The DataPOWA view on the most important talking points in the worlds of sport sponsorship and digital.
RUIZ JNR SEEKS SNICKERS SPONSORSHIP
Andy Ruiz Jnr is taking to social media to court Snickers as a sponsor after his surprise victory over heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua
Ruiz Jnr shocked the boxing world and became the sport’s first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent after his TKO win.
He has long had an affinity for Snickers, mentioning the brand as recently as April, following a win over Alexander Dimitenko.
Explaining Snickers’ importance to him, he stated in May: “My dad would always give me a Snickers before a fight. It gives me energy. It gives me everything I need to get the win.”
On June 3rd, Snickers finally commented on Ruiz Jnr’s enthusiasm, stating on Twitter that they would be sending a package to him. “Send me a dm please. Let’s go snickers!!” came Ruiz Jnr’s response.
Snickers weren’t the only ones benefiting from the result though. Their man may have been on the wrong end of the result, but Joshua’s sponsor Under Armour lively received a boost from the fight because of the exposure gained.
Speaking to the Baltimore Business Journal, sports sponsorship expert Eric Smallwood explained: “It’s a good amount of exposure. Is it a negative? That’s hard to say. You can go the old adage, no publicity is bad publicity. Really, how many people knew the fight was going on? The odds of [Joshua] winning were quite substantial.”
For more on this story, please visit Business Insider
FIFA SCRAPS EXPANDED WORLD CUP PLANS
FIFA has abandoned the idea of allowing 48 teams to participate in the 2022 World Cup finals after considering the logistical problems the plan would pose.
Preparations for the tournament are already well underway in the host country Qatar, and with an expansion necessitating a further 16 matches, it was decided that there was simply not enough time to properly understand and legislate for the new format.
A FIFA statement explained: “Following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process with the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders, it was concluded that under the current circumstances such a proposal could not be made now.
“Additionally, FIFA and Qatar have once again explored the feasibility of Qatar hosting a 48-team tournament by in particular lowering certain key FIFA requirements.
“A joint analysis, in this respect, concluded that due to the advanced stage of preparations and the need for a detailed assessment of the potential logistical impact on the host country, more time would be required and a decision could not be taken before the deadline of June.
“It was therefore decided not to further pursue this option.”
For more on this story, please visit ESPN
ENNIS-HILL DEMANDS SPONSOR UNDERSTANDING
Jessica Ennis-Hill has called on brands to promise in writing that they will not penalise athletes who get pregnant.
In May, runner Allyson Felix revealed that Nike wanted to pay her 70% less for sponsorship after she gave birth last year, while Jo Pavey has also complained of poor treatment.
While Ennis-Hill herself has never suffered in the same way, she insisted that sponsors need to consider how they treat other female athletes after they have children.
“I think Allyson is doing an amazing thing,” she explained. “Such policies are shocking because they put so much pressure on women and first-time mums.
“You have your baby, you are in this whole new world emotionally and physically, and then you have the pressure of ‘right, I have to rush myself back because otherwise financially I am going to be struggling and where am I going to go?’”
“I think there is pressure on female athletes who feel like ‘I have to do my career and I can’t stop in the thick of my career and go away and have a child, and perhaps that is the end of it’.”
For more on this story, please visit The Guardian
FA PARTNER WITH GOOGLE CLOUD
The FA is partnering with Google Cloud to create a major new Big Data system that will help monitor player performance.
The Player Profile System (PPS) will be built entirely on Google Cloud and compile all the data the FA currently holds into one single database.
It will allow coaches and players to track performance, form and fitness so they can devise strategies for improvements.
“We believe technology is a key area of potential competitive advantage for our 28 teams and everything we do at St George’s Park,” said the FA’s Dave Reddin.
“We have progressively built a systematic approach to developing winning England teams and through the support of Google Cloud technology we wish to accelerate our ability to translate insight and learning into performance improvements.”
For more on this story, please visit Tech Radar
SOCIAL PLATFORMS TO STREAM NBA FINALS IN INDIA
The NBA Finals will be live streamed in India on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
This year’s Finals bring together Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors and all seven games will be available for Indian audiences on the big three social platforms, as well as the country’s Sony channels.
“We are always looking to provide our passionate fans in India with more ways to experience the excitement of our games,” said the NBA’s vice president of globl business operations, Diane Gotua.
“Streaming this historic matchup on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, along with broadcasting the games across SONY, will deliver unprecedented access to the NBA Finals.”
For more on this story, please visit Sports Pro Media
GOOD SHOUT
THE FA: England’s new lead partner is BT, with fans and football set to benefit from deal
SPORTS PRO MEDIA: Will 5G change the way we watch sports
AUTOSPORT: What made ‘unfiltered’ Niki Lauda so special in F1
THE DRUM: The standout Women’s World Cup sponsorships and ad campaigns
SPORTS PRO MEDIA: NFL set to relax alcohol sponsorship regulations