Rahul NareshThis article contains information regarding the organisations enjoying a strong branding presence across Major League Baseball’s (MLB) physical and digital assets as its sponsors and partners for the 2024 season.
Also read: Major League Soccer (MLS) Sponsors 2023
Adobe
San Jose, California-based software tech company Adobe’s partnership with MLB focuses on improving fan engagement, personalised promotions, VIP access ballparks and concessions, and more.
Booking.com
Online hotel booking service provider Booking.com signed on as the Official Online Travel Partner of MLB in March 2023.
As per the deal, the two parties work together to make travelling within the US for MLB matches easier for fans. Exclusive discounts on accommodation are also part of the agreement.
Budweiser
An Anheuser-Busch product, Budweiser has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with the league that dates back to the 1980s. The longest in MLB history, this collaboration was extended again in March 2022 for Budweiser to continue as the league’s co-exclusive beer sponsor.
As per the deal, Budweiser enjoys visibility across the MLB teams’ locker rooms and stadiums.
After announcing the March 2022 renewal, Budweiser also engaged heavily with the MLB fans and brought back the “Hit the Buds” programme.
Capital One
Capital One, a McLean, Virginia-based financial corporation, landed a reported US$125m deal in March 2022 to become MLB’s official bank and credit card partner for five years.
As per the deal, Capital One uses the branding of the league and its teams for promotional purposes. Capital One is also a presenting sponsor of the World Series.
Casamigos
George Clooney-founded tequila company Casamigos is also listed as an official MLB sponsor heading into the 2024 season on the league’s official website.
Chevrolet
General Motors’ Chevrolet brand is another long-time sponsor of the league and continues to serve as its official vehicle. This relationship began in 2005 and was last extended in 2016 on a multi-year basis.
As per the deal, the two parties have worked together to donate over 90,000 equipment kits, reconstruct over 9,400 parks, and improve the lives of over five million children in the US.
Church & Dwight
Consumer goods manufacturing company Church & Dwight signed an extension for its partnership with MLB in 2017. Their agreement initially began in 2014.
This deal sees Church & Dwight carry out promotional campaigns and offer fans All-Star and World Series match tickets.
Corona
The Mexico-originating beer brand announced a multi-year partnership with MLB in March 2022.
This partnership has resulted in a customised content platform on the MLB website as well as the MLB Network. It also entails in-stadium branding and activations for fans above the age of 21.
Dairy Queen
MLB announced its partnership with Dairy Queen, a Minnesota-based leader in the US food industry, in 2022. It then announced a renewal of this agreement in April 2023.
Several MLB stars like Ozzie Albies, Kris Bryant, Byron Buxton, and Freddie Freeman have participated in Dairy Queen’s marketing campaigns as part of the deal.
In the past, Dairy Queen has also partnered with Little League International, serving as its Official Postgame Destination.
Evan Williams
American whiskey brand Evan Williams signed a partnership agreement with MLB in 2016 and has served as an official sponsor of the competition ever since.
This partnership has previously seen the two parties work together on giveaways for the World Series.
Extreme Networks
Extreme Networks became the Official Wi-Fi Solutions Provider of the league in February 2021.
This deal, currently set to run until 2026, sees Extreme Networks provide in-stadium Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi analytics to 16 major MLB ballparks to improve fan and media experience.
FanDuel
It was announced in July 2023 that FanDuel would become a co-exclusive official sports betting partner of the league on a multi-year basis.
This partnership grants FanDuel rights to use MLB branding on its products as part of its marketing campaigns, while also streaming MLB’s Free Game of the Day on its OTT platform, FanDuel TV+.
Gatorade
Several PepsiCo brands have served as official sponsors to the league over the years, including Pepsi, Gatorade, Aquafina, Frito-Lay, Seeds, Cracker Jack, and Lay’s.
Gatorade continues to be listed as an official sponsor for MLB 2024 on the league’s official website.
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO) renewed its contract as an official MLB sponsor in 2023, thus extending a partnership that first that began in 2018.
Google Cloud
Google Cloud and MLB renewed their strategic partnership in October 2022 to help modernise and innovate the league’s media prospects, such as MLB.TV.
This partnership provides the league access to the full suite of Google Cloud products to facilitate on-demand video workflows. Collaboration on enhanced video experiences, media supply chain agility, and personalised fan experiences are also part of the agreement.
Hankook
Hankook Tires has been an official sponsor of the league since 2018 and even served as its Official Tire in 2023.
Over the course of their partnership, the two parties have worked together on marketing activities and promotions at MLB events. Hankook has also enjoyed visibility by appearing behind the home plate in select league games.
Hyperice
California-based US recovery tech company Hyperice signed on as an official sponsor of the league in October 2020 on a multi-year deal.
