LAST WEEK TODAY: TEAMS ARE TRENDING

MISSING SPONSORSHIP NEWS?

Check out the blog every Monday for a weekly roundup of the past week's most exciting and industry-altering news. These stories cover December 3-9, 2018.

It was a great week for teams around the world. Multiple teams in leagues all over the globe signed new deals in a myriad of categories. Especially notable is the fact most of these deals are coming midseason or after some sort of stumbling block.

1. This first one is a bad example of the title, but that's why we're getting it out of the way right away. Adweek published an article about making branded content more meaningful - check it out.
2. Let's split these up by sport. First up are the two most notable deals in the NHL this week:
   • We're particularly excited to see the results of this deal: Wendy's has signed on with the Columbus Blue Jackets. You may know Wendy's from either the fantastic Frosty's or viral Tweets dragging other fast food brands. Either way, hopefully we'll see some great content out of Columbus.
   • In less fun news, the new NHL arena in Seattle has seen its costs jump - again. No doubt ownership and management will want to get a great sponsorship program going early.
3. Meanwhile, in the Euro soccer leagues:
   1. In the Premier League, the Wolverhampton Wanderers (also known as the Wolves) have a new sponsor for the team's training grounds. Fosun International signed on at the beginning of the current season.
   2. Over in Serie A, AC Milan has signed Bioscalin as the team's Hair Care Partner. It's the pharma brand's first sport sponsorship - we'll be following to see what other teams end up with gorgeous locks due to Bioscalin.
4. Rugby Down Under made the news as well: the Canterbury Bulldogs sign a new shorts sponsor, completing the sale of its kit branding - apparently only three months after the "Mad Monday" scandal caused sponsors to cancel previous deals.
5. The year-end amalgamations have started (don't worry, you'll be seeing at least one from us as well):
   • Which US athletes were most tweeted about last year? If you've been paying attention, it will not surprise you to learn that one isn't even currently playing - not because of retirement, but because of lack of opportunity.
   • In addition, SportTechie shared the biggest brands in CSD sponsorship over the past year in partnership with Hookit.
6. Last up is the NBA:
   • NBA Champions Golden State Warriors are getting a brand-new arena in San Francisco, slated to open for next season. The Warriors are partnering with nearby Silicon Valley tech brands to ensure the arena is a success.
   • The Sacramento Kings sponsorship team is on a roll, even if the team on court isn't quite moving at the same pace.

Three new sponsors so far this month for the @SacramentoKings: @MGMResortsIntl, @YardHouse, and Mebo Group - via @SponsorPitch #sponsorship #NBAhttps://t.co/mvYDi9KAJ1 pic.twitter.com/hnhCMbu1mi

— Tandem Partnerships (@be_tandem) December 8, 2018

Did we miss any? Tweet @be_tandem to let us know - we hate being behind the times just as much as you do.

Look out next Monday for the usual round-up on sponsorship news.