To understand the usage of promotional products in the sports industry, one must understand sports: the games, the players, and the fans.

There are five primary reasons sports exist. (History may tell of more, but for the sake of this article, let’s stick with five current reasons.) The people who enjoy them often do so for more than one reason. There is significant overlap, especially when you consider how often an individual transitions from fan to player to coach and back to fan over the course of a lifetime.

Competitive Nature

For the most part, athletes, by nature, like to compete. The competition motivates them to be the best they can be. And a little smack talk makes the experience even spicier.

Like the armor of gladiators, athletes need quality gear that let’s people know who they play for. Team-branded jerseys, bags, caps, and equipment for trainers serve as promotional products on their own and offer valuable space for sponsors to increase awareness.

That competitive nature doesn’t stop just because a middle-aged person’s body no longer allows them to participate. That’s when fandom becomes the avenue of competition. Promotional products commemorating championship wins become a badge of honor for team members and fans alike. Those badges may take the form of medals, plaques, or statues.

Fandom

Sports fans are a breed of their own. From painting their bodies with team colors to cheering themselves hoarse and tolerating all manner of elements, their enthusiasm is contagious. Fandom is taken so seriously that when players (high school, college, semi-pro, or pro) win or lose, fans include themselves in the retelling of the story: “We won because…” or “We should have __________ to beat them.” Fandom brings people together over a sense of ownership, rivalry, and competition.

You see stadiums and arenas filled with T-shirts or rally towels as part of a white out or black out effort to show unity, especially for games being televised. Sports are a unique space where people clamor for the status of wearing promotional products like these.

Entertaining Pastime

Those who aren’t compensated to compete experience sports as a hobby, whether they function as players or spectators. More than just a pastime, sports is a genre of entertainment that ranges from fairy tale happy endings to crushing tragedy. The “ownership” of fandom leads to having a personal stake in the outcome of the story and necessitates following each episode (er, game) along the way. From the patriotism of the Olympics to the hometown pride of a state championship, people are drawn in by the stories behind sports, whether they love a particular game or not.

Those stories become cherished memories just waiting to be immortalized on a pennant, as a patch on a letter jacket, or in an MVP award.

Fitness

Whether it’s the byproduct of a middle school PE class, a way for parents to get kids away from screens, or a doctor’s recommendation to “get more exercise”, sports are a means of fitness. For those who are averse to the monotony of a treadmill or an early morning aerobics class, sports can be the answer. Competing makes fitness fun. It takes the mind off time and distance and places it firmly on winning a game. It’s the difference between work and play. Sure, even here there are overlaps. Some gyms hold competitions for bragging rights or a name in lights on an obscure leaderboard. That’s the power of competition.

Many non-profits have discovered the value of hosting charity runs, tapping into folks’ fitness goals, competitive natures, and desires to support worthy causes. Promotional products for race days can range from water station sponsorships to course signage and self-care packets handed out at the end of the race.

Teamwork

From the earliest childhood report cards that rated a student’s ability to work and play with others to collegiate-level group projects and beyond, learning to work with a team is a basic human skill. Teamwork can be the reason parents sign little Bobby up for ballet or little Suzy up for tee-ball. In the stands, fans become a secondary team. Traditions like Texas A&M’s 12th man emphasize the importance of fans helping their teams.

That secondary team can be encouraged to rally around a theme day to honor first responders or to add to their sports memorabilia collection with a bobble-head. Parents of athletes appreciate stadium cushions that support the team and soften the hours spent in the stands. It’s not difficult to find a place where promotional products and sports overlap. It’s only a matter of creativity.

Across the board, sports display the magnetic power of bringing people together for a common purpose, even if that purpose is a bitter rivalry.