Jameson Irish Whiskey will replace Diageo as the official spirits sponsor for the National Football League (NFL). On Thursday, Jameson announced that parent company Pernod Ricard inked a multiyear deal with the NFL, handing exclusive marketing rights at certain national and international matches to the Irish whiskey category leader.
According to a report in Sports Business Journal, Pernod Ricard’s partnership is worth approximately $20 million each year. The announcement comes a few months after Diageo’s decision to forgo renewing its five-year, cross-portfolio contract with the league in April. Diageo, owner of brands like Bailey’s, Crown Royal, Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Tanqueray, became the NFL’s first official spirits sponsor in 2021.
The new contract will see Jameson as the leading sponsor of the Super Bowl Tailgate Concert and four of the league’s international games this year. The brand will also install branded pop-up bars at the NFL Draft, Super Bowl Experience fan festival, and other marquee moments in the upcoming season.
“Football is a sport driven by passion, ritual, and unforgettable community connections — values that lie at the very heart of Jameson,” Colin Kavanagh, chief marketing officer of Pernod Ricard North America said in a release. The Paris-based company, also behind brands like Absolut, Beefeater, and The Glenlivet, is optimistic about the opportunity for Jameson to reach more fans as the NFL expands on a global level.
Jameson will join Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Bud Light and Gallo’s Barefoot, the official beer and wine of the league, as the spirits sponsor for the NFL. Jameson is also the official whiskey of Major League Soccer.
Will American football fans take to the new spirit? We’ll have to see if Jamo shots become the new tailgate and touchdown ritual.
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