The Rundown is produced by SponsorUnited, the leading global sports and entertainment SaaS platform delivering actionable data and insights to build stronger marketing partnerships. It is powered by SPND, an advanced AI platform trained on the world's largest collection of sponsorship data, including an estimated $26.3B in sponsorships across 50,000 deals and 920,000 assets. The SPND platform sorts out non-alcoholic beverage brands within parent alcohol brands. Non-alcoholic beverage brands appear within the non-alcoholic beverage category. The SPND data shown is pulled from each season's last completed league year across NBA, NHL, NCAA Power 5 (2023-24), MLS, MLB, NFL, F1 (2024).

Key Takeaways

• The Alcohol Category saw $106M in new deals across the most recently completed seasons of NBA, NHL, NCAA Power 5 (2023-24), MLS, MLB, NFL, and F1 (2024)
• Though beer still dominates, consumer preferences are driving growth in other subcategories, such as spirits, hard seltzer, and RTD.
• The category has focused on showing up at events, leaving other areas, such as digital, open for exploration
• Brands are finding new ways to show up, such as commemorative products and purpose-based storytelling initiatives

Last year, alcohol brands poured $725 million into sponsorships across major sports leagues—more than retail, insurance, and even non-alcoholic beverages. But while the spend is massive, the way it's being deployed is shifting. It saw 10% category growth from the most recently completed seasons of NBA, NHL, NCAA Power 5 (2023-24), MLS, MLB, and NFL.

As the popularity of craft cocktails grows, younger consumers—who drink 20% less alcohol than millennials on average—are gravitating toward lower-ABV options like hard seltzers, low-calorie mixers, light beers, and an array of emerging options. It's a red-hot sector where new brands seem to appear overnight. At the same time, wine brands are looking to align with more sophisticated, affluent fans, by zeroing in on sports like tennis.. Beer may still dominate traditional sports sponsorship, but the rest of the category is starting to look a lot more dynamic—and a lot more diverse. 

Let's dig into where the money's going—and where the real opportunity lies.

$100 Million in New Deals

First, the big picture. Alcohol ranked fifth in total sponsorship spend last year across Major Pro Sports, and College (Power 5), behind financial services, healthcare, tech, and auto. But it absolutely dominated in one key area: deal volume. That includes $106 million in new deals. Within the top ten brands with new alcohol deals (excluding F1), all are more than $1 million in spend. Those top ten new deal brands include beer (six - Michelob Ultra, Bud Light, Coors Light, Blue Moon, Modelo Especial, Miller Lite), spirits (three - Casamigos Tequila, Jack Daniels, Neft Vodka), and hard tea (Twisted Tea).

Beer Still Leads—but Other Segments Are Catching Up 

Let's talk breakdown by category:

• Beer: $436M
• Spirits: $207M
• Wine and Ready to Drink (RTDs): $24.9M each
• Spiked / Hard Seltzers: $22.4M
• House Brands and Cider: <$10M

No surprise—beer is still taking up the most space. But here's the twist: beer sponsorship spend actually dipped slightly last year (down just under 1%). Not a huge drop, but when you compare that to spirits (up 13.8%) or RTDs and seltzers (both up over 13%), the message is clear: beer's grip is loosening. 

These smaller segments are finding their moment. They're growing, they're culturally relevant, and they bring different vibes to the table—more lifestyle, more flexibility, more opportunity to tap into new kinds of partnerships, as you'll see in the examples later in this article.

The Spend Is Still Mostly Physical—For Now

So where's all this money actually going? Mostly to the in-person experience.

• 44% goes to venues and events
• 36% to signage
• 9% to property rights (think league or team logo usage)
• And the rest?
  
  • Broadcast/media: 5%
  • Digital: 3%
  • Social: 2%

That breakdown hasn't changed much over the years—and that's part of the problem. Most alcohol brands are still treating sponsorships like they exist only in the real world. But consumers? They're watching, sharing, and engaging across platforms. There's a real opportunity here to bring sponsorships into the digital age—and not just with a hashtag or a few social posts.‍

The Big Leagues Still Command Big Dollars

When it comes to where alcohol brands spend, it's still all about major sports:

• NFL: $235M
• MLB: $174M
• NHL: $110M
• NBA: $102M
• College (Power 5): $47.3M
• MLS: $45.6M

The NFL continues to be the top dog, but other leagues such as MLS and F1 are growing. These leagues bring younger, more global, and often more digitally native audiences—exactly the kind of people spirits, RTDs, and seltzer brands want to reach. It's a signal that while the traditional leagues still matter, emerging platforms are becoming more strategic bets.

The Power Players: Who's Actually Behind the Spend?
So who's writing all these checks? It's no shock that the world's biggest beer companies are leading the charge. But the scale might surprise you:
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AB InBev: 1,747 deals
Molson Coors: 798
Diageo: 563
Heineken: 334
Constellation Brands: 306
Bacardi Limited: 225
Brown-Forman: 219
Pernod Ricard: 199
The Boston Beer Company: 197
Suntory: 188

AB InBev is far and away the category leader—more than double the next biggest player in total deals. That's a full-court press strategy: sheer volume, broad reach, always on. But what's interesting is how other players are gaining ground. Diageo is staking serious territory in spirits. Constellation and Boston Beer are active across beer and seltzers. And even smaller players like Suntory are clearly investing strategically to build their presence.

