Sponcon Scouting Report: MLS Opening Weekend

👋 Welcome back to Sponcon Sports, a weekly newsletter dedicated to sponsored content strategy in the sports industry!

Too often, sports teams treat theme nights as just an in-venue experience, missing the chance to create a fully integrated activation that engages fans beyond game night.

When done right, theme nights become the gold standard for corporate partnerships, reaching fans in the arena, online, and in the community. The Sacramento Kings’ Lunar New Year celebration is a perfect example.

Partnering with Red Hawk Casino, they gave all 18,000+ fans a co-branded fortune cookie featuring Kings-themed fortunes, lucky numbers, and a QR code for a digital Scratch & Win experience. Nearly 10,000 fans have already played, and the cookies are now available at select Sacramento restaurants while supplies last.

That’s a huge win—turning a simple giveaway into an interactive experience with a 56% conversion rate and extended reach into the local community. A well-planned theme night isn’t just fun—it’s a powerful, multi-channel engagement tool when built with integration in mind.

In Today’s Edition:

• MLS Sponcon Scouting Report 🔍️

• Pixel Perfect LeagueFits Drop 🤳

• B/R Walk-Off’s Holliday Shoe Game 👟

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
The Best Sponsored Content From MLS’s Kickoff

MLS’s 30th season is here, and so is a fresh wave of brand creativity!

With teams back on the pitch, brands are finding new ways to connect with fans—through clever content series names, seamless product integrations, and activations that feel tailor-made for their partners.

I tracked the best executions from opening week, so you don’t have to. Let’s dive in!

New and Notable

Things got cheesy in the Pacific Northwest! The Portland Timbers had players hand out Tillamook sliced cheddar as yellow cards. After seeing the San Jose Earthquakes’ sponsored opponent yellow card posts, I’d love to see Timber Joey record GIFs (for X), sponsored by Tillamook, of him handing out cheddar cards.

Real Salt Lake’s Player Care series, presented by Intermountain Health, delivered a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Diego Luna’s recovery from a shattered nose, breaking down the process and the tech behind his custom mask.

The Columbus Crew kicked off their season with Goosebumps Night, celebrating their new Goosebumps Kit—inspired by Columbus native R.L. Stine’s iconic series (and their supporters’ tifos). The first UV-reactive kit in MLS history featured slime detailing that came to life under UV light. Fans also scored UV-activated beanies, courtesy of Nationwide, and the Goosebumps aesthetic carried through all matchday creative.

Note - this isn’t sponsored yet, but this framework could be a great Tunnel Cam opportunity for the Crew.

St. Louis CITY SC lit up the stadium—literally—by giving fans LED wristbands for a pre-kickoff light show, fittingly sponsored by stadium naming rights partner Energizer. The photos and video from that moment were electric. If other clubs do this, they should capture it from the fans’ POV, as the Detroit Lions did, and also showcase the branded wristband strap.

Atlanta United’s Match Stats, presented by Georgia Lottery, now features a scratch-off ticket aesthetic in 2025, strengthening its brand connection compared to 2024.

The Name Game

Sometimes, a great name is all it takes to make a sponsored content series feel custom for a brand partner. A catchy title sticks with fans—especially when extended to in-venue videoboard features.

MLS brought the creativity this year, starting with an all-time favorite: Publix Substitutions—or Pub Subs—which cleverly ties into what fans already call the grocery chain’s sandwiches. This series runs across multiple clubs, including Inter Miami CF, Orlando City SC, Atlanta United FC, and Nashville SC.

Speaking of Nashville, Rolling In Style is a perfect fit for Discount Tire, making it a must-save name for the tire category. Bonus points for the logo design—it’s big, but the transparent background and light border keep it clean.

Sporting KC used a similar approach with Children’s Mercy’s preseason presenting sponsorship.

Great Clips came through with a double dose of memorable series names. There’s Sporting KC’s Great Clips From The Road, a broad concept that ropes in moments from team travel, game day arrivals, and hype videos. Over in Charlotte, Clip Notes puts a punny twist on the club’s game recaps.

On the flip side, Orlando City SC’s game previews are fittingly named The Road Ahead, presented by Audi.

It’s always a win when you can weave a brand name into the content itself. St. Louis CITY SC nailed it with Post-Match Breakdown, presented by Post Cereal, and FC Cincinnati did the same with First Half Stats, sponsored by First Financial Bank.

By The Numbers is a go-to for the lottery category, as the New York Red Bulls showed with the New Jersey Lottery. (Other favorites: Inside The Numbers and Winning Numbers.)

Over in Portland, Beef and Banter has Timbers teammates Juan Mosquera and Jimer Fory answering Old Trapper question cards—because nothing pairs better than beef jerky and a little friendly roasting.

