The role of marketing at most professional leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB) is becoming increasingly more visible and important. In particular, these groups (e.g., NFL Properties, NHL Enterprises) are responsible for managing corporate sponsorships, retail licensing activities, league-related advertising, and extensive fan research. Interestingly, despite selling multimillion-dollar relationships to aggressive and experienced sponsors/vendors, these leagues are finding they must optimize the servicing of their new (or existing) partners if they are to continually generate increased revenues for the leagues and teams they support. In addition to creating comprehensive marketing plans and long-term strategies designed to increase the value of their respective leagues, these marketing arms must now service multiple high-profile masters on a daily basis.
