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

Last week I discovered a cool trick: adding timecodes to X copy can instantly jump to specific points in videos.

I stumbled upon this feature thanks to Marcus Filipsson’s post, where he shared the full-length episode of his Sports Management Podcast.

X is just one of the platforms encouraging creators to publish long-form content. Adding timecodes is a fantastic way to enhance user experience, giving viewers the freedom to navigate to the content they're interested in.

This tactic could be particularly effective for sponcon, like Plays of the Week/Month/Year, press conference coverage, team podcasts, or even longer highlight reels. It's reminiscent of the Los Angeles Chargers Instagram carousel table of contents we highlighted back in January.

Speaking of the Chargers, they've found success with incredibly long-form videos on X (which allows uploads of up to 2 hours with a Premium subscription). Incorporating timecodes into content like this, such as organizing highlights by season, could further enhance the fan experience.

In Today’s Edition:

• Breaking Down The Yankees’ Controversial Betting Sponcon 💰️ 

• A Maple Leafs Contest Win Via Organic Social 👑 

• Barbie Makes Her 1st Appearance At A PWHL Game 🏒 

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
Did the Yankees' FanDuel Sponcon Go Too Far?

The New York Yankees caused quite a stir on Opening Day.

Shortly after the team's 5-4 win against the Houston Astros, they posted this FanDuel-sponsored content highlighting one of the sportsbook's player prop bets that cashed.

It produced 5.7M impressions and a wave of disgust through 1,000+ comments and quotes.

Why was it scrutinized?

Even I was surprised when I saw this post. In my experience across MLB, the NBA, and the NHL, prop bets from team accounts had to be team-focused.

The fact that this post was player-focused struck a chord with fans.

Adding to the controversy, just days earlier, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani became the center of investigations by law enforcement and Major League Baseball after his longtime interpreter was accused of running up at least $4.5 million in gambling debts with an illegal bookmaker.

This, coupled with MLB's history with gambling, including the 1919 Black Sox game-fixing scandal and Pete Rose's ban for betting on his own team, heightened sensitivities.

Plus, the post went live on Opening Day when fans' attention is at its peak outside the Postseason.

Why did the Yankees do it?

So why did the Yankees launch a new sponsored content series focused on player props?

They didn't.

The Yankees ran the same content last season with significantly less negative sentiment. There were a few complaints here and there, but fans seemed mostly okay with it.

The series ran on a weekly cadence but didn’t begin until midway through the season, on June 13th.

It also performed pretty well! Over 15 posts, the series averaged 127.7K impressions, 1.4K engagements, and a 1.1% engagement rate per post.

Should this sponcon exist?

With those results and minimal negative sentiment, it was a no-brainer to bring it back this season.

Yes, the timing of the first post this season was unfortunate. They could have held off for a week or two and made up those posts later in the season.

That said, I can understand how the Yankees arrived at this decision.

1. The series resonated well with fans last season.

2. When you have the opportunity to knock out a weekly sponsored post on day one of the week, you take it - sponsored content usually performs best after wins, and no more wins were guaranteed that week.

Despite some unfortunate timing, this is my favorite sponsored content series in the sportsbook category across the industry.

Most sponsored content in this category focuses on the pregame window (e.g. Starting Lineups, Boosted Bets, Prop Polls, Betting Lines), aiming to keep sportsbooks top of mind and encourage wagers before the game begins.

This series does the opposite, showcasing bets fans could have cashed.

It's very similar to how betting accounts and sportsbooks will post winning parlays with huge payouts. It gives fans a sense of hope that they can do the same, encouraging future gameplay.

Additionally, not only does the series leverage content the team would already post in player highlights, but it's also easy to activate, with the only branded integration appearing in the copy. That copy helps drive brand consideration for FanDuel by showing how you can win with their product.

While there is some debate about how overtly this content encourages gambling, it's simple and effective. To say it doesn't have a place in baseball or in sports at large would be ignoring the fact that sportsbook partnerships within leagues are here to stay.

💼 CASE STUDY
Sponsored Content of the Week

Promoting a contest through organic social media can be challenging, especially if it requires fans to venture off-platform to participate.

To stand a chance at grabbing attention, your post needs to be entertaining, educational, or evoke an emotional response – or ideally, a combination of all three.

Last week, we showcased a stellar example that leveraged entertainment to draw attention to Michelob ULTRA’s Greenside Sweepstakes. This week, the Toronto Maple Leafs captured hearts by tapping into an emotional connection for their Crown Royal Generosity Scout Contest.

