Sports marketing’s biggest opportunities and challenges in 2025, according to execs

Football might be America’s favorite sport, but the NFL has some increasing competition from other leagues.

Racing and motorsports like Formula 1, Nascar, and SailGP have been on the up and up in the US, as have men’s and women’s soccer, which have historically been more popular across the pond, but have been making significant gains among fans and brands stateside. And perhaps no US league had as big a season in 2024 as the WNBA.

On the heels of those successes, 2025 could bring further development opportunities for these teams and leagues—though there could also be some growing pains. We emailed with several soccer, basketball, and racing marketing execs to ask what they anticipate will be their greatest challenges and opportunities this year.

Here are some of their answers.

Challenges of growing fandom…while staying real

Radhika Duggal, CMO, Major League Soccer: In the years leading up to the World Cup in 2026, casual sports fans will begin to become soccer fans. In 2025, our challenge will be to convert that casual awareness and interest in soccer into MLS fandom. Awareness is a flash in the pan—gone in moments unless marketers use data and technology to harness that awareness, collect fan records, and nurture relationships with fans.

Pete Jung, CMO, Nascar: Effectively nurturing new fan and customer interactions through personalized, data-driven engagements that directly deepens meaningful understanding and interest in the sport.

Susan Goodenow, EVP of brand and public affairs, Chicago Bulls: While many people view basketball as having an “in-season” component and an “offseason” component, marketing efforts for the team never stop. Amid this constant activity, we are mindful that everything we put out must meet our incredibly high standards and provide value to our fans. We can’t copy and paste our work and expect that to resonate.

Shana Stephenson, chief brand officer, New York Liberty: Striking a balance between growth and authenticity has been one of the Liberty’s greatest strengths. Now standing atop the WNBA, it has become one of our greatest challenges. The authentic Brooklyn spirit we’ve cultivated has catalyzed our success, drawing record-breaking audiences and building a fan base for life. The challenge now becomes staying true to our identity that has brought us to this point while managing the expectations that come with the success we’ve achieved.

Pri Shumate, SVP and CMO, Miami Dolphins: Not only is international growth an opportunity, but it is also a major challenge. We have GMP [global markets program] rights in six markets…and each of them is very different…We’ll also have an opportunity to play an international game in 2025, so we have both a challenge and opportunity to maximize both the lead-up and activation in market when that happens.

I would also say that the ever-evolving landscape of digital, particularly how fans and consumers engage with brands through social media and content, remains a challenge for all of us across the industry. We are extremely focused on using data to learn more about our consumers so that we are meeting them where they are, giving them content they want to consume, and engaging with them in an authentic way.

Jen Millet, COO, Bay FC: We need to improve the discoverability of women’s sports. While more fans come into the fold every day, they often must work to seek out information about our club, players, and our broadcast schedule. We need to make this process more seamless for current and future fans.

Opportunities through connections, community, mascots, and momentum

Duggal: With soccer having such a significant moment in North America over the next few years, 2025 will be a critical year for Major League Soccer. We’ll have the opportunity to connect with and influence fans like no other time in the recent past. The key enabler of that, and my biggest priority, is to empower my team to do their best work because they’re the subject-matter experts in their domains. My biggest priority will be to provide them with clarity of direction, visibility, and the tools and resources they need to be successful.

Goodenow: Our ultimate priority is meeting our fans where they are in whatever we are doing. We understand that many people care deeply about the Bulls brand in ways that extend beyond basketball…In support of this, we launched a new Bulls app over the summer, continued to develop in-house retail lines and increase collaboration with external brands and artists, and planned a robust calendar of events and experiences.

Andrew Karson, EVP of marketing, Brooklyn Nets: Being in the Brooklyn market, we have a unique opportunity to elevate our brand in ways that intersect basketball, community, and culture, and in 2025, one of our top priorities will be to further develop generational fandom and grow our fan base.

Stephenson: We see the biggest opportunity for growth within our breakout star: Ellie the Elephant. As we head into the next season, we’re looking for ways to evolve her brand, engage new audiences, and maintain her authenticity—all while tapping into new revenue streams and exploring unique partnership opportunities.

Shumate: The game of football has so much growth potential internationally, particularly with flag football becoming an Olympic sport for the first time at Los Angeles 2028. Miami is the most dynamic city in the world and is a gateway to Latin America, so it is important to us to become the NFL team of Latin America.

Millet: Our biggest opportunity is to continue to build on the momentum and excitement that is surrounding women’s sports. We are bringing new fans into our ecosystem every day who recognize NWSL athletes possess tremendous talent and skill, and that our matches and surrounding content are extremely compelling.

Brandon Clark, VP of marketing and communications, Washington Spirit: For us, continuing to innovate will be essential, as we understand what got us to this point won’t take us to the next level. As a brand in a league that embraces the new and modern, we have an opportunity to further differentiate ourselves in the market and deliver entirely new and unique value to our fans.