The Tune-In Power of Sports Sponcon

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

Complex dropped two content series last week that need to be in your digital partnership playbook.

• X-Rayed: A short-form series that premiered with Ja’Marr Chase reviewing his travel essentials as his luggage bins rolled through an X-ray machine.

• Card Shopping: Modeled after Complex’s hit show Sneaker Shopping, Joe La Puma stays in the host seat—this time taking Tom Brady card shopping.

Both formats are highly replicable and built for sponsorship.

X-Rayed is a natural fit for the travel category. Beyond a “presented by,” brands could own the bins—inside and out—especially for when the show cuts to that overhead shot. I’m a fan of the concept, but a word of caution: not every team is built for an “essentials” video. Read this to make sure the execution makes sense before you pitch it.

Card Shopping might be the more exciting opportunity. Sneaker Shopping became a staple of sports YouTube, but not every athlete is into sneakers—making it tough to scale.

Card collecting has wider appeal—for both athletes and fans. And cards can lead to conversations that go way beyond one sport. It’s a flexible, evergreen format.

Target partners in financial (credit cards, payment processors) and insurance (collector coverage, appraisal services) categories.

Shoutout to Arianna Allen, the Houston Texans’ social media coordinator, who mentioned following Complex for inspiration on the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast. It reminded me to check their feed—just in time to catch these new shows.

If you’re reading this and don’t work in content, do yourself a favor and listen to Arianna walk through a week in the life of a social media coordinator (51:58–1:00:03). You’ll walk away with a deeper appreciation for the planning, effort, and cross-functional alignment it takes to drive and sustain a successful digital partnerships business.

In Today’s Edition:

• Sports x Streaming Playbook 🎥 

• Juventus In Reveal Mode 🪄

• Overheard In Philly 🏌️

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
Why Sports Are The New MVP Of Entertainment Marketing

One of the smartest plays in sports digital partnerships this year? Using sponsored content to drive tune-in for movies and TV shows.

And when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.

Sports offer entertainment marketers access to massive, highly engaged audiences—right when fans are most dialed in.

Unlike traditional partnerships that span an entire season, teams and leagues allow for flexible, flighted campaigns and one-off moments—perfect for the fast-paced, deadline-driven nature of entertainment marketing.

And that marketing? It’s evolved.

Gone are the days of relying solely on late-night interviews and print or banner ads. Studios are now embedding talent into creator-led content like Hot Ones, Chicken Shop Date, and social-first series like Wishbone Kitchen and TrackStar.

In that context, sports digital partnerships are just another version of creator marketing—with the team or league as the creator.

Here’s how sports can play a starring role in your next tune-in campaign.

Themed Creative and Standalone Moments

Themed games around a movie or TV property aren’t new, but they work—especially when they help drive attendance for less in-demand matchups.

One lower-lift execution (with the right planning) is updating your game day graphics to match the theme. The Chicago White Sox and Real Salt Lake both did this for their recent Star Wars Nights. A tool like Slate (not sponsored) can make this even easier.

Visually, it creates what feels like a full takeover—both in-venue and online.

That said, you don’t need a full-on themed night to integrate entertainment partners into a game day. One-off moments can make a big splash on social.

The Los Angeles Lakers tapped into creator culture by partnering with @DudeWithSign and @DudetteWithSign to promote Drop (the movie). On the other side of the country, the New York Mets brought in The Walking Dead’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan (and the Walkers!) to promote season two of Dead City.

Both posts racked up six-figure engagement numbers.

Here are two strategies to make the most of these moments:

1. Use the collab tool on Instagram and TikTok whenever possible. It’s a powerful way for both brands to tap into each other’s audiences.

2. Don’t post everything in real time. On the partner side, save some content to drop on the day of the premiere for a second wave of visibility.

