Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx have elevated longtime sponsor Federated Insurance to be its jersey patch partner, a conscious effort to collaborate with a Minnesota brand that prioritizes youth charity and women’s sports. Based about an hour south of Minneapolis in Owatonna, Federated Insurance has raised over $52M to perpetuate local Big Brothers Big Sisters programs and now plans to organize basketball camps and clinics for girls alongside Lynx players and coaches as part of the multiyear deal.
The Lynx -- who have had Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic as its corresponding belly patch partner since 2014 -- first approached Federated Insurance a year ago after its jersey patch deal with Sharecare expired. Negotiated in-house by Partnership Marketing Senior Manager Shannon Buckner, SVP/Corporate Partnerships David King, COO Ryan Tanke and CEO Ethan Casson, the preference was to pursue an in-state company, particularly since the T'Wolves’ patch partner is the national brand Aura.
“Our intention with the [WNBA] patch partner was finding somebody local that wants this to be purpose first,’’ said King, who along with Tanke explained that many Big Brothers and Big Sisters will be bringing “little’’ sisters to Lynx games. “We wanted that [patch] to be a physical representation of a broader story, specifically around investing in young girls. They've been a Lynx partner [for 20 years]. They've been a Wolves partner for a long time. But they wanted to really double down on their commitment to women's sports and the Lynx specifically. So it was kind of perfect timing.’’
Utilizing the T'Wolves -- who have sold out every game this season -- as a model, Lynx execs are attempting to double their fanbase over a five-year period and said the deals with Mayo Clinic and Federated are part of a concerted strategy to enhance local visibility.
“The Lynx will hit an all- time record level of corporate support this season,’’ Tanke said. “There are so many great Fortune 500 or 1000 companies in Minnesota, and so for us to really pull them into this movement with us is really important. ... There’s such a movement happening around women's sports right now that I think this is such a great opportunity for us and Federated Insurance to do together.’’
Federated Insurance’s patch will appear on the three iterations of Lynx jerseys -- the Heroine, Explorer and Rebel Edition uniforms -- and will debut at the team’s initial home preseason game on May 4 against the Chicago Sky. Jerseys containing the patch can be purchased only at the Lynx team stores at Target Center.
