Brand Matchup in Sports

Even local sporting venues can strike deals with both local and national sponsors. The Little
League park can sell naming rights as well as a hockey rink or sports center. These deals are
often shorter in length and, of course, do not garner the millions of dollars a large venue can
command. However, many local businesses see value in putting their name on hometown
venues as well as supporting the team in other ways.
This activity challenges you to think about the brand story for a local team or league that plays at
its own venue, and to propose a local business that would be a candidate for naming their venue.
To complete this assignment: Identify a local sports venue and research the team or teams that
play there. What are some keywords that describe those teams and their fans? Now research
local companies that are large enough to devote at least $50,000 or so a year to purchasing the
naming rights for the venue. Propose one or two that would be a match for the keywords you
identified for the team.