ON3: Sponsorships More important Than Ever For Schools

Angelina Lawton has had a front-row seat to observe how the pandemic has impacted the sports sponsorship space. Lawton is the founder and CEO of Sportsdigita, a Minneapolis-based company that provides organizations with what she calls a “PowerPoint on steroids” to best sell their partnerships, tickets and overall brand narrative. She works with more than 400 of the biggest organizations in sports, including the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Yankees. On3 checked with Lawton to gauge what trends have emerged during a two-year stress test for the ages in college athletics. As athletic departments emerge from the pandemic, the need to generate revenue never has been greater. As a result, athletic departments are increasingly encroaching on once-taboo sponsorship categories, particularly gambling.