Does Winning Matter? The Data Says Yes - Here's How Performance Drives Sponsorship Success
When it comes to sponsorship ROI, team performance isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a measurable advantage that can significantly amplify brand impact across fan engagement, excitement, and favorability.
Every sponsorship executive faces the same strategic question: Does team performance really impact our brand partnership ROI? The answer, according to our comprehensive analysis of over 60 professional teams across major leagues, is a resounding yes. Winning teams consistently outperform losing teams across key sponsorship performance metrics, and the differences are often more significant than many brands realize.
The performance advantage is real and measurable
Our analysis comparing top-performing teams versus bottom-tier teams, as indicated by team win-loss record, reveals consistent performance advantages across major professional sports leagues:
The overall impact tells the story: Top-performing teams across the leagues average 65% fan engagement compared to 54% for bottom performers - an 11-point advantage that translates directly to sponsor reach and frequency benefits.
But engagement is just the beginning. Winning teams generate 47% higher excitement levels (55% vs. 37%) and achieve 60% higher favorability ratings (24% vs. 15%) - metrics that directly correlate with sponsor brand lift and purchase intent.
League-by-league performance data reveals consistent patterns
The Detroit Lions exemplify this advantage - their 88% winning percentage generated 67% engagement and 61% excitement, dramatically outperforming struggling teams like the Cleveland Browns (18% win rate, 57% engagement).
While NBA engagement gaps are narrower, excitement and favorability advantages remain substantial for winning teams.
The Winnipeg Jets (71% win rate) achieved the highest engagement within their respective trade areas at 73%, while struggling teams like the San Jose Sharks (32% win rate) managed only 39% engagement.
The Boston case study: Performance impact in real time
Perhaps even more compelling evidence comes from tracking the same market over time. Comparing Boston's Celtics and Bruins provides an ideal controlled experiment:
2018-19 Season: Similar Performance, Similar Results
Both teams had comparable records and first-round playoff exits:
Celtics: 60% win rate → 55% engagement, 47% excitement, 14% favorability
Bruins: 63% win rate → 55% engagement, 46% excitement, 13% favorability
Results were virtually identical when performance was similar.
2023-24 Season: Championship Impact
The Celtics won the championship while the Bruins exited in round two:
Celtics: 78% win rate → 65% engagement (+10), 54% excitement (+7), 21% favorability (+7)
Bruins: 64% win rate → 60% engagement (+5), 46% excitement (0), 17% favorability (+4)
The championship run generated an 18% overall sponsorship impact advantage, quantifying exactly how much winning matters for brand partners.
Why performance drives sponsorship value
The data reveals three key reasons why winning translates to superior sponsor ROI:
Amplified media coverage: Winning teams receive 40-60% more media mentions, extending sponsor message reach without additional investment.
Enhanced fan emotional connection: The excitement gap between winners and losers (47% vs. 37%) represents heightened emotional engagement that sponsors can leverage for deeper brand connection.
Improved brand association: The favorability premium (24% vs. 15%) means sponsors benefit from positive halo effects when partnering with successful teams.
There are always exceptions…
While performance generally drives sponsorship success, our data reveals important exceptions that create opportunities for strategic sponsors:
Market dynamics can override performance: The New York Yankees maintained 64% engagement despite a mediocre 58% win rate, demonstrating how market size and brand strength can compensate for on-field struggles.
Cultural relevance creates outliers: Some teams with poor records still achieve strong engagement through cultural connections and passionate fanbases. The Chicago White Sox (25% win rate) still generated 55% engagement.
Smart sponsors can grow with improving teams: Teams showing performance improvement often offer strong ROI opportunities, as sponsors can ride the wave of increasing fan excitement and engagement.
Keep your foot on the gas: While it is more difficult to achieve heightened impact in poorer performing seasons, it is not impossible. Winners will keep foot on gas, continue to engage fans and heighten experience, and ultimately invest in the partnership. The case study below represents a professional team that SponsorPulse has measured sponsorship performance for since 2019 on behalf of our client. While average sponsorship impact is lower in seasons where the team had a losing record, sponsorship performance of our client continued to rise and hit a high in the latest season, which was a losing team season.
So, what can you do…?
The evidence is clear: winning matters significantly for sponsorship success. Teams with strong performance consistently deliver superior engagement, excitement, and favorability metrics that translate directly to sponsor value.
But this data also reveals that sponsorship success isn't just about picking winners - it's about understanding performance trends, measuring the right metrics, and timing partnerships strategically.
Ready to ensure your sponsorship performance stays ahead of the competition?
