Did 2025 Break Sports Sponsorships?

In this episode, Hannah Brookes and Tony Paladin take a hard look at the state of sports sponsorship and ask a simple question: did 2025 break it?As budgets tightened and expectations rose, many traditional sponsorship models stopped delivering real value. Brands paid more, received less and relationships were replaced by transactional logo placements.This conversation explores why sponsorship is fundamentally changing, how AI is reshaping decision-making (and where it falls short), and why authenticity, financial literacy and storytelling now matter more than reach or impressions.They unpack the shifting power dynamic between brands and rights-holders, the growing influence of CFO-led decision making, and why long-term partnerships are replacing short-term marketing plays heading into 2026.This episode is for brand leaders, rights-holders, and decision-makers who want partnerships that actually perform commercially, strategically and reputationally.