Sports Marketing in Pictures
Below you’ll find a selection of photos of sports marketing that I have taken over the years.
More photos will follow soon.
This Bud’s for view. – Tim next to an American beer promotion at RFK Stadium circa 1993
Sports marketing has developed significantly since I started following football, rugby union and cricket from the late 1960s onward.
Sport’s changing commercial landscape has been brought home to me on many occasions, not least when I bought a postcard in the USA depicting a major sports stadium. On the reverse of the card it stated that the venue couldn’t be referred to by its official sponsored name as this would increase the purchase price of the postcard. This was one of many wake-up calls to me that the licensing, branding and ‘commodification’ of sport was irreversible.
In sport, some relationships with sponsors are obvious, such as Premier League side Arsenal naming their ground the Emirates Stadium. Other associations however require a bit more detective work. For example the Swiss wrestling sport of Schwingen is performed wearing a traditional patterned shirt. So it takes an eagle- eyed visitor to Switzerland to spot the Schwingen shirt design being used on Swiss chocolate bar wrappers. Sporting cultures are everywhere and discovering them can be fascinating.
One thing I enjoy on my sporting travels is discovering how local teams promote themselves. Here are two examples of sports clubs using public transport to maintain their local profile.
A Cardiff double decker bus featuring the city’s football, rugby and ice hockey teams is parked outside the Cardiff City soccer stadium.
(Picture courtesy of Cardiff Council)
Tim Evans snapped the double decker passing through Westgate Street in the city centre. This side of the bus also features a bike referencing Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas and his 2018 Tour Du France victory
Trams wind their way through Basel town centre and over the River Rhine displaying the club badge and colours of FC Basel.
All tram images are sourced with thanks to BVB
The town sky line also features on the inside collar of the FC Basel shirt
The Wales national rugby side have also carried a slogan inside their shirt collars which translates to “This is our game, this is Welsh rugby”
To find out more about the sports marketing photos below just hover over any of the images and a short text will identify them
