So, sponsors expect more …and so do the fans. The sport becomes the conduit and the touch-point for sure – but – it (the communication) has to sustained, honest and consistent.

“Fans and the community largely have been often left out of this conversation. That’s the revolution that’s taking place,” said Jack Sichterman, founder of Great Big Circle marketing firm of New York; speaking at the recent Sport & Society in America conference.

We reckon Jack’s got it just about right but the sponsors want more now too – it’s all about the experience. The stadium, arena, track, circuit or venue and the sports and entertainment that takes place there is only a part of the interaction – this is the age of brand communications that people feel, they sense if a brand fits for them (the audience) and if it reflects where they’re at in their lives. It’s controversial but there aren’t many marketing folks who have a handle on this new era of brand communications – never mind the venue marketeers and sponsors – many of which still think putting a sign up and slapping a sticker on a race car generates some sort of measurable visibility or awareness! Sponsors still think that teams and athletes can generate sales and prospects – HOW? It’s down to the activation – the team or asset/property is the mechanism or catalyst – not the deliverer. Sponsors are going to have to wake up to the fact that ROI is replaced by ROO.

And now it’s not just the traditional press, TV and radio – Everyone is having to figure out what to do with social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Now it’s getting really interesting because you can’t hide behind a billboard and hope the eyeballs ‘get it’. This is a one-to-one relationship and your brand’s reputation is at stake – the power and lasting effects of social media and the way it integrates into your marketing mix is now the third helix of modern marketing and branding — maybe sports marketeers will come to the fore on this one and lead the way.

The www.trofeoabarth500gb.com series website is a good case study in how to deliver content and energize the brand for fans while communicating essential information. Blog, SMS text, interactivity, downloads and keeping the brand front-of-mind without selling at the audience… the audience will make up their own mind; all the marketeers have to do is make their experience memorable and real.

Sporting events are becoming evermore important for Countries and Regions to trigger tourism and stimulate localised enterprise and entrepreneurship – this is evident in Oman with their Oman Sailing program and the move by Vietnam to host the World Match Racing Tour.

But perhaps it’s not that advertising is failing but that brand experiences (both on and offline) are really what are capturing the imagination of today’s consumer.

For example, 65% of U.S. consumers report a digital experience changing their perception about a brand (either positively or negatively) and 97% of that group report that the same experience ultimately influenced whether or not they went on to purchase a product from that brand. In a nutshell, experience matters. A lot.

Of course, brands that were “born digital” intuitively know this. Google and Amazon are pioneering experiential brands. That’s why Amazon continues to pour money into improving its customer service rather than run traditional advertising or marketing campaigns. As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has said, “We are not great advertisers. So we start with customers, figure out what they want, and figure out how to get it to them.” Zappos built its brand the same way, as has Facebook.

But what about more traditionally-minded marketers who weren’t born digital? Can they succeed in an experience-driven world? The answer is “yes” and here are some of the best:

Red Bull: Red Bull basically pioneered the experiential category. Not only did the brand rise to prominence by sponsoring alternative athletes and lifestyles, it went further by creating its own events, like Red Bull’s Flugtag and even its own sports like Red Bull’s Crashed Ice, which takes over old Quebec with a mix of hockey and motorcross. Even the brand’s website has morphed into a blog, much like today’s most popular publishers.

Camper: Most think of Camper as purely a comfortable yet stylish shoe brand. But the Spanish company is much more and pursues a brand ethos that’s both traditional, cultural and fashion forward simultaneously. Proof: Casa Camper, stylish (but laid back) hotels in Barcelona and Berlin that embodies the brand’s essence. Ditto for Camper Together which taps up and coming artists to create one-of-a-kind boutiques.

Guinness: Guinness may be old but it’s acting like a much, much younger marketer. The company has embraced experiential branding both literally and figuratively with its “It’s Alive Inside” positioning. For its anniversary, Guinness offered up Remarkable Experiences, including a trip into space. It also released a pub-finder iPhone application with a social media twist. More impressively, the brand created the Guinness Storehouse, a seven-story building that functions as both museum and pub, that has now become one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions. And, more recently, Guinness even wired up its rugby team with RFID tags (including balls and players) to capture a whole range of statistics about how fast, powerfully and effectively the game is played.

UNIQLO: Few companies have so used digital like Uniqlo to both build a brand and breakthrough to new consumers — and on a truly global scale. The Japanese retailer surprises and delights consumers at every turn, whether through innovative iPhone applications, calendars, e-commerce, stylebooks and microsites. Uniqlo’s experiential efforts not only express the brand, but reach new consumers who may live thousands of miles away from the nearest retail location.

