4 Times Sport Sponsorship Broke Barriers

Marketing and Sponsorships in sport is about more than logos on cars and high-profile advertising campaigns. At its best, it has the power to drive change, amplify underrepresented voices, and make you challenge your perception of the industry in some way. Plenty of sponsorships have stood out for their impact over the years. Let’s remind you of four inspiring sponsorships that have broken barriers and helped redefine inclusivity in sport.

Nike & Serena Williams: Championing motherhood and women in sport

Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and she has also been a fierce advocate for gender and racial equality, and making positive change in society’s perception of mothers in sport. Nike’s long-standing sponsorship of Serena became even more meaningful in 2018 when she returned to the court after giving birth to her daughter.

The "Dream Crazier" campaign marked her comeback, featuring Serena alongside other female athletes, challenging outdated stereotypes about women in sport. The campaign celebrated the strength of these athletes, calling out the ways in which women’s emotions, passion, and ambition are villainised, and the unfair double standard for men who get to bring themselves to the court. Serena’s endorsement was a powerful statement: that motherhood, ambition, and sporting greatness are not mutually exclusive.

Nike also took concrete steps to support female athletes by introducing a maternity policy that ensures sponsored athletes do not face financial penalties during pregnancy, backing their activation with real action. This move set a new standard in the industry.

Puma & Lewis Hamilton: A statement on diversity in motorsport

Despite being one of the only sports where men and women can compete side by side, Motorsport has long been a male-dominated, exclusive and traditionally white-dominated sport. Lewis Hamilton has used his platform to push for greater diversity and inclusivity in the space, and Puma, one of Hamilton’s key sponsors, took an active role in supporting this mission.

Hamilton and Puma collaborated on the "Only See Great" campaign, which highlighted journeys by athletes overcoming barriers and redefining success. More importantly, Puma backed Hamilton’s advocacy work through Mission 44, an initiative dedicated to making diversity the new reality of motorsport. Puma’s investment wasn’t just about branding, it contributed directly to programmes that gave underrepresented young people looking to break into the sport new pathways.

Visa & the UEFA Women’s Champions League: Changing the game for women’s football

Visa’s partnership with UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2018 is another example of meaningful sponsorship. For years, women’s football struggled with financial disparities, lack of sponsorship, and lower visibility compared to men’s (and it’s not equal yet!). Visa’s commitment was one of the first major financial deals that treated women’s football with seriousness, recognising the value of the market.

One of the most significant aspects of this partnership was Visa’s pledge to do more than sponsor the competition, also investing in the development of female players at grassroots levels, and running global campaigns featuring female footballers as the face of their brand, putting them in front of future generations of young girls to see professional football as a viable career.

Visa’s deal helped set the precedent for greater financial backing of the women’s game, paving the way for the record-breaking sponsorships that followed in the lead-up to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Monster Energy and Adaptive Action Sports

Extreme sports are traditionally dominated by able-bodied athletes, but Monster Energy has been at the forefront of supporting adaptive athletes in disciplines like snowboarding, motocross, and skateboarding for years. The brand has backed athletes with disabilities who compete in events like the X Games Adaptive competitions by providing funding, exposure, and the same level of recognition as their able-bodied counterparts.

The Monster Energy Cares spotlight campaign has helped highlight the achievements and causes of many of their underrepresented athletes. Athletes like Roy Tuscany, whose High Fives Foundation for adaptative athletes like himself is backed by Monster Energy. Monster is a great example of meaningful sponsorship, where athlete’s stories and goals are not used as a convenient sell, but placed at the forefront of outreach strategy.

Why does it matter?

All sponsorships in sport can be about more than brand exposure; it can be a powerful tool for change. When big brands choose to actively support underrepresented groups, invest in grassroots development, and push for inclusivity; they help reshape the future of sport for the better. As the industry moves forward, it’s clear that the most impactful sponsorships will be those that go beyond business and genuinely work to create change.