Sponsorship in Sport (OCR GCSE Physical Education (PE)): Revision Note

The influence of sponsorship

• Commercialisation means that sport has developed close links with the media and with sponsorship

• The golden triangle shows this relationship between sponsorship, sport and the media

• Each of the three aspects are reliant on each other for example:

  • The media pays money to the sport to be able to film and broadcast the event(s)

  • The media, for example Sky Sports, Amazon Prime or BT Sport, then provides sports coverage to gain revenue from viewer subscriptions

  • Sponsors pay money to the sport to sponsor an event

  • Sport in the media leads to publicity for the sponsor's name and brand awareness which leads to increased sales of products

  • Sporting organisations receive valuable funding and income from sponsors and the media which can be invested in areas such as grassroots sport, stadia or elite athlete development

The golden triangle represents the commercial, money-making nature of sport

Sponsorship in sport

• Sponsorship is the financial support given by outside agencies or companies in return for good publicity and to increase their profit

• Sponsorship offers great financial benefit to sport meaning both parties mutually benefit from the agreement

• Sponsorship can occur at all levels of sport from school teams up to elite performers

• There are different types of sponsorships including:

  • Individuals – display a product's logo, wear a particular brand, endorse products, use certain equipment or pay training, competition and travel costs

    • Initiated in 1984, the partnership between Nike and Michael Jordan revolutionised athlete endorsements and solidified the Air Jordan brand, with a lifetime contract signed in 2020

  • Teams and clubs – wear a sponsored kit, display banners, use a company name for the team grounds or pay their competition and travel costs

    • E.g.Manchester City currently hold the most lucrative kit deal in the Premier League with Puma, valued at £100 million per year for a decade, running until 2035

  • Sports – rename competitions, cups and leagues after the company, re-brand their development programmes or improve facilities

    • E.g. The airline Emirates has a sponsorship deal with Arsenal Football Club which includes the naming rights of the stadium

  • Events – allow use of their logo on sponsors' products, provide free products to participants, and fund the running of the event

    • E.g. Since 1978 Rolex has been the premier sponsor and official timekeeper of Wimbledon Tennis Championships

This racing driver's suit is adorned with sponsorship logos to advertise to spectators

The effect of sponsorship on commercialisation