Virgin America: Virgin America has gone further than most, ensuring that the experience is the marketing — and advertising in many cases. The brand targeted tech-savvy consumers early on with its Red system entertainment console and in-flight WiFi. It showed off its dramatic interiors in promotions with Diggnation and YouTube celebrities; became an early adopter of Twitter for customer service; and reinforced its brand values through its simple booking engine on VirginAmerica.com. And now, for the holidays, Virgin America is partnering with Google to offer free WiFi for travelers.

Nike: Nike, of course, has been moving in this experiential direction for a few years. ‘We’re not in the business of keeping the media companies alive,” Nike’s Trevor Edwards told the New York Times in 2007. ”We’re in the business of connecting with consumers.” And so they have. The company continually earns kudos for consumer experience breakthroughs like Nike+, its online running community; the Human Race, a global running event; and more recently the Livestrong Chalkbot which enabled users to submit a text message that would be painted (digitally) on the route of the Tour de France.

Experiences, it would seem, are the new advertising. Experiences reach and engage customers in new and more meaningful ways, they promote “trial” over simply messaging and — quite frankly — experiences are much more suited to our digital era when everything is just a click away. Our challenge now, as marketers, is to make sure that our products and brands can actually live up to the experiences that we advertise. Garrick Schmitt asks “Is advertising dying?”  It’s certainly fashionable to say so and it has a direct impact on how marketers apply the ‘experience’ to sports, sponsorship and entertainment properties.

According to the latest sports viewing survey from TV Sports Markets and Eurodata TV Worldwide, the big falls in Spain and Italy were partly counterbalanced by a significant lift in UK audiences. Viewership in the other two top European markets, France and Germany, remained broadly stable.

Audiences in Spain dropped 29 per cent on 2008, with Alonso’s worst-ever season coinciding with coverage shifting from what was the country’s leading commercial broadcaster, Telecinco, to smaller rival La Sexta. La Sexta’s live coverage averaged just under three million viewers per race and drew an audience share of 31 per cent.

Audiences for Italian public-service broadcaster Rai fell 21 per cent against 2008, when Ferrari won the championship, averaging 5.6 million viewers per race. Further analysis shows, perhaps surprisingly, that almost 40 per cent of the audience was female. Just under 50 per cent of the audience was aged over 55.

In the UK, Jenson Button’s championship season provided a perfect start for public-service broadcaster the BBC, which took over the rights at the start of this year after commercial rival ITV opted to concentrate its limited resources on Champions League football. Audiences were 16 per cent on ITV’s audiences last year and the highest since the BBC last had the rights in 1996.

In France, audiences for commercial broadcaster TF1 rose less than one per cent to 3.1 million. Some 33 per cent of the audience were women, slightly lower than the gender split for Champions League football, where women accounted for 35 per cent of TF1’s average audience last season. Forty-nine per cent of the Formula One audience in France is over 50 years of age, the same proportion for the Champions League. In Germany, RTL averaged 5.2 million viewers per race, with the penultimate race of the season in Brazil attracting the season-high of 7.2 million viewers and a 28-per-cent audience share.

Sources: TV Sports Markets, Eurodata TV Worldwide, Mediametrie – BARB – AGF/GfK Fernsehforschung – AUDITEL – TNS Audiencia de Medios – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

North American-based companies will spend an estimated $3.3 billion to sponsor motorsports teams, tracks and sanctioning bodies this year, a nearly six percent decline from the $3.5 billion spent in ‘08, according to the IEG Sponsorship Report.

The projected decline is a first since IEG SR began tracking motorsports spending in 1985. As automakers and other sponsors look for ways to reduce spending, the big-ticket prices associated with major racing sponsorships have become harder to justify, and many companies have backed away from previous levels of commitment.

The projected spending amount reflects both reductions in spending and elimination of programs from previous sponsors such as Domino’s Pizza, Kodak and others, but also some new sponsor dollars that have served to prevent the decline from being even more severe.

Looking at some of the positive activity: Search engine Ask.com this year will launch a multi-faceted NASCAR program that includes a tie to the sanctioning body and title of a Hall of Fame Racing Sprint Cup Series entry driven by Bobby Labonte. In addition, Mars North America signed a multiyear extension with NASCAR spanning four categories: chocolate, chocolate bar, cheese-filled snack and pet food.
www.sponsorship.com

The forecast is the smallest annual growth rate in the forecast’s 24-year history. Spending in ‘08 was up 11.4 percent over ‘07, just shy of IEG SR’s projection a year ago of 12.6 percent growth.

