PayPal is taking the wraps off an NFL sponsorship first reported in SBJ last December. The deal designates the 27-year-old brand (ancient by Fintech standards) as the NFL’s initial “Peer-to-Peer Payments” sponsor.
“We’ll be looking at overall engagement and usage,” said Ben Volk, SVP & GM of PayPal Consumer. “With the NFL expanding globally [with a record nine regular-season games played outside the U.S. next season], that opens the door for more people to be sending more money internationally. It’s hard to move money around the globe, but we have those capabilities.”
PayPal will be activating at this week’s NFL Draft with five rookie endorsers: Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State S Caleb Downs, Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, Washington WR Denzel Boston and Penn State QB Drew Allar. They will appear on social and digital media on behalf of the brand. PayPal will also back NFL flag football activities at and beyond the draft, and run a number of supporting sweepstakes.
Industry sources said Art & Science Partners negotiated the deal for PayPal, while Horizon Sports & Experiences is handling activation. Neither agency responded to emails seeking comment.
Volk said additional media support, player deals and team sponsorships are to be determined.
PayPal’s other sports sponsorships include the Big Ten and Big 12 for its Venmo brand. It is also a sponsor of Liverpool, the jersey patch sponsor of the Suns since 2018 and a sponsor of the Mercury, and has held naming rights to the Earthquakes’ home stadium since 2021 (PayPal’s HQ is in San Jose).
Venmo can also be leveraged under terms of the new NFL deal. However, Volk said PayPal will be the lead brand. It’s also notable that PayPal EVP & GM/Consumer Diego Scotti is the former CMO of Verizon, one of the NFL’s largest corporate sponsors.
