Major League Baseball and Budweiser have co-existed for the past thirty-plus years, and earlier Wednesday, the two parties agreed to extend that relationship. MLB Properties and Anheuser-Busch settled on a six-year extension of the sports sponsorship agreement that lists Budweiser as the Official Beer Sponsor of the MLB.
Anheuser-Busch will continue to have exclusive rights to use MLB marks and logos. In addition, the two sides expanded the sports sponsorship to include Budweiser as the new presenting sponsor of the league’s first-ever Wild Card Games, a newly-adopted playoff system decided upon for the 2012 season.
Budweiser sponsors 23 of the league’s 30 teams and continue to support America’s fallen heroes through its “Walk Off a Hero” program by donating $5,000 for every walk-off win during the regular season to the Folds of Honor Foundation. The Foundation provides college scholarships for families of U.S. military personnel killed or disabled.
Executives Sound Off On Sports Sponsorship Agreement
“For more than 30 years, America’s national pastime has partnered with America’s beer and we are proud to continue the union of two brands that evoke such loyalty and emotion,” said Tim Brosnan, Major League Baseball Executive Vice President, Business, in a press release. “By partnering on initiatives like the Wild Card and MLB Fan Cave, this new agreement truly demonstrates an evolution in our relationship.”
“MLB has a broad and growing fan base and our partnership gives Budweiser a presence with a large and loyal audience of adult beer drinkers,” said Blaise D’Sylva, vice president of media, sports and entertainment marketing at Anheuser-Busch. “As the Official Beer Sponsor, our focus is on Budweiser enhancing the baseball experience for fans, whether in-game or at-home, through exclusive content and unique opportunities at point-of-sale, on-premise and via our social media channels.”
Everyone’s Favorite ‘Wasssup’ Budweiser Commercial
Photo Credit: Reuters