The sports sector is expected to be the biggest victim of the recession given sponsors’ willingness to bail out of big-ticket sports deals. IEG SR expects corporate spending on sports properties to total $11.6 billion, up 1.8 percent from ‘08.

“The economy has forced many companies to keep a tighter hold on their purse springs, and big-ticket pro sports properties will take the biggest hit,” said William Chipps, IEG Sponsorship Report’s senior editor.

Projected dollar amounts for non-sports categories are entertainment tours and attractions: $1.66 billion, up 1.9 percent from $1.63 billion in ‘08; causes, $1.57 billion, up 3.1 percent from $1.52 billion; arts: $848 million, up 2.5 percent from $827 million; festivals, fairs and annual events: $786 million, up 4.4 percent from $753 million; and associations and membership organizations: $503 million, up 4.4 percent from $482 million.

As a result, sports’ share of overall North American sponsorship spending will dip a percentage point to 68 percent, while festivals, fairs and annual events increases its share from four to five percent.

While corporate spending is expected to slow considerably in the year ahead, sponsorship is expected to once again outpace traditional media buys. North American media spending is expected to decrease 3.2 percent in ‘09, according to the worldwide media and marketing forecast produced by GroupM, the global media investment management operation of WPP Group plc.

International Outlook Rosier, But Slowdown Will Occur Just as the economic crisis has taken its major toll in the U.S. with a ripple effect elsewhere in the world, the impact of the downturn on sponsorship will be felt around the globe but not yet to the same degree as on the home front.

The absence of the Beijing Olympic Games and the unprecedented spending surrounding that event also will contribute to slower growth in ‘09, although the Asia Pacific region will remain the fastest growing.

Overall, including North American spending, ‘09 global sponsorship expenditures should reach $44.8 billion, a 3.9 percent increase over the $43.1 billion spent in ‘08, a number slightly below IEG SR’s projection of $43.5 billion.

Subtracting U.S. and Canadian activity, spending by the rest of the world is expected to reach $27.8 billion, up 4.9 percent from $26.5 billion in ‘08.

Europe will remain the region whose companies spend the most on sponsorship after North America. IEG SR expects European firms to spend $12.2 billion in ‘09, up 4.3 percent from $11.7 billion in ‘08. Asia Pacific companies should increase spending 7.4 percent from $9.5 billion to $10.2 billion.

Companies based in Central and South America should see 2.9 percent growth from $3.4 billion to $3.5 billion, while companies from all other regions are expected to grow expenditures 2.6 percent from $1.9 billion to $1.94 billion.

www.sponsorship.com

It is this identification that professional and amateur leagues in general, and teams in particular, play on (or prey upon). Wakefield points out that a dedicated sports fan has “an enduring involvement with the sport and situational involvement with the event.” A fanatical soccer fan, for example, will have “an ongoing interest or concern with the sport on a day-to-day basis.” That same fan, if dedicated to a particular team, will also watch or attend games, check scores online, follow the team’s star players and buy team merchandise. This is the kind of brand involvement some product brands can only dream about.
Identifying with a particular team brand is a strong fan motivator. “Highly identified fans are likely to Bask In Reflected Glory [BIRG] by doing such things as wearing team-identifying apparel after a team win, describing team wins in terms of what ‘we’ did, and, in general, seeking to enhance their public image by connecting with positive aspects of the team,” Wakefield writes. “The result of BIRGing is enhancing self-esteem in the highly identified fan.” According to Wakefield, the more identified a fan becomes, the higher the level of his or her team involvement.

Incredibly, Wakefield writes, “identification with a sports team seems to shield against the potential consequences of death…evidence suggests that one’s identification and involvement with a sports team in some ways makes the highly identified fan feel immortal.” Now that’s the ultimate in brand loyalty.

There is a hierarchy of sports brand fanaticism. Some fans of a particular sport might identify with a league or association, such as the International Soccer League, the NBA (National Basketball Association) or NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). Others might identify with different sports under the same umbrella brand, such as the Olympics or the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Or fans might be intent on supporting a single team brand, often because of school or hometown affiliation. And then there are the multisport fanatics, supporting several sports, leagues or teams at once. Typically, each of these leagues or teams positions itself as a distinct brand with its own logo, merchandise and marketing program.

This presents a big branding challenge: There are so many sports brands in existence that sports fans in general may be spread thin. In their book, The Elusive Fan, authors Irving Rein, Philip Kotler and Ben Shields say competition among sports brands for market share is increasingly intense because of fragmentation. They believe there are six distinct sports sectors vying for fans’ attention: older sports (such as European soccer and Major League Baseball), reemerging older sports (such as cricket, rugby and golf), school sports (high schools, youth development teams and the like), new sports (extreme sports and paintball, for example), declining older sports (such as boxing and horse racing) and sporting goods (including team merchandise and sports equipment).

