MLS Sponsorship Deals Near Record $600M, Messi Scores Top Player Pacts

By Barry Janoff

December 7, 2023: On the eve of its 2023 title game, MLS — which has seen a rise in attendance, TV numbers and the arrival of Lionel Messi this past season – received more good news.

MLS team sponsorship revenue reached a record $587 million, a 15% year-over-year increase.

Leading the the growth were the finance, healthcare and insurance brands, which spent $92 million, $79 million and $47 million, respectively, according to the just-released 2023 MLS Marketing Partnerships Report from global sports and entertainment intelligence platform SponsorUnited.

Top ways brands engaged with the league included jersey/sleeve patches, digital ads on field-level walls and digital ads on videoboards.

Concurrently, Lionel Messi, who joined Inter Miami CF in July, led all players with 21 brand endorsements, with 52% of his brand partnerships exclusive within MLS.

Adidas, Continental and BodyArmor were the most active brands by number of activations or signage by teams this season with 30, 30 and 28 brand deals, respectively.

According to SponsorUnited, “adidas' prominence is attributed to its comprehensive role as the league-wide apparel and footwear sponsor, ensuring consistent visibility.”

Entering the 2023 campaign, MLS signed a multi-year pact under which adidas, a league partner since its first season in 1998, would continue as the official supplier for the league, its clubs and youth academies; and also extended its alliance with Audi, an official MLS partner since 2015.

Under their deal, Audi remains the league's “official automotive partner, title sponsor of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, and presenting sponsor of the MLS Golden Boot Award honoring the league's leading scorer each season.

Continental, as the league’s official tire sponsor, “leveraged extensive stadium and broadcast placements, enhancing its brand impact.”

And BodyArmor's heightened exposure “can be linked to the growing focus on health and athlete performance in sports, aligning its sports drink brand with the league's increasing viewership and attendance.”

The biggest new alliance for 2023 came via a ten-year deal with Apple TV unveiled in June 2022, valued at $2.5 billion by industry analysts, under which people can watch every match from every club via the Apple TV app.

The financial category saw the most new brand deals this season with 32, nearly half of which were in the investment services subcategory. That included a new multi-year pact with financial firm RBC Wealth Management.

In contrast, the NFT and Betting & Daily Fantasy subcategories “saw the most significant contraction, with decreases of 17 and eight sponsorship deals, respectively, suggesting a noticeable shift away from these areas,” according to the 2023 MLS Marketing Partnerships Report.

For the second consecutive year, Sporting Kansas City led all MLS teams in sponsorship deals with 125.

“Sporting Kansas City has not only maintained their first-place position but has also expanded their lead, boasting 13% more sponsorship deals than the second-place club,” according to SponsorUnited.

They were followed by Austin FC (111) and FC Cincinnati (107).

Among team deals, Los Angeles Football Club and BMO financial services provider in January unveiled a naming rights partnership under which the home of LAFC was renamed BMO Stadium beginning with the 2023 season.

According to Forbes, “The deal will pay $100 million over a 10-year period (and) is the largest naming rights partnership in Major League Soccer history by average annual value.”

The venue, which seats 22,000, is also home to the National Women's Soccer League Angel City Football Club.

Messi is the second highest-paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes.

He earns $130 million total, with $65 million from off-field deals, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo ($136 million total earnings/$90 million off-field).

Among Messi’s lead partners is adidas.

He also has deals that include PepsiCo brands Pepsi, Gatorade and Lay’s; Anheuser-Busch, MasterCard and South Florida-based Hard Rock International.

Messi also drove ticket sales across MLS, according to StubHub.

“Sales for the MLS season (on StubHub) were up 160%, sales from buyers outside the U.S. went up 220% and Inter Miami CF became the most in-demand team in the league after his arrival,” according to the just-released StubHub 2023 Year in Live Experiences report.

In July, MLS and Soccer United Marketing, the marketing arm for MLS, unveiled a multi-year sponsorship extension between AT&T and MLS and the Leagues Cup, Federación Mexicana de Futbol. AT&T has been a MLS partner 2009 and U.S. Soccer since 2013 (an alliance it extended this past April).

AT&T was also title sponsor for the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.

“AT&T is an incredible supporter of the growth of soccer throughout North America,” Gary Stevenson, MLS deputy commissioner, said via the league at the time. “We are proud to continue to work with AT&T in support of MLS, Leagues Cup and the Mexican Men’s and Women’s National Teams’ U.S. Tours in creative, and innovative ways.”

MLS partners this past season also included Allstate, Avant, Campbell Snacks, Captain Morgan, Caterpillar, Celsius, Coca-Cola, DoorDash, EA Sports, Heineken, The Home Depot, IHG Hotels & Resorts, JLab, Procter & Gamble, Sorare and Target.

After Messi, the Top Five players with sponsorship deals were Los Angeles FC's Kellyn Acosta (13), LA Galaxy's Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez (11), Nashville SC's Walker Zimmerman (10) and the Houston Dynamo's Hector Herrera (7).

The 2023 MLS Marketing Partnerships Report covers the period from Feb. 1, 2023, through Nov. 10, 2023.

SponsorUnited said it tracks more than 1.6 million sponsorships and endorsements for 330,000 brands.

MLS Marketers, Media Pitch In For the 2023 Season

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