Under the five-year, multimillion dollar deal, Herbalife will be the shirt sponsor of the LA Galaxy Football team that David Beckham joins later this summer. The deal is an expansion of an existing deal.
But a major factor in the deal was the fact that Herbalife to showcase its brand name on the front of the team shirt. For the first time in the history of team sports in the United States, a professional league will allow its franchises to sell “sponsorship rights” on a primary position of the players’ kit. A long-accepted practice for soccer and other teams internationally, the 2007 MLS season will mark the first time a US league will permit this marketing platform for team sponsors.
“Without a doubt, this is a milestone event in American sports marketing,” said Shawn Hunter, President, AEG Sports and Chief Marketing Officer, AEG. “With the tremendous amount of global exposure the Galaxy is expected to generate in the upcoming season, the time was clearly right for a professional league in the United States to create this branding platform.”