That means each sports team needs a multifaceted branding strategy to keep fans loyal. Traditionally, teams hitch their stars to star athletes. But now these brands, say Rein, Kotler and Shields, “must also broaden their star power mix to include facilities, food, teams, places, events, and individuals, such as owners, who have not been a part of the storyline. Star power needs to be redefined to connect with more fans, maximize all the attributes that a sports product has to offer, and ensure a constant flow of sports branding material to convert into star status.”

The authors point to Manchester United as an example of a team that “has been transformed into a highly profitable company and an identifiable global brand.” Manchester United became a megabrand due to developing the best talent, careful attention to managing and growing the business, and an aggressive distribution strategy. Today its arsenal includes branded restaurants, stores, a cable television network, a stadium, the use of new media and unorthodox ways to expand into new markets, such as a marketing partnership with the New York Yankees.

Sports leagues and teams continue to attract and retain sports fans, as well as commercial sponsors, but for the first time in a long time, the sports world is feeling a money pinch. In fact, a recent study indicates that over half of companies surveyed “plan to cut 2009 sponsorship spending, including sponsorship in the sports world, while almost as many are seeking to get out of current deals…” (”Over half of firms to cut sponsorship spend – study,” Reuters, March 10, 2009).

That may be why sports brands are beginning to look for new and novel ways to generate revenue from their fans. For example, the storied New York Yankees, MLB’s most valuable team, just opened a new Yankee Stadium this season. Soon afterward, the Yankees organization announced it would market its own grass: Yankees Sod. “It may cost a few thousand dollars to cover a large backyard, but the sod comes with a certificate of authenticity from Major League Baseball, complete with the counterfeit-proof hologram, declaring it to be the official grass of the New York Yankees” (”Yankees Grass Is Now a Brand,” The New York Times, March 22, 2009).

Barry Silverstein is a freelance writer/marketing consultant and co-author of the McGraw-Hill book, The Breakaway Brand.

www.brandchannel.com

“It’s a true leap in social media-one of the greatest athletes ever talking about what’s going on and filming it in real time,” said Rosenblatt. “Advertisers want to feel like they’re participating, and their brands are tied to something real. [With] this experience-it can’t get more real.”

The champion cyclist, cancer survivor and founder/chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation will connect directly with fans via the site and file behind-the-scenes blogs, videos and photos. This will be Armstrong’s 12th “Tour de France.”

The site will also feature a route-tracking tool called Livestrong Loops, which let fans track Armstrong’s journey and map the race across all 21 stages. They can also check out local courses for running, walking, cycling and hiking at the site and track the caloric burn from completing a loop by using The Daily Plate tool.

Oakley, Nissan and Clear2o are the presenting sponsors of the site’s behind-the-scenes “Tour de France” content, and their products will get placement in blog updates.

Oakley’s Jawbone glasses are the current model for which proceeds are donated to Livestrong, and the brand has raised $3 million in two years for cancer research. Oakley will get banner ads and other real estate on the “Tour de Lance” section of the site in exchange for the sponsorship. Oakley, which gets about 1.5 million unique visitors to its Web site each month, will link to Livestrong.com and provide live Twitter feeds from Armstrong and the 75 or so other riders it sponsors in the race.

“In this tough economic climate, we’ve found that people want to spend their money on a quality product or something they believe in,” said Pat McIlvain, vp-sports marketing at Oakley, a company that began sponsoring Armstrong 20 years ago when he was a triathlete. “With Livestrong, they feel the money is going to something good and they want to participate. It’s as a centrifugal force of what Lance is riding the ‘Tour de France’ this year. Sure, he wants to win. But more so, he’s trying to raise money and awareness for cancer.”

Clear2o, which markets a water bottle with a filtration system called Clear2Go, modified a widget at the Livestrong site that reminds users to drink plenty of water each day-it’s now subtly sponsored and branded. Nissan’s specific plans are less certain. The company is expected to use the sponsorship to promote the Altima and to interact with consumers and the Livestrong and Lance Armstrong brands online and offline.

