Dive Brief:
- Heineken USA is now the official beer of U.S. Major League Soccer. The brewer signed a five-year sponsorship deal valued at more than $50 million including media and marketing spends.
- The White Plains, NY-based unit of the global brewer replaces Budweiser, which sponsored the league as well as the U.S. and Mexican national teams for close to 20 years.
- The league is in discussions with Bud's parent, AB InBev, as well as rival SABMiller regarding sponsorship of the American and Mexican national squads.
Dive Insight:
Budweiser, the all-American beer, supported professional soccer back when it was seen as something less than an all-American sport. Now that the greatest game has caught on with a wide swath of the U.S. population, due in no small part to the popularity of the World Cup tournament over the summer, the league has signed on with the green-bottle team.
Perhaps Budweiser would like to buy an ad on a NBA player's jersey?