As the official beer partner of the Philadelphia Phillies, Miller Lite has specially branded “Ring the Bell” 30-pack cans. Beer and sports franchises are partnering up more frequently than ever, and for good reason.
Written By: Kate Bernot
Sports and beer have long shared a natural synergy, with partnerships between beverage brands and athletic organizations creating moments of camaraderie and celebration for fans. These collaborations go beyond mere sponsorships – they’re about aligning with the passion, culture, and traditions that define sports fandom. From the Premier League to the Super Bowl, brands like Athletic Brewing, Guinness, Truly, Heineken, and Coors Light are finding innovative ways to deepen their ties with sports fans, enhancing both the fan experience and their own brand visibility. Whether through co-branded products, stadium promotions, or grassroots initiatives, these partnerships illustrate how beer brands are embedding themselves into the cultural heartbeat of sports, forging connections with sports franchises that resonate across generations and geographies.
Athletic Brewing
Given the name of the brand, Athletic Brewing’s partnerships with sports franchises are baked into its DNA. Indeed, since the company’s founding in 2017, it has put athletic and active lifestyles at the center of its marketing and sponsorship. In 2024, though, that entered a new phase when Athletic became the first nonalcoholic beer
sponsor of the Arsenal F.C. Premier League team. It was a first for the soccer club, and a first for Athletic. “This was by far the biggest team that we’ve partnered with,” says Andrew Katz, Athletic’s Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s one of the highest-profile things we’ve ever done. As we think about scaling the brand, we think about not only participatory sports, which are really important, but now we’re also surprising and delighting spectators as well.” The sponsorship, which names Athletic the official non-alcoholic beer of Arsenal F.C. and Arsenal W.F.C., its women’s team, is designed primarily to enhance Athletic’s brand recognition and rate of sale in the U.K. Fans there can taste Athletic inside Emirates Stadium – including through an upcoming “free beer day” promotion during a match – and at stores, where Athletic debuted co-branded four-packs of cans emblazoned in Arsenal red.
Creating Memorable Moments
The partnership also has ripple effects to U.S. consumers, too, thanks to the global reach of Premier League soccer: Arsenal’s website lists 73 local fan clubs based in the U.S., from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Tapping into this kind of rabid fandom is what beer and sports franchise partnerships are built on.
No matter the brand, the goal is to solidify the link between the good times a fan has with a team and their enjoyment of a particular beer. Sometimes that takes place within a stadium’s four walls; other times, it’s about a beer brand being part of a fan’s sports bar experience, or their traditions around watching the game at home. Either way, it’s a natural fit, because sporting events are already culturally ingrained as beerdrinking moments. “We know during sports occasions, the consumer is looking for beer, whether it be non-alcoholic or alcoholic,” says Kelly Rinaudot, Regional Marketing Manager for Heineken USA, a sponsor of the Philadelphia Union soccer team. “As a fan, when I go to a game and I drink Heineken, I’m going to connect that good experience with the brand. And so, what we really strive to do through our sports partnerships, is create that memorable, legendary moment that a sports fan has at a match.”
Truly
Making a beverage part of fans’ and athletes’ passion for a sport is also at the center of Truly’s sponsorship of the US Soccer Federation (USSF); since 2022, the brand has been the official hard seltzer of both men’s and women’s U.S. soccer. It gave Truly a place of prominence during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and will do the same at the men’s FIFA World Cup in 2026. The alignment makes sense, says Matt Withington, Senior Director of Marketing for Truly, because the sport of soccer has gone from a niche interest in the U.S. to solidly in the mainstream within just a decade.
Research from business intelligence company Morning Consult shows soccer fans are younger and more diverse than general sports fans in the United States. “Soccer is continuing to grow among the next generation of sports fans. And for us, Truly is really the beverage of the next generation of drinkers,” says Withington. “That alignment of values just made for a really natural partnership. We’re in this for the long haul.” It’s already shown signs of success. Withington says single cans of Truly that featured the USSF crest sold in small-format stores boosted purchase interest and contributed more than 5% in dollar sales growth in 2024.