1 National Football League; 32 NFL franchises Football - US$4.5 billion
2 Major League Baseball; 32 MLB franchises Baseball – US$3.936 billion
3 National Basketball Association; 30 NBA franchises Basketball – US$2.344 billion
4 Nascar France family; Motorsport – US$1.9 billion
5 Fifa World Cup; Fifa Soccer – US$1.7 billion
6 Indian Premier League BCCI (India) Cricket US$1.6 billion
7 Scuderia Ferrari; Fiat Motorsport – US$1.55 billion
8 Manchester United FC; Malcolm Glazer Soccer – US$1.495 billion
9 Formula One; CVC/Royal Bank of Scotland Motorsport – US$1.45 billion
10 Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones Football US$1.278 billion
11 ETW Corp/Tiger Woods Design Tiger Woods Golf US$1.25 billion
12 New York Yankees George Steinbrenner Baseball US$1.19 billion
13 Uefa Champions League Uefa Soccer US$1.1 billion
14 Real Madrid Club Members Soccer US$1.073 billion
15 Olympic Games (Summer) International Olympic Committee Multi-Sports US$1.024 billion
16 Nicklaus Design and Golf Equipmt Jack Nicklaus Golf US$1 billion
17 Washington Redskins Daniel Snyder Football US$999 million
18 PGA Tour PGA of America Golf US$970 million
19 New York Giants John Mara/Steven Tisch Football US$932 million
20 New York Jets Robert Wood Johnson IV Football US$927 million
21 Arsenal FC Stan Kroenke Soccer US$910 million
22 The Wimbledon Championships All England Lawn Tennis Club Tennis US$900 million
23 US Tennis Open United States Tennis Association Tennis US$880 million
24 New England Patriots Robert Kraft Football US$861 million
25 World Wrestling Entertainment McMahon Family Wrestling US$837 million
26 Miami Dolphins Wayne Huizenga/Stephen Ross Football US$828 million
27 Liverpool FC George Gillett/Tom Hicks Soccer US$801 million
28 Arnold Palmer Design Arnold Palmer Enterprises Golf US$800 million
29 Great White Shark Enterprises Greg Norman Golf US$800 million
30 Uefa European Championship Uefa Soccer US$800 million
31 FC Barcelona Club Members Soccer US$793 million
32 AC Milan Silvio Berlusconi Soccer US$774 million
33 National Hockey League 30 NHL franchises Ice Hockey US$760 million
34 Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup Ltd/IRB Rugby Union US$750 million
35 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club Golf US$750 million
36 Michael Jordan Michael Jordan/Nike Basketball US$725 million
37 Houston Texans Robert McNair Football US$725 million
38 Philadelphia Eagles Jeffrey Lurie Football US$723 million
39 FC Bayern Munich Club members Soccer US$721 million
40 ICC World Cup International Cricket Council Cricket US$700 million
41 ATP World Tour Assoc. of Tennis Professionals Tennis US$700 million
42 Indianapolis Colts James Irsay Football US$699 million
43 Chicago Bears McCaskey Family Football US$692 million
44 Baltimore Ravens Stephen Bisciotti Football US$690 million
45 Denver Broncos Patrick Bowlen Football US$689 million
46 Tampa Bay Buccanneers Malcolm Glazer Football US$685 million
47 Carolina Panthers Jerry Richardson Football US$676 million
48 Cleveland Browns Randy Lerner Football US$673 million
49 New York Mets Fred Wilpon Baseball US$665 million
50 Green Bay Packers Shareholders Football US$664 million
51 Kansas City Chiefs Hunt Family Football US$660 million
52 Pittsburgh Steelers Rooney Family Football US$659 million
53 Seattle Seahawks Paul Allen Football US$657 million
54 Boston Red Sox John Henry/Thomas Werner Baseball US$651 million
55 Chelsea FC Roman Abramovich Soccer US$634 million
56 Cincinnati Bengals Michael Brown Football US$612 million
57 New Orleans Saints Thomas Benson Football US$608 million
58 St Louis Rams Chip Rosenbloom/Stan Kroenke Football US$603 million
59 Detroit Lions William Clay Ford Football US$597 million
60 Arizona Cardinals William Bidwell Football US$594 million
61 Team McLaren-Mercedes; Mercedes/Mumtalakat/Ron Dennis/Mansour Ojjeh Motorsport – US$580 million
62 San Diego Chargers Alexander Spanos Football US$577 million
63 Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson Jr. Football US$574 million
64 Tennessee Titans Kenneth Adams Jr. Football US$569 million
65 Atlanta Falcons Arthur Blank Football US$567 million
66 San Francisco 49ers Denise DeBartolo York Football US$561 million
67 Oakland Raiders Allen Davis Football US$559 million
68 Minnesota Vikings Wilf Family Football US$545 million
69 Monaco Grand Prix; Automobile Club de Monaco Motorsport – US$520 million
70 Olympic Games (Winter) International Olympic Committee Multi-Sports US$504 million
71 America’s Cup Société Nautique de Genève Sailing US$500 million
72 Golden Boy Promotions Oscar de la Hoya Boxing US$500 million
73 Ryder Cup PGA of America/PGA European Tour Golf US$500 million
74 Jacksonville Jaguars Wayne Weaver Football US$497 million
75 Internazionale Massimo Moratti Soccer US$481 million
76 Juventus Agnelli Family Soccer US$476 million
77 Los Angeles Dodgers Frank McCourt Baseball US$469 million
78 Chicago Cubs Tom Ricketts Baseball US$455 million
79 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games Federation Multi-Sports US$450 million
80 New York Knicks Cablevision Systems Basketball US$405 million
81 Australian Open Tennis Australia Tennis US$400 million
82 LeBron James LeBron James Basketball US$400 million
83 Six Nations Six Nations Rugby Ltd. Rugby Union US$400 million
84 Chicago Bulls Jerry Reinsdorf Basketball US$399 million
85 Phoenix Suns Robert Sarver Basketball US$381 million
86 WTA Tour Women’s Tennis Association Tennis US$380 million
87 Los Angeles Lakers Jerry Buss/Philip Anschutz Basketball US$379 million
88 Beckham Brand Ltd. David Beckham/Victoria Beckham Soccer US$375 million
89 Detroit Pistons Karen Davidson Basketball US$374 million
90 Boston Celtics Wycliffe Grousbeck Basketball US$353 million
91 Major League Soccer MLS Soccer US$350 million
92 Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation Cycling US$350 million
93 Hendrick Motorsports; Rick Hendrick Motorsport – US$335 million
94 AS Roma Sensi Family Soccer US$331 million
95 FC Schalke 04 Club members Soccer US$331 million
96 MotoGP;  Dorna Sports Motorsport – US$330 million
97 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Arturo Moreno Baseball US$330 million
98 Toronto Maple Leafs Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Ice Hockey US$325 million
99 Philadelphia Phillies William Giles Baseball US$322 million
100 St Louis Cardinals William DeWitt Jr. Baseball US$315 million
