In the latest collision of the sports and entertainment worlds, the world’s biggest YouTuber will be the jersey patch sponsor this season for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. Specifically, Feastables, the food brand run by MrBeast, will have its logo spotlit on Charlotte’s uniforms all season long.
The team announced the deal with a chocolatey mock-up of the team’s classic teal kits.
https://twitter.com/hornets/status/1708878433223168483
MrBeast is one of the biggest entertainers in the world. The MrBeast YouTube channel, which puts out content centered on competitions, games and giveaways, has 188 million subscribers.
MrBeast, whose real names is James Donaldson, launched Feastables in January 2022. The brand initially sold chocolate bars (hence the Hornets’ announcement) and now also sells cookies and gummies. The treats are sold at Walmart and gas stations across the country.
This is a pretty creative partnership for Charlotte. MrBeast can stake a claim as perhaps the single biggest children’s entertainer in the country, if not the world. Slapping one of his logos on an NBA jersey is a heck of a way to draw attention from young fans.
And that’s not to mention the significant activation opportunities available to Feastables and the Hornets. The goodies could easily be sold in-arena, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see MrBeast himself pop up at a Hornets game or two this season.
Considering NBA jersey patch sponsorship deals easily go for seven figures these days, it’s not insignificant for MrBeast and Feastables either. The company clearly sees sports as a new entry point for the MrBeast brand.
It should be fun to watch how the team and the company partner this upcoming season.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.