Let me say the quiet part out loud: Most sports sponsorships suck.
As a lifelong sports fan and someone who’s built a career helping brands show up authentically in culture, I can tell you that too many sponsorships feel like what they are — ads. Forced. Disruptive. Completely out of sync with the moment or the audience.
The result? Fans scroll past. Or worse, they roll their eyes.
But every now and then, a brand gets it right. And when they do, the internet rewards the brand with engagement, cred and props.
Case in point: The mobile game Royal Kingdom recently dropped a collab with LeBron James — and it went crazy viral. We’re talking 58,000-plus shares on Instagram on Day 1. More than his top dunk of the NBA season. More than most major brands see in an entire campaign cycle.
Why? Because Royal Kingdom didn’t try to create a moment — they tapped into one that already existed. They understood the culture, they respected it, and then they played inside of it.
For context: LeBron has long been the subject of a running joke online. Whenever he’s photographed with a book pregame, eagle-eyed fans notice something odd — he’s always on Page 1.
The internet took it and ran. Memes flew. Jokes were made. “Does he even read?” became a thing. Even Pat McAfee asked him about it in his recent interview.
And here’s the genius part: Instead of ignoring the noise, Royal Kingdom leaned all the way in. In the ad, it’s revealed that LeBron isn’t reading. He’s hiding a phone inside a hollowed-out book — secretly playing Royal Kingdom.
No forced tagline. No over-explaining. Just pure, self-aware humor. LeBron, poking fun at himself. Fans ate it up.
This is a master class in how to do branded content. Why? Because it didn’t disrupt the culture ... it added to it. It created a moment fans wanted to share. It gave us something to talk about. It became a part of NBA culture, not an ad trying to co-opt it.
The results speak for themselves:
- 58K+ shares on Instagram in 24 hours.
- Organic reposts from Bleacher Report, The Score and more.
- Fans tagging each other in the comments, DMing the clip and talking about it like it was a highlight play.
And guess what? That ad didn’t need to start with a voiceover saying, “Introducing Royal Kingdom, the newest mobile game.” We didn’t need a flashy logo at the top left corner the whole time.
They let the content lead. They let the moment be the message.
Contrast that with another recent example: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s partnership with Castrol Motor Oil.
Now listen, I love Giannis. Fellow Greek!
He’s hilarious, self-deprecating, incredibly likable and a marketer’s dream. But the Castrol ad? It missed. Hard.
It was a 60-second spot that felt like a standard commercial. Lots of industry jargon. Talk about how Castrol performs “across industries.” CGI flying around. A few forced punchlines. And somewhere in there, Giannis.
But instead of leveraging what makes him special — the jokes, the accent, the “dad energy” — they used him as a billboard.
And the fans felt it. The video, which was co-posted by the NBA’s official Instagram account (with 90 million followers), barely cracked 1,000 shares.
Let that sink in. One video tapped into an existing internet joke about LeBron and added to it. The other tried to build a branded message from scratch. One exploded. The other flopped.
The difference? One created with the culture. The other tried to talk at it.
Look, this isn’t rocket science. Fans are smart. They know when you’re faking it. They know when they’re being sold to. But they also appreciate when you put in the effort to speak their language. To understand their world. To be in on the joke.
That’s where the magic lives. The IYKYK moments. The Easter eggs. The subtle nods to fandom and community that make people feel seen and included. And the rule is: If you can’t show up authentically, don’t show up at all.
Here are a few things to remember if you’re a brand looking to win with sports sponsorships:
- Don’t force it. If a moment doesn’t already exist, don’t try to shoehorn your brand into one. Find real stories. Real jokes. Real insights about fandom — and build from there.
- Lead with entertainment, not selling. If the content isn’t worth watching without the brand mentioned, you’ve already lost. Make people laugh, make them feel something, and then earn the right to mention your product.
- Be self-aware. LeBron is the most scrutinized athlete on the planet — and even he is willing to poke fun at himself. That level of humility builds trust. It humanizes the brand and the athlete.
- Respect the audience. Fans don’t want to feel like they’re sitting through a commercial break. They want to engage, react and share. If your content makes that harder, you’re doing it wrong.
- Create with the culture, not on top of it. You’re not the main character. The fans are. The athlete is. Your job is to support the story, not steal the spotlight.
At the end of the day, sports are emotional. They’re communal. They’re cultural currency. And the brands that understand that — really understand that — have an unfair advantage.
So, to the marketers, brand leads, and sponsors out there: If your content isn’t worth sharing, it isn’t worth making. Tap into the moment. Respect the fan. And whatever you do — don’t be Castrol.
David Brickley is the founder and CEO of STN Digital, a social-first marketing agency.