101 Roush Fenway Racing; Jack Roush/John Henry Motorsport – US$313 million
102 Asian Games Olympic Council of Asia Multi-Sports US$310 million
103 Indianapolis 500; Tony George Motorsport – US$310 million
104 Cleveland Cavaliers Daniel Gilbert Basketball US$310 million
105 San Francisco Giants William Neukom/Susan Burns Baseball US$305 million
106 Houston Rockets Leslie Alexander Basketball US$304 million
107 Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban Basketball US$304 million
108 Copa America Conmebol Soccer US$300 million
109 French Open French Tennis Federation Tennis US$300 million
110 PGA European Tour PGA European Tour Golf US$300 million
111 Ultimate Fighting Championship Zuffa LLC Martial Arts US$300 million
112 Chicago White Sox Jerry Reinsdorf Baseball US$292 million
113 New York Rangers Cablevision Systems Ice Hockey US$291 million
114 Atlanta Braves Liberty Media Baseball US$289 million
115 Houston Astros Robert Drayton McLane Jr. Baseball US$288 million
116 Seattle Mariners Nintendo Baseball US$277 million
117 San Antonio Spurs Peter Holt Basketball US$269 million
118 Washington Nationals Theodore Lerner Baseball US$264 million
119 Texas Rangers Tom Hicks Baseball US$262 million
120 Singapore Grand Prix; Ong Beng Seng/Singapore Government Motorsport – US$261 million
121 Baltimore Orioles Peter Angelos Baseball US$260 million
122 Cleveland Indians Lawrence Dolan Baseball US$260 million
123 San Diego Padres John Moores Baseball US$260 million
124 Toronto Raptors Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Basketball US$260 million
125 Panathinaikos Giannis Vardinagiannis Soccer US$254 million
126 Arizona Diamondbacks Ken Kendrick Baseball US$253 million
127 The Open Championship Royal & Ancient Golf US$252 million
128 Tottenham Hotspur FC Daniel Levy Soccer US$250 million
129 Colorado Rockies Charles Monfort/Richard Monfort Baseball US$241 million
130 BMW-Sauber F1 Team; BMW Group Motorsport – US$240 million
131 Detroit Tigers Michael Illitch Baseball US$240 million
132 Philadelphia 76ers Comcast Spectacor Basketball US$234 million
133 Utah Jazz Miller Family Basketball US$233 million
134 Minnesota Twins James Pohland Baseball US$232 million
135 Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Communications Baseball US$229 million
136 Washington Wizards Abe Pollin Basketball US$229 million
137 Sacramento Kings Maloof Family Basketball US$227 million
138 Orlando Magic Richard DeVos Basketball US$226 million
139 Milwaukee Brewers Mark Attanasio Baseball US$225 million
140 Cincinnati Reds Robert Castellini Baseball US$222 million
141 Renault F1 Team; Renault Motorsport – US$220 million
142 Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar Cricket US$220 million
143 Golden State Warriors Christopher Cohan Basketball US$217 million
144 Montreal Canadiens George Gillett Ice Hockey US$217 million
145 Denver Nuggets Stan Kroenke Basketball US$213 million
146 Tampa Bay Rays Stuart Sternberg Baseball US$208 million
147 Oakland Athletics Lewis Wolff/John Fisher Baseball US$207 million
148 Kansas City Royals David Glass Baseball US$204 million
149 Manchester City FC Abu Dhabi United Investment Group Soccer US$202 million
150 Australian Football League AFL AFL US$200 million
151 English FA Cup English Football Association Soccer US$200 million
152 FC Porto FCPorto SAD Soccer US$200 million
153 Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Spirit Basketball US$199 million
154 Portland Trail Blazers Paul Allen Basketball US$199 million
155 Miami Heat Micky Arison Basketball US$196 million
156 Detroit Red Wings Michael Illitch Ice Hockey US$196 million
157 Indiana Pacers Herbert Simon/Melvin Simon Basketball US$196 million
158 Los Angeles Clippers Donald Sterling Basketball US$195 million
159 Aston Villa FC Randy Lerner Soccer US$195 million
160 Minnesota Timberwolves Glen Taylor Basketball US$195 million
161 Oklahoma City Thunder Clay Bennett Basketball US$195 million
162 Memphis Grizzlies Michael Heisley Basketball US$191 million
163 New Jersey Nets Bruce Ratner Basketball US$191 million
164 Werder Bremen Werder Bremen and Co. Ltd. Soccer US$190 million
165 Fenerbahce Fenerbahce S.K. Soccer US$190 million
166 Toyota Racing; Toyota Motor Corp. Motorsport – US$190 million
167 Volvo Ocean Race;  Volvo Event Management UK Sailing – US$190 million
168 Pittsburgh Pirates Robert Nutting Baseball US$188 million
169 Charlotte Bobcats Robert Johnson Basketball US$184 million
170 New Orleans Hornets George Shinn/Gary Chouest Basketball US$184 million
171 Milwaukee Bucks Herbert Kohl Basketball US$180 million
172 Florida Marlins Jeffrey Loria Baseball US$179 million
173 Philadelphia Flyers Comcast Spectacor Ice Hockey US$178 million
174 Dallas Stars Tom Hicks Ice Hockey US$177 million
175 Celtic FC Dermot Desmond Soccer US$172 million
176 VfB Stuttgart Club members Soccer US$171 million
177 Boston Bruins Jeremy Jacobs Ice Hockey US$170 million
178 Hamburger FC Club members Soccer US$165 million
179 Galatasaray Galatasaray SK Soccer US$160 million
180 Vancouver Canucks Francesco Aquilini Ice Hockey US$153 million
181 Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund GmbH Motorsport US$150 million
182 Colorado Avalanche Stan Kroenke Ice Hockey US$150 million
183 Olympique Lyonnais Jean-Michel Aulas Soccer US$150 million
184 New Jersey Devils Jeffrey Vanderbeek Ice Hockey US$144 million
185 Olympique de Marseille Robert Louis-Dreyfus Soccer US$141 million
186 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing;  Teresa Earnhardt Motorsport – US$140 million
187 Minnesota Wild Craig Leipold/Philip Falcone Ice Hockey US$140 million
188 Los Angeles Kings Philip Anschutz Ice Hockey US$136 million
189 Everton FC Bill Kenwright Soccer US$133 million
190 Ottawa Senators Eugene Melnyk Ice Hockey US$133 million
191 Chicago Blackhawks Wirtz Family Ice Hockey US$132 million
192 Anaheim Ducks Henry Samueli/Susan Samueli Ice Hockey US$131 million
193 Calgary Flames Calgary Flames LP Ice Hockey US$131 million
194 Tampa Bay Lightning Oren Koules/Len Barrie Ice Hockey US$130 million
195 Glasgow Rangers FC Sir David Murray Soccer US$126million
196 Pittsburgh Penguins Mario Lemieux/Ronald Burkle Ice Hockey US$126 million
197 Newcastle United FC Mike Ashley Soccer US$120 million
198 Kobe Bryant Kobe Bryant Basketball US$120 million
199 San Jose Sharks Kevin Compton/Greg Jamison Ice Hockey US$116 million
200 Penske Racing; Roger Penske Motorsport – US$115 million

