Top 10 Sports Brands in the World in 2021 by Sponsorship Spend

NIKE Inc, adidas AG, Anheuser-Busch InBev NV/SA, Verizon Communications Inc, and PepsiCo Inc are the 5 top sports brands in the world in 2021 by sponsorship spend. Comprehensively, the top 10 sports brands in the world by sponsorship spending, employed a total of 1,068,565 people in 2021. In terms of the geographic split, 5 out of 10 of the world’s top sports brands are based in the US, while 4 are based in Europe, and one is based in the UAE. The United States of America-based NIKE Inc is the leading sports brand in the world (by sponsorship spend). Nike spent $1,724 million on sponsorships while it reported revenues of $37,403 million for the fiscal year ended December 2021 (FY2021), an increase of 19.1% over FY2020, which was driven by triple-digit growth in the wholesale business and strong double-digit growth in NIKE Direct. The company designs, markets, and distributes athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories for men, women, and children. It markets and distributes various products for kids and for other recreational and athletic activities such as football, baseball, cricket, lacrosse, skateboarding, tennis, volleyball, wrestling, walking, and outdoor activities. The company employed 73,300 people. Puma SE (Puma) is another leading brand in the world (by sponsorship spend). It designs, develops, and markets footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. It has a business presence across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Puma spent $343 million on sponsorships while it generated revenues of $8,047 million for the fiscal year ended December 2021 (FY2021), an increase of 30% over the previous year. Puma is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany.