JPMorgan Chase five years ago would have been flattered just to be considered a top sponsor, said Frank Nakano, a Senior VP at the banking giant. That underscores just how much has changed in that time, as the bank won the Sports Sponsor of the Year award, beating out such heavyweights as Anheuser-Busch InBev and Pepsi. The bank is naming the groundbreaking arena for the Warriors in S.F. in addition to continuing to stamp its name all over the U.S. Open tennis championships, including on the new main court stadium roof. At that event, the bank brings tens of thousands of guests through its coveted hospitality program at the sporting event of the late summer in N.Y. The bank expects some new deals in tennis going forward, Nakano said. The bank also has its name now interspersed throughout hockey and basketball, including its high-profile sponsorship of MSG. Nakano said that venues allow the bank to reach consumers more directly, in particular families. The MSG sponsorship covers more than the main arena, but all MSG properties like the Forum and Westchester County Center. The bank also has key sponsorships of Amalie Arena in Tampa and Amway Center in Orlando.