Source: SportsPro Magazine
TOP TEN LEAGUE PROPERTIES
Rank Property Owner/Majority Shareholder Sport Value
1 (1) National Football League 32 NFL franchises Football US$4.5 billion
2 (2) Major League Baseball 30 MLB franchises Baseball US$3.936 billion
3 (3) National Basketball Assoc. 30 NBA franchises Basketball US$2.344 billion
4 (4) Nascar France family Motorsport US$1.9 billion
5 (6) Indian Premier League BCCI (India) Cricket US$1.6 billion
6 (9) Formula One CVC/RBS/Ecclestone Motorsport US$1.45 billion
7 (13) Uefa Champions League Uefa Soccer US$1.1 billion
8 (18) PGA Tour PGA of America Golf US$970 million
9 (33) National Hockey League 30 NHL franchises Ice Hockey US$760 million
10 (41) ATP World Tour Association of Tennis Prof Tennis US$700 million
Source: SportsPro Magazine
TOP TEN TEAM PROPERTIES
Rank Property Owner/Major Shareholder Sport Value
1 (7) Scuderia Ferrari Fiat Motorsport US$1.55 billion
2 (8) Manchester United FC Malcolm Glazer Soccer US$1.495 billion
3 (10) Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones Football US$1.278 billion
4 (12) New York Yankees George Steinbrenner Baseball US$1.19 billion
5 (14) Real Madrid Club Members Soccer US$1.073 billion
6 (17) Washington Redskins Daniel Snyder Football US$999 million
7 (19) New York Giants John Mara/Steven Tisch Football US$932 million
8 (20) New York Jets Robert Wood Johnson IV Football US$927 million
9 (21) Arsenal FC Stan Kroenke Soccer US$910 million
10 (24) New England Patriots Robert Kraft Football US$861 million
Source: SportsPro Magazine
TOP TEN INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE PROPERTIES
Rank Property Owner/Major Shareholder Sport Value
1 (11) ETW Corp/Tiger Woods Design Tiger Woods Golf US$1.25 billion
2 (16) Nicklaus Design Jack Nicklaus Golf US$1 billion
3 (28) Arnold Palmer Design Arnold Palmer Golf US$800 million
4 (29) Great White Shark Enterprises Greg Norman Golf US$800 million
5 (36) Michael Jordan Michael Jordan/Nike Basketball US$725 million
6 (72) Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya Boxing US$500 million
7 (82) LeBron James LeBron James Basketball US$400 million
8 (88) Beckham Brand Ltd David and Victoria Beckham Soccer US$375 million
9 (142) Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar Cricket US$220 million
10 (198) Kobe Bryant Kobe Bryant Basketball US$120 million
Source: SportsPro Magazine

