‍SponsorUnited Releases MLS 2021 Marketing & Partnerships Annual Report

MLS surpasses $400M in team sponsorship revenues

Today, SponsorUnited, the leading data platform for sports and entertainment, released the first MLS Marketing & Partnerships Annual Report from the 2021 season. This report highlights trends in sponsorships and partnership data surrounding Major League Soccer and their 27 teams. Take a specialized look into over 2,200 active brands buying sponsorships / media within the MLS space in the report, available now at SponsorUnited.com.

MLS surpasses $400M in team sponsorship revenues in 2021.

Roughly half of revenues were driven by six industries: Finance, Healthcare, Automotive, Technology, Insurance, and Media.

Brands eye Major League Soccer as an opportunity to capture younger, new generation growth. MLS saw a 40% increase in brands since 2019. With the buzz around the 2022 World Cup (Qatar), companies may take the leap towards a long-term plan for the 2028 World Cup (US).

Local brands are more likely to invest as a primary jersey sponsor for their MLS clubs.

Of the 27 MLS teams, more than half of the main jersey kit sponsors are headquartered in their local market.

Gaming is shifting the sponsorship landscape with more new deals than any other category.

28 of the 30 net new deals were with Sports Betting brands, while only two were with lotteries and none with daily fantasy apps.

North American soccer television viewership resurges from unusual year.

TV deals in the MLS have seen a steady increase of 60% since 2019, while the 2021 MLS Cup also saw a 38% increase in viewership from 2019.

Although vacant of a league sponsorship, cryptocurrency is ready to take off.As the most searched category on the SponsorUnited platform, expect a big footprint in the near future. Players have also already started to accept crypto as their salary.

For a deeper look, and to access many other insights, download the SponsorUnited MLS 2021 Marketing & Partnerships Annual Report at SponsorUnited.com.

Methodology

This report was compiled using SponsorUnited’s proprietary platform data from January 2021, through January 2022.

*Social Data Compiled from Property or Person-Controlled Instagram, Facebook and Twitter Accounts and Social Activity.