Nike's lifetime contract with LeBron James "threw the value of sports sponsorship into sharp relief" just in time for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year, according to Liam Hopkins for MARKETING MAGAZINE. Though "perhaps not quite on the same scale as LeBron James, the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year contest this Sunday offers plenty of opportunities for marketers by putting the top twelve sports people in the country in the spotlight." They "present an engaging and potentially lucrative way for brands to connect with consumers -- even if boxer Tyson Fury has managed to alienate the public and any potential sponsors with his sexist and homophobic remarks." This year's shortlist, which includes Andy Murray, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Lewis Hamilton, "has attracted the typical big-hitter sport sponsors such as adidas and Nike." But "there are a few unusual partnerships to inspire marketers from non-sports categories, as well as gaps for brands to fill." Some of the shortlisted contenders do not "have any major individual endorsement deals yet," but the SPOTY title "could change all that" (MARKETING MAGAZINE, 12/16).
