This spring, two sporting giants on opposite sides of the Atlantic gave their long-suffering fans something to celebrate. In London, Arsenal lifted the Premier League title, ending a 22-year league drought. In New York, the Knicks broke through after half a century of frustration to claim a historic win.

Two cities, two sports, two breakthroughs — and two reminders that success on the field is only ever half the story. What both clubs share is something less visible than a trophy: a brand strong enough to see the clubs through the lean years. The Knicks’ strong brand foundations — built around the mythology of Madison Square Garden and an identity woven into the fabric of New York itself — meant that fans stuck with the team, and it had a platform for converting recent success into broad cultural resonance. Arsenal, meanwhile, strengthened by cohesive in-house creative direction, demonstrates how aligned performance and brand execution can amplify one another.

That distinction matters more than ever, because the challenge facing legacy sporting brands is about more than championship success. In an environment defined by always-on content, global audiences and fast-moving cultural shifts, heritage alone isn’t enough to keep audiences engaged. It is becoming increasingly hard to achieve such brand relevance.

Look at the ongoing decline of some of the U.S.’s most enduring sporting brands. According to a Washington Post poll a few years ago, only 7% of adults........

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