SBJ Marketing: Ford plays ball with Aaron Judge

Words of Wisdom: “Strip the human race, absolutely naked, and it would be a real democracy. But the introduction of even a rag of tiger skin, or a cowtail, could make a badge of distinction and be the beginning of a monarchy.” — Mark Twain

Ford was MLB’s most notable offseason corporate sponsorship signing, being the league’s first new auto sponsor in more than 20 years. Now sources tell us that the carmaker is jacking up its car rights further by enlisting Yankees OF Aaron Judge, certainly one of the most sought-after endorsers across the league, if not the most active.

Ford, through its N.Y.-area Tri-State dealer co-op, has been a Yankees sponsor since 2005. As you’d expect with the Yankees, there’s some history there: That same dealer organization had Derek Jeter as a pitchman in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Other Judge endorsements: Big League Chew gum, Nike’s Jordan Brand, Ralph Lauren, Prime Hydration and legal AI platform Legora.

Judge’s on-field contract agent, Page Odle of PSI Sports, negotiated the deal with Ford, agency sources said.

Comps are always intriguing: Shohei Ohtani, the lone MLBer whose stardom eclipses Judge, has been a Porsche endorser since 2023. Makes you wonder which Ford vehicles Judge will be, er, pitching.

Have we seen the first bottle break as far as Americans drinking fewer spirits?

Even more recent than our story earlier this month was a report from the Wall Street Journal that Americans are dealing with the average price of mixed drinks hitting a sobering $13.61 by drinking more at home, cutting into sales at taverns and restaurants.

Now, we note that Diageo has quietly NOT renewed its five-year-old NFL sponsorship, the league’s first in that category, through which Diageo marketed its Captain Morgan rum, Crown Royal whiskey, Smirnoff Vodka and other brands.

Of course, the freight on Diageo’s recent FIFA World Cup sponsorship certainly also dissuaded the spirits marketer from re-signing with the top American futbol brand. More than one industry source reminded us that, while Diageo was a first mover as a sponsor with properties including NASCAR and the NFL, they like to innovate, which can mean moving on to another sponsorship property. And as much as we enjoyed Diageo’s NFL activation, including the “Water Boys” campaign for Crown Royal, we’re anxious to see what they do with their FIFA World Cup rights.

As for which company (companies?) picks up those liquid rights? Industry sources suggested that dividing the alcoholic bev market into separate categories, like whiskey, vodka and tequila, and selling THOSE would yield more than an omnibus deal.

Considering the vibrancy of the burgeoning RTD canned cocktails segment, we could also see that growing segment being targeted for a separate NFL deal. With 17% growth in 2025, RTD cocktails surpassed vodka as the top-selling spirits category in the U.S. by volume in 2025, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.

Accordingly, Surfside was ranked as the top-selling spirits brand by volume in the U.S. last year. Other top RTD cocktails brands: High Noon, owned by NFL wine sponsor Gallo, and Cutwater, owned by NFL beer sponsor Anheuser-Busch. Bottoms up!

• SBJ this week launched its College Jersey Patch Deals Directory, a database that shows who’s buying and who’s selling these uniform assets.
• My Insiders column this week is on Jim Small’s retirement from MLB, looking over four decades of growing the game and his stamp on baseball’s global ambitions.
• JPMorgan Chase is buying into the Games, signing deals with the IOC and LA28 that will see the U.S. financial services firm backing the Olympics and Paralympics for the near term, reports SBJ’s Rachel Axon.
• Gaming entertainment company Allwyn will deploy its PrizePicks daily fantasy brand into racing through a sponsorship with McLaren Racing, and the first elements will include branding on F1 cars this weekend at Miami and IndyCar’s Indy 500 next month, reports SBJ’s Adam Stern.
• The country’s two most popular sports drinks brands, Gatorade and Powerade, launched new soccer-focused campaigns ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, both of which feature high-profile global soccer stars, reports SBJ’s Alex Silverman.
• India-based tech consultancy HCLTech has become an “official A.I.” sponsor at MetLife Stadium as part of its renewal of a cornerstone sponsorship first signed in 2022, a designation and deal extension that also applies to its sponsorship of the Jets and Giants, reports SBJ’s Ben Fischer.