Pepsi inked a partnership with the Yankees’ Aaron Judge to serve as the face of the brand, “championing the spirit and excitement of baseball, both on and off the field.” “We are thrilled to welcome Aaron to the Pepsi family,” said Justin Toman, Senior Director, Sports Marketing, PepsiCo. “He’s one of the biggest rising stars in baseball and we’re looking forward to working together to engage baseball enthusiasts in new and unique ways next season and beyond.”
NFL Players Inc., along with founding partners – the US Women’s National Team Players Association and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association – are launching REP Worldwide (Representing Every Player), described as a first-of-its-kind group player representation business that offers licensing and brand management services to athlete-driven sports properties. REP Worldwide’s initial representation services will include: strategic planning; leveraging athlete intellectual property group rights; structuring licenses and sponsorships; consulting on marketing activation strategy; driving support for players and licensees at retail; as well as developing unique content opportunities across platforms via ACE Media, the NFLPA’s content and production subsidiary.
Comcast inked a deal to serve as the official cable television and communications partner of US Ski & Snowboard. The new multi-year partnership will feature the Xfinity brand athlete uniforms at a range of high-profile events worldwide, increasing awareness of the partnership in markets globally with around-the-world broadcast coverage. Xfinity will also be the title sponsor of the women’s FIS Ski World Cup weekend at Killington Resort in Vermont Nov. 25-26, which will be carried on NBC and NBCSN.
AEG launched a new partnership with BELFOR Property Restoration, the worldwide leader in disaster recovery and property restoration services. The multiyear deal, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, makes BELFOR an official partner of the LA Kings and AXS TV as well as the official restoration partner of STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The new partnership provides AEG’s facilities with amplified disaster response and recovery services and will further enrich BELFOR’s commitment in the communities they serve.
Manchester City inked a multi-year partnership that makes Gatorade the Club’s Official Sports Nutrition Partner. “We’re delighted to be teaming up with a global leader in Gatorade. Gatorade’s knowledge and commitment to sports nutrition through innovative scientific research speaks for itself,” said Damian Willoughby, SVP of Partnerships at City Football Group. “Our team of sports scientists will work closely with the GSSI team to find new ways to support and fuel our players, both on and off the field. Gatorade is a globally recognized brand with a fantastic relationship with competitive athletes in the United States and all around the world.”
ESPN launched a new SportsCenter show on Snapchat. The show debuted yesterday and today begins its regular schedule with new shows available twice a day at 5a and 5p and once at 5a on weekends. SportsCenter on Snapchat, the first ever daily sports show on the platform, will be three to five minutes in length and will include a mix of the latest sports news, highlights and commentary.
Oso Studios and Facebook announced the premiere of Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray’s Extra Innings, an original unscripted series on minor league baseball hosted by the pair. The ten-episode digital series debuts on Facebook Watch on Nov. 20 with new episodes available weekly on Mondays as the duo travel together to visit minor league baseball in cities across the US.
The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games announced that it will conduct a global campaign to collect messages of peace on Twitter. The initiative was prepared to commemorate the United Nations resolution on the Olympic Truce, and is designed to showcase support for peace and the Olympian spirit worldwide.
The LPGA Women’s Network created a new partnership with Secret Golf, launching the relationship with the debut of Gerina Piller’s Player Channel. Piller’s video content will not only be added to Team Secret Golf’s stable of Tour professionals already available on SecretGolf.com, and be featured on the LPGA Women’s Network website.
Andy Katz has been hired by the NCAA as a contractor to cover the college basketball for NCAA.com. Katz will provide written, digital and social media coverage for the NCAA and its partners.
McLaren named Ben Payne to serve as the company’s head of esports where he will oversee the growth and development of McLaren’s esports strategy, including all aspects of the World’s Fastest Gamer program. Additionally, he will lead the development of the WFG partner community, activating gaming partnerships across retail, media partnerships and key industry events. Payne joins from Microsoft, where he held roles in third party marketing, partnerships and events for Xbox EMEA, as well as working on global campaigns for Windows. Prior to Microsoft, Payne held positions at SEGA, 2K Games and Future. McLaren was the first Formula 1 team to announce its own esports property, in April this year.
Riot Games detailed plans to invest $7.6 million in the South Korean LoL esports league this year and will create a new LCK Studio in Seoul that would open next September, reportedly titled LoL Park. The venue would be capable of hosting as many as 450 fans and see Riot handle production of events there for the first time. In addition, the studio will sit alongside a PC bang, a coffee shop, and feature backstage and practice areas for players across nearly 57,000 square feet.
The NBA promoted Amy Brooks to President, Team Marketing & Business Operations and Chief Innovation Officer. In her newly-created role as Chief Innovation Officer, Brooks will drive innovative decision-making and growth across the NBA’s business through the development and execution of new ideas and initiatives.
David O’Connor stepped down from his role atop Madison Square Garden with James Dolan coming in to serve as the interim President/CEO.
ESPN’s State Farm Champions Classic serves up No. 1 Duke versus No. 2 Michigan State in a college basketball battle at 7p.
