In addition to social, cultural, political and economic aspects, globalization has also influenced sports and the universe of games. It is not new that these two markets have explored different businesses together and, over time, some cases of sponsorship by brands linked to electronic games stamping uniforms and equipment for athletes and sports teams have gone down in history.
The list includes football teams, ice hockey, motorsport and even the current two-time Formula 1 world champion. Among the companies, there are famous developers, online platforms, characters and even one of the most famous football games in the world.
PokerStars and the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings
Considered one of the best free poker sites in the world, the PokerStars platform is one of the best known brands to sponsor teams from different sports in the sports world. In December 2022, the company entered into a partnership with the Detroit Red Wings, from the world’s leading ice hockey league, the National Hockey League (NHL).
Headquartered in the main city of the US state of Michigan, the Red Wings are the biggest champions of the Stanley Cup, the grand final of the NHL, equivalent to the Super Bowl in American football. Despite its 11 titles, the franchise has not won the competition since the 2007-08 season. The agreement reached involves stamping the brand on uniforms and marketing materials and offering rewards and exclusive experiences to fans, among other actions.
Sega and Williams, from Formula 1
In the 1990s, two brands stood out in the global market. Sega was Nintendo’s main competitor in the video game segment, while the Williams team dominated the competition on the Formula 1 tracks. More precisely in 1993, the Japanese developer and publisher and the English team decided to team up with a sponsorship contract that marked era.
Referring to the speed of the memorable FW15, Sega created a design of the character Sonic on the side of the car, generating the impression that the blue hedgehog was driving. Later that year, the Asian company sponsored the European GP, promoting a themed race and delivering a customized Sonic trophy to Ayrton Senna, the winner of the race. The problem is that the Brazilian was driving a rival McLaren car.
Konami and Flamengo, from soccer
Speaking of Brazil, one of the biggest clubs in the country was another that signed a partnership with a Japanese company. In this case, Flamengo and the video game developer reached an agreement in 2020 for the Asian brand to stamp the Rio team’s training uniforms. The package valid until June 2023 maintained the exclusivity agreement for the Red-Blacks in the game Pro Evolution Soccer, renamed as eFootball in July 2021.
Nintendo and Fiorentina, from football
Still in the world’s most popular sport, one of the most famous sponsorships involving a company in the world of games took place in the late 1990s, when the giant Nintendo signed a contract with Fiorentina (ITA) valid between 1997 and 2000. print of the oriental publisher’s logo on the purple shirt of the Italian club was hugely successful and is still remembered by the most nostalgic fans.
EA Sports and Max Verstappen of Formula 1
Finally, a direct sponsorship of a brand linked to the games to an athlete is the most recent on the list. With a contract closed in February 2023, the giant American sports game developer EA Sports, Electronic Arts, will stamp the bottom of the helmet of the two-time world champion Dutchman. In addition, Verstappen will collaborate to create content with the company, which is responsible for the official Formula 1 game worldwide.
