Golf 958
Why The Masters Has A Limited Number Of Sponsors Compared To Other Major Sporting Events? 543x4o
Kieran Lynch is a sports writer specialising in football and Formula One. He is a sports journalism graduate of Leeds Trinity University and completed a Press Association NCTJ course in Newcastle. He previously worked as a news reporter for the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk and spent five years as a sports writer at the MailOnline.
Get to know Kieran Lynch betterPublished08 Apr 2025
Most major sports events are plastered with corporate sponsors but this doesn’t seem to be the case at the Masters golf tournament.
The Super Bowl every February has about 20 minutes worth of ads per hour with corporate logos appearing everywhere. This year’s Super Bowl had around 50 brands advertising during the game.
Other golf tournaments are also plastered with corporate branding in ments and around the golf course.
However, Augusta National masters the art of minimal sponsorship during golf’s biggest tournament of the year.
How Many Sponsors Does The Masters Have? 1j3v4k
The Bank of America was revealed as the Masters’ seventh sponsor for the 2025 tournament.
They ed AT&T, IBM and Mercedes-Benz as a ‘Champion Partner’ for golf’s most prestigious competition. This is the top sponsorship tier that grants global advertising rights and US exclusivity.
Delta Air, Rolex and UPS have returned as ‘Tournament Partners’ that gain brand exposure from advertising at the Masters.
Why Does The Masters Have A Limited Number Of Sponsors? 5n3q
Compared to other major sporting events which are plastered with sponsors and branding, organisers of the Masters are more fussed about maintaining the authenticity and tradition of the event.
Part of the reason why they have limited sponsorship is down to their domestic broadcasting deals at present with CBS and ESPN.
The Masters doesn’t charge a cent to either CBS or ESPN to broadcast the Masters. This compares to the U.S. Open deal which is reportedly worth $90m and is split between Fox and NBC.
What this means is that the tournament’s organiser, Augusta National, maintains strict control over broadcasting rights which improves the viewer’s experience with less adverts.
The networks have to agree to a minimal amount of commercials. Over recent years, sponsors of the Masters have fought for four minutes of air time per hour.
Unlike other golf tournaments, there is no branding around the course at Augusta National.
“The precedent is probably the Olympics. There is no signage inside the games and my guess is they took note of that,” Rick Burton, former chief marketing officer for the U.S. Olympic Committee told Forbes.
“It is bold the way they do it since everywhere else in golf is so smothered in logos and banners. In a fun way, it reminds us of a simpler time which I think is the intent.”
How Much Money Does The Masters Make Off Sponsors? 34563l
Sports Pro reported in 2024 that the Masters brought in an estimated $36m annually.
This was when there were six sponsors for golf’s most prestigious tournament. It has not yet been reported what the new figures will be with the addition of the Bank of America as a seventh partner.
In contrast, according to Sportico, last year’s Super Bowl generated nearly $700m in ad revenue.
What Does Sponsorship Money Go Towards? 3c20x
As reported by Medium.com, part of the sponsorship revenue goes directly to US broadcasters CBS and ESPN.
This is to cover the cost of production for the broadcast. The report in 2024 estimated that the production costs are likely around the $10m mark.
A source in the article states: “After the Masters, CBS sends an invoice to Augusta National, and they check it out and get the money from their corporate partners to cover production costs.”