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These Auto Brands Sponsor These Iconic Sports Franchises, One May Surprise You

Pro sports teams need one thing more than any else, and that's revenue. It's almost as important as not signing a goalie that completely prolapses during penalty kicks or a Major League slugger who takes a called third strike with two out in the bottom of the ninth.
Dallas Cowboys Ford F-150 8 photos
Photo: Ford
Manchester United ChevroletNew York Mets PorscheYankees Audi ClubPorsche Club NY MetsDallas Cowboy's FordDallas Cowboy's FordNY Mets Hyundai
Happily, one group of companies that almost always have the moolah to burn is the auto industry. Today, let's take a look at the automotive sponsorships of some of our favorite sports teams.

Manchester United: Chevrolet

Manchester United Chevrolet
Photo: Manchester United

You might expect one of the UK's oldest and most polarizing Premier League Football teams to have an equally British automotive sponsorship. Well, as much as they'd love to have one, in theory, the trouble is there aren't too many of those around anymore.

At least ones that aren't clandestinely owned by nationals that are just about anything other than British. As a result, it was the all-American Chevrolet brand that found its way onto the shirt sponsorship section of Man-U uniforms from 2014 until 2021.

In truth, Manchester United's had a pretty darn cozy relationship with General Motors, Chevy's parent company, since the year 2012. If you think this is bizarre, let us remind you that some shares of Manchester United are currently traded on the New York Stock Exchange, not in London.

If this little fact doesn't ball up the entire decline of the British Empire since 1945 in a nutshell, we don't know what will. It's all par for the course when your English FC has almost as many fans in America as they do in the UK. Through their collaboration, Chevrolet hosted 11 children from across the globe at Old Trafford who'd been handpicked for a one-of-a-kind VIP experience during a home match starting back in 2014.

New York Yankees/New York Mets: Audi and Toyota/Porsche and Hyundai


NY Mets Hyundai
Photo: New York Mets
At least regarding the Yankees, 27 Word Series titles, and all, a sponsorship deal with Audi to be their official luxury car makes all the sense in the world. As for average passenger cars, the Bronx Bombers are currently in a partnership with Toyota.

Furthermore, Audi sponsors the expensive but undeniably lavish Yankee Stadium private clubs. Where you can eat a filet steak and sip champagne while you watch Aaron Judge crack a ball into the stadium's upper deck yet again. It's a time-honored tradition on par with drifting an Audi RS 3 out of the stadium parking lot after a win.

But it's the Yank's cross-town rivals in the Mets that have seen the most profound switch in automotive sponsors. For years, sponsorships by frugal brands like Chevrolet, Dodge, and Jeep permeated the Mets. It was a move in line with the team's perennial persona as in the shadows of the Yankees.

Yankees Audi Club
Photo: Yelp
But nowadays, the Mets are owned by Steve Cohen, aka a man worth more than $17 billion by last estimates. That's nearly six times as rich as the Steinbrenner family that owns the cross-town Yankees at $3.2 billion. Admittedly, the Mets' current sponsorship deal with Porsche may have preceded Cohen buying the team by three or four years. But it can't be denied a sponsorship with a world-renowned maker of European luxury cars seemed fitting for a man who could fund his team's payroll with what he finds in his proverbial ashtray. That's all without mentioning the Mets' deal with Hyundai starting in 2010.

Both Porsche and Hyundai have dedicated sponsored resturants and game suites located at Citi Field. These would be Mets Hyundai Club, known for its all-inclusive food and non-alcoholic beverage experience, and the Porsche Suites. Which offers much of the same but at an increased price point. Coincidentally, the same year the Mets inked a deal with Porsche, we were blessed with the awesome fourth-generation Cayman 982. Not that this is some sort of good omen, just a neat little anecdote.

Dallas Cowboys: Ford

Dallas Cowboy's Ford
Photo: Dallas Cowboys
Back in 2009, the Dallas Cowboys opened their new home stadium, AT&T. Lauded as one of the greatest venues in the world to watch a sporting event of any kind; it's got to have an electric bill the same as some small cities, and parking lots the size of some American counties. That's why a sponsorship deal between "America's Team" and Ford back in 2015 must have felt all the sweeter because now they'd have enough money to sign first-round draft pick Ezekiel Elliot in that following year's NFL Draft. Of course, that's a comedic exaggeration.

It's not like Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones isn't one of the wealthiest and also the craziest owners pro football has ever seen. But the end result is limited edition Fords like the F-150 Dallas Cowboys Edition now being possible. It can't be denied that the blue star team emblem looks pretty wicked on the side of a late-model Ford truck unless you're a New York Giants fan, of course. It helps all the more to cushion the blow of Dak Prescot and Ezekiel Elliot failing to carry the team on their back for a run at a Super Bowl.
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