U.S. Sports leagues are now earning sponsorship revenue at record rates. From gambling and technology to beer and apparel, these professional sports leagues continue to bring in tremendous amounts of money each year. Below, we explore the top-5 highest-earning U.S. sports leagues in sponsorship revenue.
Top-5 Highest-Earning U.S. Sports Leagues in Sponsorship Revenue
No surprises at the top, as the NFL tops the list with nearly $1.9 billion in sponsorship revenue.
Only three professional U.S. sports leagues earn more than $1 billion in sponsorship revenue: MLB, NBA, and MLB.
The other two leagues rounding out the top five are the NHL and MLS.
Highest-Earning U.S. Sports Leagues in Sponsorship Revenue
*All figures sourced from the Sportico report in Feb. 2023.
5. MLS – $677 million
In 2023, Major League Soccer is entering a new era as Apple signed a global streaming rights deal with the MLS for ten years. The Apple deal is worth $2.5 billion, as the streamer will broadcast every MLS match.
The MLS continued its kit supply partnership with Adidas for an estimated $830 million.
Other notable partnerships include Audi, RBC Wealth Management, EA SPORTS, Procter & Gamble, Ticketmaster, and TikTok.
4. NHL – $753 million
The NHL continues to increase its sponsorship revenue thanks to a promising season, which included a record-breaking 70 league sponsorship deals.
PepsiCo remains one of the league’s most reliable partners as they signed a multiyear extension in the summer of 2022. Other sponsorships include SAP, Amazon Web Services, Sweet, and Caterpillar.
Alcohol, including 14 deals with tequila brands, amounted to $104.2 million in investments.
3. MLB – $1.19 billion
In 2021, the MLB earned more than $1 billion in sponsorship revenue for the first time in its history with $1.12 billion. The MLB increased that number to $1.19 billion in 2022.
Overall, the estimated amount of sponsorship brands between the teams, venues, and leagues amounted to over 950 unique brands.
MLB’s largest sponsorship deals include T-Mobile, Nike, Anheuser-Busch InBev, PepsiCo, and Coca-Cola.
2. NBA – $1.64 billion
The NBA exploded in sponsorship revenue with $1.64 billion for the 2022 season, an increase of 13% from the $1.4 billion in the 2020-21 season.
Cryptocurrency was the second most lucrative sponsorship category in the NBA, with technology coming in first. Coinbase reportedly agreed to a sponsorship deal of $192 million over four years with the NBA.
Banks and merchandise are still leading the pack, with both categories paying the NBA well over $100 million annually.
However, Pepsi, AT&T, and Anheuser-Busch are among the companies spending over $50 million to partner with the NBA.
1. NFL – $1.88 billion
The NFL still reigns supreme in the United States, as the league brought in $1.88 billion in sponsorship revenue during the 2022 season.
The top five categories for the NFL in terms of sponsorship revenue include:
- Technology
- Betting & Gaming
- Beer
- Telecom
- Insurance
Technology alone brought nearly $400 in sponsorship revenue thanks to deals with Amazon, Apple, Cisco Systems, and Microsoft.
The rise of legalized gambling has helped betting & gaming come in at number two with $260 million.
PepsiCo was the brand to spend the most money to sponsor the NFL, with Anheuser-Busch InBev and Verizon in second and third, respectively.
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