Perhaps no time in the history of mankind have sports and politics been so entwined.

Ever since I was old enough to know the difference between a home run and touchdown, corporate sponsors of sporting events attempted to avoid being drawn into what I call “political sports.” But the early days of 2026 prove that brands that sponsor mega sporting events, like the Super Bowl, Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, can no longer disassociate themselves from this. And sponsors of those events can no longer pretend that sports are free of politics.

For the time being, emerging sports, many of which will be part of the 2028 L.A. Olympics, have escaped the protests that are associated with mega sporting events. The downside to a brand sponsoring these sports (pickleball, squash, flag football, cricket, etc.) is that they have minimal visibility. The upside is that they are relatively inexpensive to sponsor, and by adding a savvy public relations/publicity program, the brand can gain positive national earned media attention throughout the year. Those “newer” sports certainly should be considered by sports marketing brands.

As someone who started out as a sports reporter for New York City dailies before becoming the sports marketing guru at two major PR agencies over a 35-year period, I noticed that sports marketers and their public relations agencies are slow to change their tactics: Super Bowl and Olympics........

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