Soccer Initiative Partnerships
But Truly’s aim is not just to drive sales and brand equity but to enhance the fan experience. Last year, it debuted limited-edition “orange slice” cans to celebrate the U.S. Women’s National Team and remind drinkers of the nostalgia they have for their own youth soccer days. The brand has also been a supporter of SheBelieves, a U.S. Soccer initiative to encourage young women and girls to reach their dreams, athletic or otherwise. “We’ve focused on positively adding to fan culture in ways that that audience has found meaningful,” Withington says. “We’re celebrating the next generation of athletes who are shaping the sport in America, like Lindsey Horan and Sophia Smith. We love what this partnership represents, and it fits our audience and theirs really well.”
Molson Coors and the Big Game
While soccer represents a new fan frontier for brands like Athletic and Truly, another beer company is making a return to one of beer’s longest-running sales occasions: the Super Bowl. In 2025, Molson Coors will once again advertise during the Big Game; this follows its return to advertising during that event last year after a three-decade hiatus. Fans can also expect to see a special secondary package for Coors Light 12-packs that features a tie-in to what’s aired in this year’s commercial, which Tom Henehan, Molson Coors’ Director of Field Marketing for the Northeast Region, says is expected to drive velocity for that package. “What this signifies is an understanding that zillions of people are watching,” Henehan says. “It signifies that Coors Light should be a beer for fans of football.” Henehan says he’s proud of the way Molson Coors, its distributors, and various sports franchises have worked strategically over the years to make sure sponsorships benefit all parties.
Coors Light
In 2025, for the second year in a row, Coors Light will be an official beer of ESPN’s tournament bracket. That means the beer brand will be featured prominently on brackets and in on and offpremise point-of-sale materials leading up to and during the tournament. (Blue Moon will not be an official sponsor of the tournament, but will advertise heavily throughout.) Henehan says that Coors Light’s sponsorship of ESPN’s bracket is an example of how to integrate a beer brand with beloved sports traditions, like filling out – and stressing over – March Madness brackets.
“When you think about working with a sports partner, it’s about establishing goals in which you’re both aligned – both the brand and the team. You’re not just buying their IP rights, you’re buying into their culture,” Henehan says. “Cultural legacy and unflappable fan loyalty is what separates sports teams from other types of partnerships like music festivals,” he says.
Team Culture and its Importance
Sports fandom is passed down through families, friends, and cities through generations, transcending losing seasons, player trades, and ownership changes. Your favorite sports team is in your blood, and being a brand sponsor means being a caretaker for fans’ passion. “Teams are not just teams, they’re cultures unto themselves. They’re a language unto themselves. It’s a vibe unto itself,” Henehan says. “And it’s consistent. Once you’re an Eagles fan, you’re always an Eagles fan. Once you’re an Orioles fan, you’re always an Orioles fan. Once you’re a Red Sox fan, you’re part of a family. We say it’s about getting involved in the culture of a team, not just being an add-on.”
About the Author: You may know her as the director of the North American Guild of Beer Writers, but Kate Bernot wears many hats. The work of this celebrated journalist and BJCP Certified Beer Judge routinely appears in The New York Times, Washington Post and the online publication Good Beer Hunting – to name a few. Ms. Bernot resides in Missoula, Montana where she enjoys the great outdoors and a good pint of beer made by the area’s skilled local brewers.
About Kramer Beverage
Kramer Beverage is South Jersey’s largest beer wholesaler and is owned and operated by the Kramer family – through four generations – since 1924. They are based out of Hammonton and serve an eight-county footprint in South Jersey with top brands from Molson Coors, Constellation, Yuengling, Boston Beer, Heineken USA, Pabst, Diageo, FIFCO, and others. Kramer Beverage also distributes wine, spirits, and a variety of craft beers from suppliers such as New Belgium and Sierra Nevada to local favorites, including Cape May Brewing, Flying Fish, MudHen, Double Nickel, Evil Genius, and Glasstown. For more information, please visit www.kramerbev.com.