TOP TEN ANNUAL TOURNAMENT PROPERTIES
Rank Property Owner/Major Shareholder Sport Value
1 (22) The Wimbledon Championships All England Lawn Tennis Club Tennis US$900 million
2 (23) US Tennis Open United States Tennis Association Tennis US$880 million
3 (35) The Masters Augusta National Golf Club Golf US$750 million
4 (69) Monaco Grand Prix Automobile Club de Monaco Motorsport US$520 million
5 (81) Australian Open Tennis Australia Tennis US$400 million
6 (83) Six Nations Six Nations Rugby Ltd. Rugby Union US$400 million
7 (92) Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation Cycling US$350 million
8 (109) French Open French Tennis Federation Tennis US$300 million
9 (120) Singapore Grand Prix Ong Beng Seng/Singapore Government Motorsport US$261 million
10 (127) The Open Championship Royal & Ancient Golf US$252 million
Source: SportsPro Magazine

What makes this different, and consequently an exciting time for all parties involved, is that Danica is one of the first motorsport athletes to launch on Twitter in conjunction with a sponsor. Tissot see this and social media as a whole as an opportunity for ongoing sponsorship in a less-invasive way than traditional advertising. They’re trying to connect with consumers through social media and one of their company’s ‘faces’.

Both Danica and Tissot are well aware that they are carving new territory in terms of sponsorships on Twitter and are moving ahead cautiously and figuring it out as they go. Both parties want to execute this new venture within the cultural norms of social media.

Danica officially launched on Sunday, May 17th, but prior to her first tweet she already had 2700 followers, which illustrated the demand for her to communicate and connect with her fans in this relatively new medium. She’s already validated that her account is real by posting a Twitpic in uniform from New York.