**Major League Baseball Surpasses $2 Billion in Sponsorship Revenues for 2025, Led by the Los Angeles Dodgers**
Major League Baseball (MLB) has reached a significant milestone in 2025, with record sponsorship revenues surpassing the $2 billion threshold for the first time. This impressive growth has been driven largely by the Los Angeles Dodgers, fueling a surge in team sponsorship revenue throughout the league.
According to the 2025 MLB Marketing Partnerships report released today by SponsorUnited, total team sponsorship revenue climbed to $2.05 billion. This marks a 9% year-over-year increase from 2024 and an extraordinary 68% growth since 2022.
SponsorUnited notes that MLB has become only the second North American sports league to exceed $2 billion in team sponsorship revenue, following the NFL, which reached this milestone in 2022.
### Comprehensive Data Analysis
To compile these numbers, SponsorUnited analyzed an extensive dataset covering 422,000 rights holders and brands, 2.5 million deals, and 21.1 million data points across sports, entertainment, media, and talent sectors.
### Patch Deals Now Reach Almost All MLB Clubs
New revenues continue to pour in through premium jersey patch (PJP) sponsorship deals, now generating an average of $17 million annually based on combined contract sizes.
For 2025, several clubs secured new PJP deals:
– Washington Nationals with AARP
– Minnesota Twins with Securian Financial
– Colorado Rockies with York Space Systems
– Seattle Mariners with Nintendo
– Oakland Athletics with Las Vegas Tourism
As of 2025, 28 out of 30 MLB clubs have signed PJP deals—a remarkable jump from just 53% of the league having these deals in 2023.
### Financial Brands Dominate Sponsorships
In terms of sector involvement, Financial Services led the pack with $284 million in deals for 2025, accounting for 14% of total sponsorship revenue. This was followed closely by:
– Alcoholic Beverages: $167 million
– Insurance: $164 million
– Automotive: $146 million
– Healthcare: $130 million
Retail sectors showed the highest year-over-year growth, increasing 32% to $97 million, while Technology rose 21% to $103 million.
### Los Angeles Dodgers Power Extraordinary Growth
SponsorUnited Founder & CEO Bob Lynch attributes much of the league’s sponsorship revenue growth to one standout team—the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Projections indicate the Dodgers will become the first North American sports club to surpass $200 million in annual sponsorship revenue. Their impressive portfolio includes 76 sponsors, with 20 Japanese brands and six new deals added in 2025. This expansion reflects the global commercial impact of star players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Rōki Sasaki.
To put it in perspective, the Dodgers’ average sponsorship deal size is five times larger than the league average, underscoring their global appeal and commercial strength. They are among five MLB teams—alongside the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Braves—each generating over $100 million in team sponsorship revenue.
“If you remove the Dodgers’ growth from the equation, league-wide sponsorship revenue is up about 6.5% year-over-year, which aligns closely with other major professional leagues,” Lynch shared in an interview with Forbes. “What’s remarkable is that the Dodgers alone added roughly $30 million in new sponsorship revenue—that’s equivalent to adding an entire new franchise’s worth of deals to the league. Their growth has been fueled by both the scale of their brand and the way they’ve expanded their partnerships across premium categories. So, while the league is performing very well across the board, the Dodgers’ momentum is the primary catalyst for the headline growth.”
### Star Power Drives Endorsement Deals
While Shohei Ohtani leads by endorsement value, reportedly earning $102 million in individual deals for 2025 according to Sportico, the player with the most total endorsement deals is Seattle Mariners’ home run leader Cal Raleigh, with 17 deals.
Other top players by number of endorsements include:
– Justin Turner (Chicago Cubs) – 16 deals
– Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners) – 15 deals
– Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers) – 12 deals
– Aaron Judge, Francisco Lindor, and Kiké Hernández – each with 11 deals
### Why MLB Remains Attractive to Brands
So, what makes MLB such a strong platform for brands? According to Bob Lynch, baseball’s appeal lies in its consistency, safety, and family-friendly image. The sport offers a combination of long-form exposure through extensive in-venue activations, hospitality, and daily media visibility—a scale challenging for other leagues to match.
“Baseball is deeply generational and globally resonant, with expansive reach into Asia and Latin America, which is difficult for other leagues to compete with,” Lynch explained.
He also highlighted recent evolution in MLB’s business approach. “While MLB was once incredibly conservative, initiatives like the pitch clock have modernized the game, boosting fan engagement. New sponsorship assets such as helmet branding—which have drawn eight-figure investments—and mound signage have unlocked fresh inventory for brands.”
Another advantage MLB holds is its distinct seasonal calendar. “Baseball doesn’t directly compete with the NFL for marketing dollars. The spring and summer schedule provides brands with an open runway to maintain visibility between football seasons, unlike the NBA and NHL, which overlap with NFL and college sports. That seasonal separation, combined with baseball’s longevity and flexibility, makes MLB one of the most reliable and scalable sponsorship platforms in sports.”
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With steady growth, expanding sponsorship assets, and continuing star power, Major League Baseball stands poised to sustain and enhance its appeal to brands for years to come.
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