World Baseball Classic Announces 23 Marketing Partners

SEE ALSO: World Baseball Classic Archive

The World Baseball Classic announced on Thursday its list of marketing partners for the fourth version of the tournament, which will bring together 32 teams beginning on March 6.

Four companies will receive the highest level of exposure as global sponsors.Those four are video game maker GungHo, luxury watchmaker Hublot, Japanese logistics provider Nippon Express and financial services group Nomura Securities. Those four sponsors will receive exposure and presence across all of the WBC’s six venues.

The tradition of brands receiving placement on team uniforms, which began with the first Classic in 2006, will continue in this year’s version. Those receiving jersey exposure will have patches with their logos placed on their team’s helmets and jersey sleeves.

The four global sponsors will get placement on jerseys, as well as communications giant LG (Korea), Banco BHD Leon (Dominican Republic) and AT&T  and Comex (Mexico). Canadian Tire will receive placement on Team Canada’s helmet, Curacao Tourism will have a patch on the Netherlands’ jerseys, and LendLease’s patch will be visible on Australia’s jerseys, among others.

“The World Baseball Classic is a one-of-a kind tournament and the diversity of marketing partners associated with the 2017 edition is a testament to its unique nature and reach,” said Dominick Balsamo, MLB’s vice president of international media sales and marketing partnerships. “This event is special in that it extends the opportunity for activation inside six international venues, integrated branding on in-game National Team uniforms, and exposure across media platforms worldwide.”

Moreover, the six venues—Dodger Stadium, Petco Park, Marlins Park, Estadio de Beisbol Charros de Jalisco, Gocheok Sky Dome and the Tokyo Dome—will be represented by a host of local marketing partners. Those sponsors include Asahi Beverages (Tokyo), Kia Automobiles (Korea) and investment firm Value (Mexico).

All of this, the Major League Baseball Players Association said, speaks to baseball’s increasing international appeal.

“The international growth and popularity of baseball is a testament to the success of the World Baseball Classic,” said Timothy Slavin, the union’s chief of business affairs. “That success isn’t realized without the support the Classic continues to receive from some of the world’s most recognizable brands as they seek to engage with our ever-expanding global fan base.”