Sports Sponsorship News: October Round-Up

FC Barcelona & Spotify celebrate Drake in fashion at El Classico

Barca and Spotify celebrated Drake hitting 50 billion streams by featuring his owl OVO brand on the front of their kit for their recent El Classico match against Real Madrid. Looks like consumers want more...

Real Madrid C.F. may have won the El Clasico match, but FC Barcelona certainly dominated the headlines leading up to it. Here's why...

• 🎵Barca teamed up with major sponsor Spotify to celebrate Drake reaching 50 billion (yup, with a B) streams. They put his OVO owl logo front and center on their kit.

• ❄The number of people who think the integration is cool was 2 to 5 times greater than those who disliked it.

• ⚽Although not for sale, 15% of people stated an interest in buying the-limited edition kit (pssst...you can enter a promo to win one of the kits)

• 📈20%+ of people are interested in seeing more partnerships like this one hit the market.

Whether it be EA Sports x Marvel teaming up to bring superheroes to the pitch, or PGA Tour stars like Max Homa getting sponsored by the MLB...times are changing and we're here for it.

MLB announces historic deal with Charlotte's Web

MLB and CBD company, Charlotte's Web, announced the first CBD deal in professional sports. Consumers are largely supportive of it and we should expect to see more sport partnerships from the category.

There’s lots of talk about finding the next ‘unicorn’ sponsorship category. Although CBD isn’t necessarily new, MLB’s partnership with CBD brand Charlotte’s Web is a sign of what’s to come. Here’s why…

• 57% of people who engage with the MLB have tried CBD products before – consistent with the general population

• 28% of them continue to use CBD products regularly

• When asked about this new deal, 38% of those engaged with the MLB said the partnership increases interest in the brand, with 37% stating it’s a good fit

• 1 in 4 consumers want to see more partnerships like this

• Only 15% feel it’s inappropriate

Who’s next?

Hobbies-turned-pro sports are here to stay

Tom Brady, Kim Cljisters, Kevin Durant and Lebron James headline the star-studded list of recent investors in pickleball franchises. More than 50% of Americans are interested in Pickleball, Cornhole, Disc Golf, and Axe Throwing...brands take notice.

We asked US residents about these hobbies-turned-pro-sports to see how they stack up - and which might just have the highest potential to be a permanent force in the US sports landscape.

• 🌽 Cornhole has the widest participation - it's hard not to find a BBQ or tailgate without the past-time. No wonder Johnsonville sponsors the Championships - which you can catch on ESPN. Now that's a fit.

• 🥏 With courses popping up everywhere, disc golf is of interest to more than 1 in 2 US residents! Perio, Inc. (Barbasol Brands) shaving cream recently sponsored the Disc Golf Pro Tour Championships, leading to a record purse of over $300K.

• 🥒 While Pickleball has been making big headlines, fewer US residents have tried the sport than disc golf & cornhole - thus far. A relatively newer innovation, its growth is remarkable - with nearly 1 in 10 US residents already indicating they play regularly.

Personal participation doesn't always equate to professional product viewership, but all these sports are poised to push into broadcast & streaming opportunities.

We'll have to see how it plays out in the coming years - but for now, sponsors should be thrilled at the whitespace opportunity - with sports that already have the interest of the majority of the US population.

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