LoanDepot
LoanDepot and MLB enter the fourth year of their partnership in the 2024 season. Currently, the American lending products provider serves as the Presenting Partner to the American League Championship Series and the National League Championship Series of the league.
This partnership has also seen the launch of “Ballpark Bingo: A Celebration of Firsts”, which supports the repairing and rebuilding of homes in the US.
Mastercard
Mastercard has been a long-serving MLB partner, the relationship between the two dating back to 1997. The two parties announced their latest multi-year partnership extension in 2021, ahead of that year’s All-Star game.
As per the deal, Mastercard provides in-stadium concessionaires during league games. Providing fans a contactless and cashless ticketing environment is at the forefront of this partnership.
Mattress Firm
Texas-based mattress retailer Mattress Firm was announced as the Official Sleep Wellness partner of the league in March 2022.
Mattress Firm has organised giveaways over the course of this partnership, allowing select fans to watch the MLB All-Star Week and win an MLB post-season VIP experience.
MGM Resorts | BetMGM
MGM Resorts and BetMGM signed a multi-year Official Gaming Sponsorship agreement with the league in 2018. This agreement was last extended in July 2022.
As per the deal, BetMGM markets itself across various MLB platforms, such as the MLB Network, MLB.com, as well as the MLB apps portfolio. MGM Resorts’ loyalty programme was the title sponsor of 2022’s All-Star Celebrity Softball Game as well as the Presenting Sponsor of the first-ever All-Star Saturday Extra.
New Balance
American sports equipment and sportswear company New Balance signed on as an official MLB sponsor in 2022.
Nike
American sports giant Nike announced in 2019 a ten-year partnership agreement with the league to serve as its Official Uniform and Footwear Supplier starting with the 2020 season.
Nike is the league’s official on-field uniform provider. Its logo also features on the MLB teams’ training uniforms.
NTT
Chiyoda, Tokyo-based global tech and business solutions company NTT and MLB announced their multi-year partnership agreement in September 2019
The partnership entails creating new viewing experiences for fans by using NTT’s tech solutions.
ReCreate
Health and wellness brand ReCreate became the Official CBD partner of the league in June 2023.
As per the deal, the two parties work towards setting up functional botanicals to support recovery for athletes and fans. The partnership has also resulted in “ReCreate Daily Edge”, the first broad-spectrum hemp-derived tincture that has been NSF-certified for sport.
Sage
Sage, an accounting, financial, and HR services provider, signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the league in October 2022. This marked Sage’s first-ever North American sports partnership.
As per the deal, Sage sponsors pitching decisions and manager interviews while also supporting MLB’s Diverse Business Partners (DBP) Program to support minority-owned businesses. Sage members and partners can also enjoy tickets to MLB matches along with other experiences.
SeatGeek
It was announced in February 2023 that SeatGeek had become the official ticket marketplace of the league, a partnership that commenced at the start of the 2023 season.
The SeatGeek partnership makes it easy for fans to access tickets in the secondary marketplace, scan them, and enter the ballpark. SeatGeek also provides fans a one-touch solution to sell their tickets.
SiriusXM
In December 2023, MLB announced that it had signed a five-year extension of its broadcast agreement with SiriusXM. The current deal is set to run until the end of the 2028 season.
This partnership allows listeners across North America to hear live MLB regular season and post-season matches while also getting access to select Spring training and Spanish-language matches. It also entails a daily talk programme featuring former players, executives, managers, and other baseball insiders.
Sorare
MLB announced its partnership with NFT gaming company Sorare in May 2022 to launch an NFT-based fantasy-style game later that year.
This partnership makes Sorare the official NFT baseball game partner of the league, offering its fans a chance to play fantasy games by purchasing, selling, and collecting NFTs of MLB players.
T-Mobile
It was announced in April 2023 that T-Mobile would continue to offer free MLB.TV subscriptions to its consumers till 2028 following a partnership extension agreement with the league.
T-Mobile also sees its 5G network power the automated ball-strike system (ABS) used at select Minor League matches in accordance with its MLB deal.
JTB
In January 2024, MLB signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Japanese hospitality company JTB, which came on board as an Official Sponsor of the MLB World Tour.
The deal entails JTB providing official hospitality packages for the Seoul Series season-opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. JTB is also to offer VIP and hospitality packages to fans outside the US during the World Series.
Zoom
It was announced in March 2023 that Zoom would become the Official Unified Communications Platform of the league, with Zoom Contact Center and Zoom platform tech remaining part of official MLB broadcasts.
A major part of this partnership is the Zoom Replay Operations Center, used by the Crew Chiefs for replays and reviews. Both Zoom and MLB also undertake co-branded activations as per their deal.
