The sports landscape is noisy, with brand sponsorships, athlete endorsements, activations and more popping up everywhere you turn. It can be difficult to break through and stand out, but a strong partnership, superstar athlete or event can make all the difference.

For Mike Nichols, chief of sponsorship strategy and activation at Group 1001 Insurance (Gainbridge), that came in signing Caitlin Clark.

“We want to cut through the clutter when you project out when you're going to schedule the announcement,” said Nichols, speaking at SBJ’s Brand Innovation Summit on Wednesday. “If you're doing an athlete deal, make sure that 48 hours earlier they set the all-time record. You look like a genius.”

The partnership is organic to Gainbridge, seeing as Gainbridge Fieldhouse is the home of the Indiana Fever (Clark’s team) and the Pacers.

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The Patriots' ceremony honoring former QB Tom Brady last night drew "tens of thousands of fans to Gillette Stadium on a mid-June night in the middle of the NBA Finals," and the team "honored the greatest player in NFL history with a one-of-a-kind celebration." In the stadium, "nearly every available seat was filled, including hundreds that had been set up on the Gillette game field." A "who’s-who of Patriots greats made the trip back" for the occasion -- more than 100 in total -- "including the much-anticipated return" of former coach Bill Belichick. Others in attendance included Drew Bledsoe, Malcolm Butler, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and teammate-turned-Patriots coach Jerod Mayo. Brady’s rivals "also joined in the fun," with eight of them -- Charles Woodson, Ray Lewis, Eli Manning, Jason Taylor, Ed Reed, Michael Strahan, Patrick Mahomes and Richard Sherman -- "expressing their appreciation for Brady in a tribute video." Peyton Manning "made a surprise in-person appearance, joining Brady and host Mike Tirico on the stage for a 10-minute chat." At the end, Brady was presented with his red Patriots HOF jacket as owner Robert Kraft announced the team "will honor Brady with a 12-foot bronze statue, which will be unveiled during the upcoming season" (BOSTON HERALD, 6/12).

The 2024 U.S. Open Championship teed off this morning at Pinehurst No. 2 under sunny skies and warm temperatures, and that trend doesn't look likely to change over the course of this weekend. While there was inclement weather at the first two major championships of the year, the U.S. Open is "expected to see plenty of sun and players feeling the heat." Today will be "in the mid-to-high 80s" by midday, and the forecasted high is 89 degrees with mostly sunny skies. There is "zero chance of precipitation." It is "expected to get hotter going into the weekend," with temperatures forecasted to be in the low-90s each day (USA TODAY, 6/13).

Wimbledon will pay out a "record" $63.87M (all figures U.S.) in prize money at this summer’s event, an 11.9% rise on last year’s payments. The purse equates to the winners of both the men’s and ladies’ singles competitions pocketing $3.45M each. The runners-up "will walk away with" $1.79M each. Those "simply making the main draw" of the two singles tournaments will earn $76,655 each. Wimbledon is "still pushing ahead" with their ambitious revamp of the Wimbledon Park Golf Course -- which will feature 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seater show court. But the All England Club admitted at their pre-tournament press conference today that they were "still waiting on an update as to when that application will be heard" by the Mayor of London’s office. That is "expected to be well beyond this year’s Championships" (London EVENING STANDARD, 6/13).

The USL has secured live match distribution for its forthcoming professional women’s soccer competition, the USL Super League, under a four-year agreement with NBCUniversal’s Peacock. The Super League rights are at the center of a broader deal between USL and NBCU that will also help bolster the media company’s youth and amateur-focused SportsEngine Play streaming service. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

In its inaugural season, which begins Aug. 17 and runs through May, the Super League will play 112 regular-season and three playoff matches -- two semifinals and a championship game -- all of which will stream exclusively on Peacock.

“Having all Super League games streamed in one place, on one platform makes it super easy for fans to find and for brand partners to get behind,” said Super League President Amanda Vandervort.

The league’s eight clubs will retain their local linear rights, allowing them to find broadcast distribution within their own markets. The founding franchises are in Brooklyn, Charlotte, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Lexington, Ky., Spokane, Wash., Tampa and D.C.

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Two of the biggest player unions in European soccer have "launched legal action against FIFA" after calling the new Club World Cup a "'tipping point' in the demands placed upon its members." The English Professional Footballers Association and its French counterparts, the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels, "will argue the rights of players are being violated under EU laws" after FIFA added its new 32-club competition on to the end of the 2024-25 season. FIFPro, the global soccer players union, is also "supporting the case." The unions "will ask the case to be referred to the European Court of Justice," where they will look to "challenge the legality of FIFA’s ability to 'unilaterally' set the International Match Calendar." The new and expanded competition will be staged in the U.S. next summer (THE ATHLETIC, 6/13).

The NBA honored late Basketball HOFer Jerry West last night ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, "just hours after his death." The league "played a tribute video and then held a moment of silence" ahead of the national anthem before the game between the Mavericks and Celtics at the American Airlines Center in Dallas (YAHOO SPORTS, 6/12). In L.A., "some fans visited his statue" outside Crypto.com Arena -- there was "one bouquet of flowers sitting at the base under a list of his basketball accomplishments" (L.A. TIMES, 6/12).

Healthy energy and protein drink brand Don’t Quit recently landed a new multiyear strategic partnership with iHeartMedia. During the 2024 SBJ Brand Innovation Summit, Don’t Quit CEO Mark French discussed with SBJ’s Chris Smith how this new move is a game-changing boost for the startup.

The Red Sox have "moved up the start time" of Friday’s game against the Yankees from 7:10pm ET to 6:30pm "as a courtesy to fans" looking to watch the Celtics take on the Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which is scheduled to start at 8:30pm (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/12).

"Apathy is the death of a brand. Nobody’s apathetic about the WNBA because we’ve brought in so many new fans into what we call the fan funnel this year. And yeah, some are frustrated for sure. I get a lot of emails that I’ve never got in four years, but that’s because people care" -- WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, on how the increased attention around the league, even the criticisms and controversies that have popped up in recent weeks, is all great for its brand (USA TODAY, 6/12).

The OMAHA WORLD-HERALD goes with the header, "In NIL era, College World Series provides opportunity to showcase stardom on and off the field." The NIL era will be "on full display" during this year’s star-studded College World Series, as "some of the most notable names in college baseball have led some of the sport’s most notable teams to Omaha."

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