The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon and a part of the Western Conference in the NBA. They are the 13th most valued NBA franchise, coming in with a net worth of US$2.05 billion.
In this article, we take a look at a few of the partnerships that help the Trail Blazers in improving their revenue and boosting their net worth.
Exclusive 5G Partner: Verizon
The telecommunication industry giant has its 5G spread across 60 NBA arenas, having agreed on multi-year agreements with 15 NBA franchises, the Portland Trail Blazers being one of them.
The company’s 5G Ultra Wideband network enables the franchises to provide their fans with more immersive experiences and allow their arenas to use next-gen solutions for operational purposes around public safety, access, concessions, and crowd management.
Corporate Partner: Calm
Meditation app Calm signed as corporate sponsor of the Portland Trail Blazers in February 2021.
The rationale behind the sponsorship is to associate Calm with stressful in-game moments. The partnership includes digital and social assets and some traditional marketing inventory, which includes branding through arena signage and logo popups on TV. Localised versions of Calm’s Do Nothing TV campaign are also part of the agreement.
The marketing program lasted through the 2021 NBA Playoffs, and based on its performance, the partnership was extended for an extra year.
Jersey Sponsors: StormX
In July 2021, the Trail Blazers announced that they had entered into an agreement with StormX, an company based out of Seattle that features an app that allows users to earn rewards which are then paid out in cryptocurrency, to become the team’s new jersey patch partner and their first partner in the technology space. With the agreement, the Trail Blazers became the first team to have a cryptocurrency company as their jersey patch partner.
The patch features the StormX logo which matches the colour of the jersey. The partnership between the Trail Blazers and StormX goes beyond the logo patch, which is adorned on both the game and the practice jerseys. As a part of the agreement, StormX also serves as the “exclusive blockchain partner” to the Trail Blazers, signalling the franchise’s intent on utilising the technology in the future.
In July 2021, the Trail Blazers released NFTs that closely mirrored the Gameday Poster Series to celebrate their partnership with StormX, making it the first time an NBA team and a corporate partner teamed up to release non-fungible tokens.
Official Spirits Partner: Eastside Distilling
In November 2021, Portland-based craft distillery Eastside Distilling signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Centre for the 2021-24 seasons. Eastside Distilling became the Trail Blazers’ spirits partner, hosting exciting brand and tasting experiences to highlight its full premium whiskey lineup at the exclusive Moda Centre event-level Courtside Club and Sphere lounge.
The deal between the two also entails Eastside Distilling brand takeovers at two central bar locations: one as Presenting Partner of the Local Pour space on the main concourse, and another at the current Bar 41 on the suite-level. In addition, the deal also includes the rights to use the Trail Blazers logo on point-of-sale items at retail as well as in bars and restaurants.
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