Opinion
Investment in sports sponsorships is rising, yet CMOs struggle to calculate the ROI. Here’s why
According to Forrester’s Q4 B2C Marketing CMO Pulse Survey, 2024, 67% of respondents plan to either enter the space for the first time or increase their investment in sports sponsorships. Yet, 76% of U.S. B2C marketing executives who invested in sports sponsorships last year agree that they struggle...
Mental health awareness maturing in the NFL
This fall, three NFL teams will take the field under a new kind of spotlight: Mental Health Awareness Games. But these games weren’t conceived in a league office or marketing department. They were built from the ground up by clinicians, advocates and athletes who are driving mental health forward in...
Madkour: One day in Baltimore and a trip to ‘The Castle’
My Uber driver, Brad, said he quickly accepted my request for a ride to 1 Winning Drive in Owings Mills, Md. “I get to take you to The Castle!” he beamed. I looked at him, puzzled, and he said, “Ravens headquarters. It’s called The Castle. It’s unbelievable.” So, yes, he knew the destination, and I ...
NCAA transfer portal reflects this era of change and uncertainty
As a Division III college freshman from Harlem, I’ve always stood for and believed in three core values: loyalty, hustle and team chemistry. In high school, I followed sports closely — watching prodigies and players, studying the game and admiring those who stuck with their teams through hardship. B...
The future of sports needs a streaming-first monetization model
The shift from linear television to streaming is no longer hypothetical. ESPN’s DTC product, eight years in the making, Fox One’s launch, and the rapid decentralization of rights in markets like the U.K. and Brazil all point to one reality: The cable affiliate model that once subsidized skyrocketing...
Brands can break through clutter, gain positive publicity and prepare for protests at Olympics
The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics has, as have all other Olympics, received its share of protests long before the games commence. It’s a good bet that the protests will intensify as the Feb. 6 opening ceremony draws closer and that protests will be joined by controversies that occur during the ...
Lowering the bar to entry: How sports can attract nonendemic advertisers
Sports have long been dominated by beer, sneaker and automotive brands. These endemic categories have built decades of equity around the prestige that comes with tentpole sports partnerships. However, as the sports ecosystem fragments, growth will not come from relying only on these traditional part...
Could ‘MLS 3.0’ earthquake rumble into reality?
We don’t often reference other authors in our SBJ column, but a late July story by The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio in The New York Times grabbed our attention like a quiet earthquake rumbling through our respective backyards.
Madkour: MLS facing hard decisions around growth
Jimmy Haslam said publicly what many in MLS have suggested privately for years: MLS is at an inflection point with its on-field product and owners have different views on its future direction. Haslam said at our sister company’s Leaders Week London that MLS has “a long way to go in getting people to...
Supporting the women’s sports fan: Designing for a new era of engagement
Across the country, the U.S. women’s sports fandom is no longer a niche presence. These fans represent a previously under-recognized demographic that is now reshaping how teams think, how brands behave and how trends emerge. As viewership climbs and community deepens, sports teams have a simple ques...
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Quote of the Day
I made it clear to the teams. I’m not tapping the general revenue fund until we look at these other concepts.-- Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, on his plan to create a special financing district that could collect fees as a way to generate revenue to help maintain Progressive Field and Rocket Arena.
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