Game on: What winter’s big events revealed about sports marketing in 2026 – The Martin Group

Connecting with sports fans has proven to be big business with the potential for big results—as long as those making plays understand how the game’s changing.  

Case in point: NBCUniversal.  

Throughout its “Legendary February” broadcasts of Super Bowl LX, NBA All-Star Game, and Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the media conglomerate notched plenty of headline-grabbing achievements. Its triple header was the first time in sports media history that any one entity broadcast all three events in the same year. In doing so, the company also sold out all its available ad space inventory, with more advertisers booking time throughout the 17-day Winter Games than ever before.  

And thanks to their expansive presence, NBCUniversal coverage was able to reach two out of every three Americans, giving brands impressive reach and storytelling opportunities throughout the majority of February.   

But via their hosting duties of three marquee sporting events—watched by more than 200 million American viewers—the broadcasting giant also provided an early-year taste of how those in the sports marketing space can utilize the bright lights of big events to define campaigns, distribute messaging, and drive engagement for brands throughout the rest of 2026.    

And with so many big events still left on the calendar—from The Masters to the FIFA World Cup to championship series throughout three major U.S. sports—there will be no shortage of opportunities for brands to take the lessons of Legendary February and apply them to their ever-evolving way of thinking.  

Here are a few of our observations over February’s big month of sports marketing.   

Big moments demand bigger ecosystems 

For the brands that made the most memorable Super Bowl impression, their campaigns rarely stopped at a 30-second spot. In addition to their in-game messaging, many built in pre-release teasers, influencer extensions, retail tie-ins, and post-game retargeting into their overall strategy. Several advertisers like Budweiser and Dove launched long-form digital content before kickoff, then retargeted viewers with sequential messaging after the game. For the Winter Olympics, major international sponsors like Coca-Cola combined their considerable presence on broadcasts (and on site) with digital storytelling and social-native athlete content from its team of Olympic athletes. 

Going forward, these types of tentpole ad buys will increasingly be structured as full-funnel ecosystems with agency teams collaborating to look past simple ad placements and think comprehensively about reaching the most people before, during, and after their target events.   

Athlete equity equals distribution power 

For NFL, NBA, and Olympic athletes on the big winter stage, many functioned less like traditional endorsers and more like owned media channels during their precious time under the bright lights. Advertisers tapped many of these players-turned-influencers to extend impact past traditional campaign efforts. These personally posted efforts amplified brand stories with authenticity and connected companies with consumers at a grand scale. And in many cases, this athlete POV content drove higher engagement than polished commercials or narratives from non-athlete influencers. 

 Athlete-led storytelling has already found its way into campaign strategies, but in the aftermath of its success in this past trifecta of high-profile events—and in the case of the Winter Olympics, the extension of success now that the Games’ most successful athletes are back home—expect this content to be baked into plans right at the start.  

Athletes have always drawn sizeable audiences—but their ability to directly appeal to these audiences has never been more powerful.  

Focus on women’s sports (and their fandom) 

Much has been reported on the future of sports being female, but that’s not entirely accurate. Forget about the future—the time for women’s sports is now. From the rise of the WNBA, the newly minted USA Women’s Hockey gold medalists, or effervescent figure skating superstar Alysa Liu, female athletes are generating big television ratings and significant ad investment. In 2024, ad spending on women’s sports more than doubled (up 139%) to $244 million and generated 40% more consumer engagement than average primetime ads. 

But when considering the role of women’s sports within male-focused marquee sporting events like the Super Bowl, it’s important for brands to understand the affiliated ad opportunities connected to female athletes and fans, who now make up 50% of all US sports fans. For organizations like USA Football—American football’s national governing body—their presence at Super Bowl LX wasn’t just a chance to rep their sport. It was an ideal opportunity to amplify the momentum in women’s flag, seed interest in their involvement in the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics, and show how various women’s national flag football team stars are already serving as ambassadors for the likes of Ulta and Under Armour. 

Women’s sports are now a part of the world’s biggest sports stages. Their role in competition and commerce will only grow from here, so finding a way to connect them to all major sporting events should be imperative.   

Connect local flavor to global fervor 

American-set sporting events are no longer solely American experiences. The games include international players, fans reside across the globe, and brands associated with each event are trying to appeal to the whole world. But each is set in a specific destination—with a style, culture, and customs all its own. Incorporating that locale into larger, universally relatable societal terms is key to maximizing the opportunity these big-time events provide.  

All of February’s events—in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Milan, Italy—were able to provide advertisers, spokespeople, and influencers with interesting backdrops and an abundance of diversified culture with which to sell their messaging. With this summer’s FIFA World Cup taking place in multiple U.S. cities over more than five weeks, advertisers will have the challenge of connecting the culinary delicacies of Kansas City or revolution lineage of Boston with a larger, global picture—and affiliating these elements to their products and pitchpeople in authentic ways.   

Storytelling—with tech assistance 

The overarching trend learned from the marketing lessons of Legendary February is that stories—within the games and their athletes—sell. Consumers want to invest in engaging takes of underdogs and hard work and ultimate triumph, and connecting with the characters at the center of these feats will always be part of the sale. How to tell these stories—or how to get them in front of readers and viewers—is an evolving model fueled by tech advancements. 

Interactive integrations, QR activations, statistical data, and shoppable moments are now part of the beginning, middle, and end—and even a little after the end. For the Winter Olympics, offerings like training breakdowns and advanced performance insights kept audiences engaged beyond passive viewing and, in many cases, held attention longer than pure brand films. Participatory experiences and commerce integrations extended engagement well past broadcast windows and allowed fans more time with their favorite athletes; and AI-driven personalization tools are getting more information in front of fans, depending on their preferences.  It’s all bringing consumers closer to the story—and with every big-time event, brands need to embrace the opportunity to tell their tales in different and dynamic ways.

Ready to learn more about The Martin Group’s work with global sports brands? Click here.