The apparel and accessories category has long been a prominent player in sponsorships across US major pro sports. Let’s take a quick look at some of the leading brands dominating deals across the five major leagues.

More than 200 unique brands secured sponsorships or media across MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, and the NHL over the last 12 months, averaging three sponsorship deals per brand. adidas tops the list with over 70 partnerships, including deals with every MLS and NHL team, as well as both leagues. New Era—the exclusive cap supplier of MLB since 1993—follows with north of 40 sponsorships, including partnerships with all 30 MLB teams and the league itself. Rounding out the top three is Nike, whose high-profile collaborations with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Dolphins rank among its more than 30 sponsorships.

Nike has also served as the exclusive uniform supplier of the NFL, NBA, and MLB since 2012, 2017, and 2020, respectively. adidas has supplied the official kits for all MLS and NHL teams since 2017, and in February extended its MLS partnership through 2030. The NHL announced a new 10-year deal in March with Fanatics, which will replace adidas as the league’s official on-ice uniform outfitter starting with the 2024–25 season. 

On the social media front, the apparel and accessories category has garnered a total engagement of 25M in the last year. adidas dominated social campaigns thanks to its partnership with Inter Miami CF, generating 2.7M engagements across 11 posts (the highest engagement in the category). The campaign’s top post—where Lionel Messi unveiled Inter Miami’s third kit of the season on Instagram—racked up 1.6M total interactions.

Other brands with growing sponsorship portfolios to watch include Hugo Boss (14 deals, including the Dallas Cowboys, Patrick Mahomes, and Alvin Kamara); Mitchell & Ness (9 deals, including the NBA, NFL, and Carlo Colaiacovo); UNRL (4 deals, including the Minnesota Vikings, Adam Thielen, and T.J. Hockenson); and NOBULL (2 partnerships with the NFL and New England Patriots).