Building Sports Brands That Fans Will Love Forever

At Advertising Week, execs from the Washington Commanders, Cleveland Cavaliers, WTA and Gotham FC opened their playbooks

Creating and sustaining fandom for teams, leagues and beyond was a hot topic at Advertising Week New York. On Wednesday, Gupta Media founder Gogi Gupta hosted a panel, “What It Takes to Build a Sports Brand Fans Never Leave,” featuring executives repping tennis, soccer, basketball and football.

The discussion focused on strategies brands can employ to thrive and grow at the intersection of sports, fandom and culture.

“We try to meet fans at the moment, whatever level of fandom they’re at,” said Chris Kaiser, EVP and CMO of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. 

This year’s efforts included several different plays. Notably, the Cavs launched one-off items for sale. These ranged from a towel James Harden used in his first game—which went for $50—to a chair occupied by Taylor Swift that sold for $7,000.

“It’s a way to make some of these memories that we’re trying to create with fans and give them a way to take it home—and then build on that—to move forward,” said Kaiser.

Tennis ups the ante on a global scale. That can yield huge rewards, but also pose difficulties.

“The real challenge is people’s time—no matter where you are in the world,” said Sarah Swanson, chief brand officer of the Women’s Tennis Association, which runs 50 elite events in 30+ countries.

“We’re always trying to get people’s fandom via their local tournaments, or through the athletes they are following to ladder up across the season. When we think about that, the question is: How does tennis sit at the intersection of things you want to spend your time doing?”

Last year, the WTA went through a significant rebrand to position itself more prominently in entertainment, fashion and pop culture. To that end, the organization staged its Miami tournament at an art museum, spotlighting culture and curators in addition to the action on center court.

In the same vein, Patrick Arthur, CMO at the NFL’s Washington Commanders, worked to leverage nostalgia and build emotional connections. This effort began in 2024, when Josh Harris‘ ownership group bought the team.

“It was important for him to bring back a lot of that nostalgia in the right way,” said Arthur. “We changed our uniforms this year to those Super Bowl-era uniforms worn in the ’80s and ’90s. That has been incredible, not only from a Commanders’ fan point of view but the NFL in general—to see people react and say, ‘Hey, I know that team. I’ve watched them for a really long time.'”

For a team that is 15 years old—and had a name change only five years ago, women’s soccer franchise Gotham FC appreciates the need to stir up the masses to fill seats and boost its image.

One of their key players, Rose Lavelle, enjoys a high profile on the USWNT—but people don’t necessarily know that she plays for Gotham FC. 

“And so our job is to help consumers and new audiences understand that they can actually watch Rose Lavelle all year round, not just, once every so often in the Olympics or the World Cup—which is very exciting,” said Lauro Petro, VP of brand and fan experience at Gotham FC. Promo efforts around Lavelle stressed that “she’s actually part of your hometown team.” 

This, she said, is central to everything the team does on the promo front, with Gotham FC seeking to elevate its players within the community.

“Last year, we had Emily Sonnett and Midge Purce appear on Late Night with Seth Myers,” said Petro. “Getting them into pop culture—and getting them into view sitting at the U.S. Open—showed they were both locally present and nationally relevant. The center of our entire marketing strategy is really being able to lift and leverage our players to tell the story of the club.”

Her bottom line: “Sports is an emotional business. And if you don’t think from a place of emotion, I think you’ve lost the plot.”

Related: To Charm Fandoms, Brands Must Expand Each Community’s Universe