This necessity has turned many women athletes into multi-hyphenate creators who excel at social media and are eager to share their personalities and backstories, making them highly effective partners for brands.
How brands can make the most of athlete partnerships
The conversation then zoomed out to how brands pick the right partners—and why fit beats fame.
Will Ober, Vice President of Athlete Partnerships at Platinum Rye Entertainment, emphasized that brands are often missing a key element in their athlete partnerships: authentic users. “There are athletes out there who may not have 500,000 followers on Instagram, but they do have an audience and they’re an authentic user,” he stated, suggesting fit and credibility matter more than follower counts.
Klein agreed, explaining that brands should be asking whether they want to be one of many in a crowded conversation with an oversaturated athlete or a central partner to someone with a more engaged, niche following.
This idea naturally extends to newer properties, where brands can help write the story from day one. Natalie Fortier, VP and Global Director of Communications at SailGP, noted that brands can enter as “early adopters and carve out a really authentic story.” This opportunity lets brand partners build a narrative from the ground up, rather than simply placing their logo on a pre-existing moment.
Towner noted that Talenti’s partnership with Emma Navarro was born out of a chance encounter, but it worked well because Navarro was an authentic superfan of the brand. As such, the brand was able to grow easily with Navarro’s genuine interest in the brand.
The future of sports marketing
Looking ahead, the panelists agreed that the most successful brand partnerships will be built on authenticity and a willingness to think beyond traditional metrics, such as follower count. Success is about finding the true connection between an athlete and a brand and creating stories that resonate with fans.
“Consumers can sniff out a fake faster than anything these days,” Ober said, capturing the central theme of the discussion. The future of sports marketing is about making genuine connections and adding real value to the fan experience.