The Leafs collabed with Zachery Dereniowski, aka @mdmotivator (5.4M followers), which was a brilliant move. The team has worked with him before and his content radiates generosity, making him the perfect ambassador for this campaign.

Note - use of the collab tool is key in extending reach since the post will live on both the Maple Leafs’ and Zach’s Instagram accounts.

If you're not familiar with Zach, he's renowned for his inspiring acts of kindness. Having collaborated with numerous sports teams and leagues in the past, he even collabed with MLB the day before this activation.

In the video, Zach waited for someone to help him jump his car. Harold stepped up to help and turns out he’s been a Maple Leafs fan for 55 years!

To repay him for his generosity, Zach gave Harold the new Leafs jersey off his back, $1,000, and tickets to that night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers - courtesy of Crown Royal.

Sadly, Harold couldn’t attend the game. He did not want to break off plans with his nephew who’s really ill.

Seriously, who’s cutting onions?!

Instead, Harold paid it forward and gave the tickets to another Maple Leafs fan for free and the video ends with that fan at the game, excited to be back at Scotiabank Arena.

The video has generated 2.7M views and 117.4K engagements, plus an additional 258K views and 16.3K engagements on Zach’s Facebook page.

The impact of using an emotional connection is evident in the Instagram Reel compared to the Maple Leafs' post promoting the contest on X. The Reel generated over 57 times more views and 926 times more engagements than the post on X.

Not only was the performance outstanding, but the campaign also aligned perfectly with Crown Royal's ethos. The contest's name aligns with the brand's tagline, "live generously, and life will treat you royally."

Even the prizes were delivered in Crown Royal's iconic pouch. Contest winners will have another opportunity to engage with Crown Royal as they'll receive tickets to their branded suite.

As laid out in the post’s caption, fans could enter the contest through the Maple Leafs' App by submitting a brief explanation of the generous person they're nominating for a chance to win tickets in the Crown Royal Generosity Suite.

I’ll be keeping my eyes on the Maple Leafs to see if there’s a follow-up with Harold and his nephew (if appropriate).

The Takeaway
To bridge the gap between a partner’s message and why your followers should care, we need to bring something special to the table.

This post emphasizes the importance of emotional storytelling and strategic thinking—from teaming up with the right creators to aligning campaigns with brand values—to make contest content truly compelling.

🔍 SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

Barbie stopped by a PWHL game during her trip to Montreal. The post had followers asking where they could buy the PWHL merch and or a PWHL Barbie.

Loved the latest episode of the Buffalo Sabres’ Between 2 Stalls presented by Smartwater (with loads of product integration!). The deadpan humor and cutaways reminded me of Chicken Shop Date.

Oklahoma State Athletics is using a very creative logo integration for Monster Energy on sponsored Instagram carousels that I’ve never seen before.

Real Madrid C.F. dropped their Y-3 digital 4th kit exclusively on EA Sports FC.

McLaren F1 strikes again with another piece of great LEGO sponcon, this time using stop motion. That’s back-to-back posts with 4.1M+ views.

Did Liverpool FC just make recycling sponcon fun? You have to check out this video sponsored by SC Johnson.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Must Watch: Sports creator Jesse Riedel (aka Jesser - 18M subscribers) appeared on The Colin and Samir Show and shared lessons (51-minute mark to end) sports leagues and teams can learn from creators’ success [The Publish Press].

Local Influencer Impact On Sports: John WallStreet explored how local influencers and content creators have become an important part of the sports media ecosystem, including a case study from Seton Hall’s men’s basketball program.

Sportsbook x Baseball Sponcon Name: ICYMI, the New York Mets’ Veteran of the Game on Opening Day was Seymour Weiner. Why mention that here? The next day, they utilized that moment for their videoboard feature sponsored by Caesars Sportsbook. Bettor’s Box is a great content series name within baseball for the category.

Gear Up For Playoffs: Immediately after the New York Rangers secured a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they launched a Clinch Celebration Sale offering fans 15% off Rangers gear and free shipping for anyone using their Chase card.

Attend Athlete Con: We’ve talked about how NIL deals are underutilized by sports teams and leagues. If you want to connect with athlete-creators for future NIL campaigns, sign up to attend the world's first sports convention dedicated to bringing athlete-creators together to compete and win brand deals.

Follower Count Isn’t King: Consider adding this note to pitch decks or to guide your next influencer campaign. The Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, said follower counts matter less than view and like counts.