The USOC has signed Mondelez Int'l as a new cookies and crackers sponsor, a category previously controlled by Kellogg’s, two sources said. Mondelez makes well-known brands such as Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, Ritz and Triscuit. Its rights begin in January. Terms of the deal are not known. The USOC declined comment; efforts to reach Mondelez were not successful. Cereal maker Kellogg’s joined the USOC program in '11 with a diverse list of rights that included cookies and crackers. But when Kellogg’s issued a press release Tuesday announcing its renewal, first reported by SportsBusiness Journal in August, cookies and crackers were not included. USOC officials disclosed the Mondelez deal during a partner summit Tuesday in DC. The Mondelez deal is the latest example of the USOC parsing bigger sponsorship categories to find new deals. Earlier this year, the USOC sold unbranded, white milk rights to MilkPEP, while Coca-Cola Co. continues to control rights to flavored milk.
COMING BACK FOR MORE: Dick’s Sporting Goods has renewed its USOC sponsorship for the '18 PyeongChang Games. The retailer first acquired category rights to Team USA in early '15 and employed scores of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls in its “Contenders” flexible work schedule program. Octagon advised Dick's on the deal. Terms were not disclosed. The USOC has now renewed 10 sponsorship deals in '16, but still has eight other deals that expire this year with partners who have not publicly said they are leaving. Dick’s also is donating $236,000 to four nonprofits as part of its pledge to donate $1,000 for each Olympic and Paralympic medal won in Rio. Recipients are USA Diving, Fencers Club, U.S. Association of Blind Athletes and Ability360.