Emerging Players Are Making Strategic Moves

A handful of smaller, often newer alcohol brands are carving out space in major U.S. sports sponsorships—and doing it in ways that feel fresh, culturally attuned, and built for today's fan experience.

What's especially smart about these emerging brands? It's not just where they're showing up—it's how. From venue signage to fan activations to co-branded creative, they're choosing assets that build emotional resonance. SponsorUnited helps brands audit those executions and find the right mix of assets and activations based on real-time market activity.

Here are a few standouts that have been especially active with new deals in the past year:

Happy Thursday (13 New Sponsorships)
With partnerships across teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Braves, this brand is making fast moves in key markets. Think venue signage, fan activations, and branded handouts—all designed to meet fans in the moment.

Archer Roose (3 New Sponsorships)
This indie wine brand is taking a very different approach: purpose-driven storytelling. Their partnerships with Atlanta United and LAFC included a Women's Empowerment Panel co-branded with Elizabeth Banks, blending culture, celebrity, and cause.

MarioChelada (3 New Sponsorships)
With deals including the Las Vegas Raiders, LA Rams, and LAFC, this brand is using playful messaging like “Perfect Pairing” and “Miche Time” across signage and co-branded packaging—a great example of brand personality coming through in the partnership.

These aren't the biggest brands. But they're making smart, intentional moves—zeroing in on local markets, under leveraged fan bases, and cultural stories that resonate. For up-and-coming alcohol brands, this is a blueprint: you don't need a massive budget to make a meaningful impact.

Innovating the Activation: How Some Brands Are Raising the Bar

As sponsorships evolve, some brands are pushing beyond traditional placements to create experiences that are bold, creative, and built to resonate far beyond the venue.

Take Keurig Dr Pepper, for example. In a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Chicago Bears, the brand launched the NFL's first reusable cup program, powered by Bold Reuse. Fans who purchase a cold beverage in-stadium can opt into using a reusable cup—complete with return bins and signage to explain the sustainability mission. It's an activation that doesn't just say “we care”—it shows it. It's smart, sticky, and deeply aligned with the values of younger, eco-conscious fans.

Meanwhile, Budweiser is showing up with a blend of creativity and cultural savvy. This MLB season, the brand launched limited-edition “Team Cans”, turning packaging into a platform for fandom. These aren't just collector's items—they're a conversation starter that extends Budweiser's presence from the ballpark to the backyard, the tailgate, and the group chat. It's a reminder that activation isn't always experiential—sometimes it's just about meeting fans where they already are, with something they'll actually want to hold onto.

Tools like SponsorUnited help brands study exactly these kinds of activations—what's resonating, what competitors are doing, and where there's white space for innovation. Because the brands that turn sponsorships into stories? Those are the ones fans actually remember.

Creative activations like these stand out not because they're loud, but because they're smart. They reflect a deeper understanding of audience, context, and culture—and they go beyond exposure to create actual connection.

So What Should Brands Be Doing?

Sponsorships aren't going anywhere, but how brands use them needs to evolve. Here's where smart alcohol marketers should be leaning in:

1. Rethink the mix.
The category is still over-indexing on in-person exposure. There's a massive opportunity to turn those live moments into digital momentum—with content, creators, and campaigns that extend far beyond the event.

2. Match the moment to the format.
Beer might still be a stadium staple, but that doesn't mean the same tactics work for seltzers or spirits. Smaller segments offer more flexibility—and they thrive in different cultural spaces. Think music, lifestyle collabs, local partnerships.

3. Follow the growth.
The numbers don't lie. Spirits, RTDs, and seltzers are climbing. These brands should feel confident leaning into sponsorships—and even flipping the model. Less legacy, more experimentation.

4. Look beyond the usual suspects.
The big leagues will always be premium real estate, but brands looking for breakout impact might find more traction in up-and-coming leagues, women's sports, esports, or festival culture.

That's where platforms like SponsorUnited come in—helping brands track what competitors are doing, benchmark across categories, and spot the white space no one else sees yet.

Sponsorships Are Evolving—and So Should the Strategy

Sponsorship has always been a powerful tool for alcohol brands. But the rules of engagement are changing. The platforms are shifting. The consumer is more fragmented. And the moments that matter aren't just happening on the field—they're happening on screens, in group chats, in influencer feeds, and in real-time reaction posts.

For alcohol brands, the challenge isn't whether to show up—it's how to show up smarter. That means fewer check-the-box deals and more strategic bets. It means bridging the physical and digital worlds in a way that feels intentional. And it means recognizing that growth is no longer just about visibility—it's about cultural connection.

The brands that figure that out first? They won't just win the sponsorship game. They'll shape where it goes next.

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