How Influencer Partnerships Can Transform Sports
Sports can evolves with influencer partnerships, like WWE's Royal Rumble featuring Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed, leveraging real-time content to engage younger, digital-first audiences.
Influencer partnerships are reshaping sports marketing, enabling teams and leagues to forge direct, authentic connections with fans. Creators deliver timely behind‑the‑scenes content, live commentary and interactive activations that cut through traditional advertising. As platforms evolve, sporting bodies harness micro‑ and macro‑influencers to reach younger demographics, diversify revenue streams and cultivate deeper community engagement.
WWE’s Royal Rumble in February 2025 featured streamers Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed granted full backstage access and live reaction coverage. Their combined YouTube streams exceeded 2M+ views, driving Pay‑Per‑View purchases above the previous year’s levels and illustrating the power of creator‑led, real‑time storytelling. Such collaborations will likely become more prevalent, to effectively engage with respective audience.
Premier League clubs increasingly collaborate with content creators as Sky Sports launched “Scenes,” a YouTube series blending influencers like Specs Gonzalez and Jamie Carragher at matches, accumulating over 2.2M views. The NBA are also embracing creator partnerships, as in 2024‑25 the NBA launched the Creator Cup Series featuring personalities such as Kai Cenat and Drew Afualo delivering behind-the-scenes coverage.
F1 teams and sponsors increasingly collaborate with digital creators for global outreach. Aston Martin Aramco F1 created a TikTok Creator Collective of emerging voices featuring Alicia Hullott, Chelsea Tucker, Rheanna Mazzaschi, Catherine Bruce and Ella Welch. The creators will produce content across their diverse creative talents to engage with wider audiences throughout the 2025 F1 season.
At Roland‑Garros, OPPO partnered with influencers like Adrián Marcelo to share behind‑the‑scenes content, generating over 1.4M video views. Wimbledon hosted lifestyle influencers including Jim Chapman and Estée Lalonde, delivering 9M+ impressions. Fashion creator Morgan Riddle featured in “Wimbledon Threads,” promoting matchday style and amplifying tennis as a lifestyle‑driven cultural event.
Golf bodies partner with tech and travel content creators to demystify a traditionally exclusive sport. The PGA Tour hosted tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) for shot‑analysis explainers using ball‑tracking technology, breaking down data for casual fans. Meanwhile, LIV Golf engaged travel influencer Karl Watson to showcase event hospitality and venue tours. These partnerships lower barriers to entry and invite new audiences.
The IOC launched its Believe In Sport campaign for Paris 2024, appointing six athlete ambassadors—Pascal Gentil, Nina Kanto, Nchimunya Mweetwa, Louise Bawden, Consuelo de las Heras, and Maria Barakat—to raise awareness of competition manipulation and promote integrity in sport. These appointments were made in collaboration with National Olympic Committees and International Federations.
To succeed, sports entities must embed influencer partnerships within strategic frameworks. Defining KPIs such as engagement rate, conversion lift and audience growth ensures measurable outcomes. Transparent contract terms and careful alignment of creator‑brand values safeguard authenticity. As digital‑first audiences expand, the most agile organisations will outpace competitors by blending athlete and influencer ecosystems.