3. Capture evergreen content during Media Day. The Lakers did this with a Squid Game Dalgona Candy Contest.

Pro Tip:
When planning a theme night, loop in your content team early. It’s the best way to ensure the deliverables promised to a sponsor will actually resonate with fans. Skipping this step often results in content that underperforms—or barely reaches your audience at all.

Streaming In Style

Jersey sponsorships are a prime spot to build awareness for movies and TV shows.

Paramount+ did just that through its front-of-shirt deal with Inter Milan—players wore Ninja Turtles-themed kits in their match against Genoa CFC.

Speaking of Genoa, back in December, they took the field against Napoli in a special third kit to promote Squid Game Season 2. The show’s logo appeared on the lower front of the jersey, and players also wore Squid Game-themed pre-match jackets.

But using the jersey isn’t just about putting a logo on the front. You could take a page out of the FC Bayern–Allianz playbook and turn that jersey logo into a QR code. For one game, that QR code could drive fans to exclusive content or limited-time offers tied to the entertainment property.

Make The Moment Count

No matter which creative route you take, every campaign should be supported by a flighted media package. Even short-term activations can make a big impact when backed by the right assets—and rights holders have plenty to offer.

Run-of-Site (ROS) Banners & Pre-Roll Ads: Lock in guaranteed impressions by running display and video ads in the month leading up to a premiere.

Homepage Takeovers: Choose a date during premiere week to give the property a 100% share of voice on your most-visited page.

Email (Dedicated or Inclusions): Dedicated emails offer another shot at total share of voice—this time with an asset built for lower-funnel conversion. If inventory is tight, consider newsletter inclusions as an alternative.

Guest Appearances: If you have access to talent, plug them into your podcasts or pregame shows. These appearances help with SEO and give celebrities a chance to promote their latest project on-air.

Sweepstakes: Offer fans a chance to win a pregame meet-and-greet with a player and celebrity guest. Then pass those qualified leads to your partner for remarketing.

Engagement Remarketing: Share a custom audience of fans who interacted with your content tied to the entertainment property. They’ve already shown interest—now let your partner continue the journey.

Paired with the right creative, this kind of support turns a cool idea into a full-funnel campaign.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

[Social Value: $150,939] Juventus went full reveal mode last week when it came to front-of-shirt sponsors. First, they faked a player engagement to spotlight Jeep. Then, they debuted a new addition—Visit Detroit—now sitting below Jeep on the kit.

[Social Value: $36,022] Longtime readers know I love the NBA’s Fantastic Finishes series. Now @MLBOnFOX has added a sharp twist: win probability placed above the permanent score bug. It’s a slick upgrade—and one I’d pitch immediately to Sportsbook and Lottery brands.

[Social Value: $42,431] The Overheard concept, which Wimbledon made viral last summer, just popped up on the PGA Tour. Their version came with a Philly spin at the Truist Championship.

[Social Value: $80,780] Liverpool continued its partnership with John Nellis and UPS, delivering another feel-good moment—this time surprising three Reds fans with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

[Social Value: $34,136] The New York Jets just launched The Offseason presented by Audi—a three-part docuseries covering the hiring of a new head coach and GM, plus free agency and the NFL Draft.

*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

Speedy Sponcon: IShowSpeed announced a new YouTube series: Speed Goes Pro—a six-part competition show in partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Creator Brain Unlocked: Rachel Karten laid out 26 helpful ways to approach the creative process of working in social media [via Link In Bio].

Revenue Rankings Revealed: Two Circles dropped the 2025 Sports Revenue League, ranking the top 20 IP owners in global sports by revenue. The report breaks down who's growing fastest, how they're doing it, and the innovations driving both audience and commercial growth.

Smart Sponsor Moves: Dan Kozlak, VP of Strategy at IEG, shared four smart ways sponsors can extract more value from partnerships on their side of the table.

Top 100 Pods: YouTube dropped a new Weekly Podcast Shows chart, ranking the top 100 podcasts in the U.S. on the platform.