Sports
The Coca-Cola and ESPN Events Announce Three-Year Sponsorship Agreement for HBCU College Football Season Opening and Closing Events
Atlanta, Georgia—The Coca-Cola Company and ESPN Events are proud to announce a multi-year partnership for the upcoming college football season. The agreement includes a three-year sponsorship agreement for the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-ON, a week zero kickoN game, and the Cricket Celebration Bowl, the HBCU National Championship game. Both properties are owned and operated by ESPN Events.
As the oNicial non-alcoholic beverage partner of these prestigious events, Coca-Cola will play a vital role in enhancing the fan experience. The Atlanta-based company will be the title sponsor for the pre-game activations at each event, showcasing the Coca-Cola Fan Experience as the oNicial fan engagement platform.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Coca-Cola for these exciting college football season games,” said John Grant, Executive Director.
“Coca-Cola has always been dedicated to fostering community spirit and bringing people together through shared experiences. We look forward to creating unforgettable moments for fans, teams, and the Atlanta community.”
In addition to their prominent role in the events, The Coca-Cola Company, through its North American business will provide sideline hydration for the Fan Experience, participating teams, and marching bands, ensuring everyone stays refreshed and energized throughout the games. ENective 2024 through 2026, the sponsorship agreement will also include annual scholarship donations to the bands participating in the Cricket Celebration Bowl game, furthering The Coca-Cola Company’s support of education and athletic excellence.
“We are honored to be the oNicial non-alcoholic beverage partner for these esteemed events and to contribute to the vibrant college football season,” stated Dana M. Johnson from The Coca-Cola Company North America. “This partnership represents our dedication to supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, sportsmanship, camaraderie, and community. We are excited to be part of these celebrations of tradition and legacy.”
Classified – Confiden-al
For more information on The Coca-Cola Company’s involvement in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-ON and the Cricket Celebration Bowl, stay tuned for updates and exciting announcements.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a nationwide portfolio of collegiate sporting events. In 2023, the 33-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoN games, 17 college bowl games, nine college basketball events, a college softball event, and the inaugural Band of the Year National Championship, in addition to a new college gymnastics event coming in 2024. These events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite oNices in more than ten cities nationwide, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, Atlanta, Georgia—The Coca-Cola Company and ESPN Events are proud to announce a multi-year partnership for the upcoming college football season. The agreement includes a three-year sponsorship agreement for the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-ON, a week zero kickoN game, and the Cricket Celebration Bowl, the HBCU National Championship game. Both properties are owned and operated by ESPN Events.
As the oNicial non-alcoholic beverage partner of these prestigious events, Coca-Cola will play a vital role in enhancing the fan experience. The Atlanta-based company will be the title sponsor for the pre-game activations at each event, showcasing the Coca-Cola Fan Experience as the oNicial fan engagement platform.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Coca-Cola for these exciting college football season games,” said John Grant, Executive Director. “Coca-Cola has always been dedicated to fostering community spirit and bringing people together through shared experiences. We look forward to creating unforgettable moments for fans, teams, and the Atlanta community.”
In addition to their prominent role in the events, The Coca-Cola Company, through its North American business will provide sideline hydration for the Fan Experience, participating teams, and marching bands, ensuring everyone stays refreshed and energized throughout the games. Effective 2024 through 2026, the sponsorship agreement will also include annual scholarship donations to the bands participating in the Cricket Celebration Bowl game, furthering The Coca-Cola Company’s support of education and athletic excellence.
“We are honored to be the oNicial non-alcoholic beverage partner for these esteemed events and to contribute to the vibrant college football season,” stated Dana M. Johnson from The Coca-Cola Company North America. “This partnership represents our dedication to supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, sportsmanship, camaraderie, and community. We are excited to be part of these celebrations of tradition and legacy.”
Classified – Confiden-al
For more information on The Coca-Cola Company’s involvement in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-ON and the Cricket Celebration Bowl, stay tuned for updates and exciting announcements.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a nationwide portfolio of collegiate sporting events. In 2023, the 33-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, nine college basketball events, a college softball event, and the inaugural Band of the Year National Championship, in addition to a new college gymnastics event coming in 2024. These events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite oNices in more than ten cities nationwide, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools, and local communities and provides unique experiences for teams and fans.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our water, sports, coNee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak and Ayataka. Our juice, value-added dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, Fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us
on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