And finally, maybe the best of the bunch—Columbus Crew’s uniform spotlight, Matchday Teezer (shown above), presented by Swensons Drive-In. The connection? Swensons serves Potato Teezers. Simple, smart, and snackable.

But a great name is only part of the equation—let's talk about how brands are integrating into broader content strategies.

Brand-Content Alignment

Many teams have beer brands sponsoring their Man of the Match series, but few tailor it to their partners. Toronto FC and FC Cincinnati stood out with Superior Player of the Match (Michelob ULTRA) and Heineken Star of the Match, while Austin FC ditched the standard graphic and put its series name on a YETI cooler.

Brand diversity also showed up in Game Previews across MLS. NYCFC (Ford) and Chicago Fire FC (Hyundai) leaned into the auto category with Keys to the Match, Atlanta United put a spin on it with Tools of the Match (The Home Depot), and Charlotte FC went with Ingredients of the Match (Harris Teeter).

As we spoke about two weeks ago, transaction content sponsorships also showcased variety. Across the league, we saw fintech (Sporting KC, Timbers x Shift 4 + MLS x Avant), crypto (New York Red Bulls x Oanda), professional services (Philadelphia Union x Primepoint), and moving & storage (NYCFC x Dumbo Moving & Storage).

NYCFC took things global, sharing kickoff times in partnership with future stadium naming rights sponsor Etihad, while Aldar Away Days brought their travel content to life.

On The Run was a perfect match for St. Louis CITY SC’s kickoff tune-in posts.

I’ve seen plenty of brands on 24 Hours Until Kickoff posts, but props to Austin FC for going in a "one more sleep” direction, with Milton Sleep Co. as the sponsor.

Tale of the Tape content is a natural fit for sportsbooks. Toronto FC nailed this with FanDuel Head to Head, which not only fits the pregame window but also helps educate fans on their bets.

And finally, perfect sponsor fits: Philadelphia Airport backing the Union’s plane travel content., and Homage sponsoring the Crew’s T-Shirt Cannon.

When the right brand meets the right moment fans are more likely to take notice.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

[Social Value: $79,549] Fanatics teamed up with Mike Trout and Freddie Freeman to surprise two young collectors who lost everything in the Los Angeles fires.

[Social Value: $3,434] For the second week in a row, NASCAR delivered slick product integration—this time for Prime Video. Their latest edit raised the bar for tune-in-focused social posts.

[Social Value: $2,559] If you’ve ever been to a bridal shower, you know the shoe game. B/R Walk-Off put their own spin on it with Jackson and Ethan Holliday—and I’m saving this one to pitch to a shoe brand.

[Social Value: $52,380] Mercedes’ F1 livery reveal wasn’t just at the F1 75 event. With help from WhatsApp, the “Built Privately” campaign returned (See Sponsored Content of the Week) with a twist, teasing, then, delivering the W16 to Covent Garden, King’s Cross, and Grand Central Station.

[Social Value: $37,216] Speaking of sequels to successful campaigns (See Sponsored Content of the Week), Google Pixel and SLAM’s @LeagueFits launched the first edition of LeagueFits Magazine, with cover star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot on a Pixel 9 Pro. Gemini Live even assisted LeagueFits editor Ian Pierno. The debut issue dropped at Google Pixel House during NBA All-Star Weekend.

*Social value is defined as the full equivalent media value of this social post based on applicable impressions, video views, and engagements.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Stat of the Week: According to the Sponsorship Marketing Association’s 2025 Sponsorship Research Report, the top three audience engagement metrics for sponsors are sentiment analysis (50%), likes/shares/comments (44%), and survey feedback (44%) [h/t Neil Horowitz].

Must Read: As part of Lia Haberman’s Expert Series, Katie Steckly shared a five-step strategy for growing your YouTube channel. I won’t spoil it all (it’s for ICYMI paid subscribers), but the tip about the 1 of 10 Chrome extension alone made upgrading to the higher tier worth it.

Stream For YouTube: Dizplai CEO Ed Abis breaks down the biggest mistake rights holders make when adopting YouTube livestreaming.

Smashing New Partnership: The ATP and Overtime are partnering to launch new social platforms featuring top tennis stars and Overtime talent, bringing behind-the-scenes content to 100M+ young fans.

Instagram’s DM Evolition: Instagram rolled out several DM updates, including QR codes to invite friends to Group Chats—an intriguing way to surprise and delight fans in-venue.

Sparking Shorts: YouTube added a “Promote” button for Shorts, making it easier for creators to boost videos to engaged viewers.

Ref Cam Gets The Call: ESPN continued testing the MindFly AI BodyCam last weekend in a men’s college hoops matchup between Iowa State and Houston with CourtCast, an alternate feed showing the game through the eyes of three officials [via Brandon Costa, Sports Video Group]. Here’s a look at the BodyCam footage, courtesy of Neil Horowitz.