Oklahoma-based Choctaw Casinos & Resorts has "added endorsement deals" with Pro Football HOFer Troy Aikman, Baseball HOFer Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and former NFLer Darren Woodson to a sponsorship portfolio that already includes the Mavericks, Stars, Rangers and the AT&T Byron Nelson PGA Tour stop, according to Bill King of SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL. Choctaw Casinos & Resorts will make the three anchors of a “Where the Players Play” campaign that will break in time for football season, with the retired stars of the Cowboys and Rangers appearing in TV and digital spots, promoting the brand through social media and making appearances in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and in Oklahoma. The four-year deals, worth a combined seven figures, are the latest step for a casino operator that said it has "increased its sports spending eightfold since 2017." Along with the three deals with Dallas’ major pro teams, Choctaw holds naming rights to the former Globe Life Park and sponsors the Dallas Marathon, Dickies Arena and several rodeo events (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/28 issue).
RAISING THE STAKES: In Dallas, Sasha Richie wrote this is the “latest move in the Oklahoma-based casino’s push to capitalize on sports.” The first batch of ads “situate recognizable sports actions in casino and resort settings,” such as Aikman “calling plays at a blackjack table and Rodriguez using catcher signals to flag a bartender.” Choctaw is “virtually synonymous with Dallas sports.” Choctaw Nation Senior Exec Officer Janie Dillard said she feels like “sports [is our next frontier], I truly do.” She added, “With these three athletes we’ve got, they are going to take us to the next level” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/27).
