Sports Sponsorships: Considerations and Configurations

The sponsorship of sports has become a highly visible and powerful variable in professional sports, and to a lesser degree, in scholastic sports. The field of sports sponsorship has evolved to such a degree that sponsorship strategies have been classified into benefits packaged identified by color: Gold, silver, and bronze. Selection of sponsorship packages has become de facto, which undoubtedly creates advantages for the sponsor. Recently, there has been a shift to more flexible sponsorship proposals that are referred to as tailored sponsorship arrangements.

Further complicating the sponsorship arrangement is that the public's response is not always predictable. Sponsors and sports organizations would do well to recognize the need for market research before they engage in costly or complex sponsorship agreements. Steinbach (2005) provides an interesting example of how sponsorship can go seriously awry. In May of 2004, Columbia Pictures and Major League Baseball (MLB)...
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