many other brands which have incredible stakes in sport. Those listed, however, are four absolute giants, the brands with an iron fist around sports sponsorship. These are brands which have sport in the palm of their hand, and will not let go anytime soon. If you want to get your own company a stake in sports, then create some custom made sporting equipment with
Branded by
Disrupt, and get your brand name up in lights.
