Major leagues and food companies partner to make sports more accessible to fans and budding athletes | Canada Voices

Toronto, home to multiple major league sports teams, is one of the most expensive cities in North America in which to attend a game. On average, the ticket price for a family of four to attend a Maple Leafs game is $632.68. Basketball fans can catch a Raptors game for under $60 if they’re willing to watch from Scotiabank Arena’s 300 section but the mean ticket price is closer to $160, according to 2023 stats from ticket reseller VIP Tickets Canada. The limited number of cities that are home to teams, dynamic ticket prices and the competition for seats in venues with limited space can make major league sports feel inaccessible to many fans.

To address these barriers, sports organizations are increasingly turning to food companies, whether snack companies or restaurant chains, as partners to expand their reach and make sports more accessible to players and fans alike. These collaborations provide critical funding and resources for grassroots programs while also creating opportunities for families to engage with the sports they love.

Formula One racing, known for its partnerships with luxury brands like Rolex and LVMH (the conglomerate that owns Moet Hennessy and Louis Vuitton among other high-end labels) has struck a three-year global sponsorship deal with KitKat. The partnership will see racetracks and pit lanes emblazoned with the candy bar’s logo while the KitKat wrapper will be stamped with Formula One branding. More importantly for fans, KitKat maker Nestle plans to hand out hundreds of free tickets.

Similarly, Subway Canada has made a significant impact on basketball in Canada. In 2024, the quick-service restaurant teamed up with the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA Youth Basketball Program to help deliver opportunities for young players to develop their skills in a low-cost, community-based environment. The 12-week program ran in 160 locations across Canada and, says Cheryl Sebastian, head of partnerships for the National Basketball Association, was made significantly more impactful by Subway’s support.

The restaurant chain helped finance the program, provided equipment, team gift cards and encouraged enrolment through in-store advertising. “Having one of Canada’s largest quick service restaurants amplifying awareness to local participants and clubs helped increase visibility for these groups, fuelling the growth of basketball in Canada,” says Sebastian.

Subway’s focus on basketball is part of a larger trend of food companies stepping up to make sports more accessible across a range of disciplines. For instance, McDonald’s has been a long-time partner of grassroots hockey, sponsoring the atoMc Hockey Program. This initiative provides jerseys and socks for players, and toques and clipboards for coaches. Coca-Cola, meanwhile, has supported soccer development through its global association with FIFA, funding community programs and supplying essential resources for youth leagues. Together, these initiatives show how food companies can play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between aspiring athletes and the sports they love.

In addition to these grassroots efforts, some partnerships are revitalizing community spaces. Last summer, Subway Canada contributed to a revitalization project in Montreal’s Oscar-Peterson Park led by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) that saw basketball courts in the city’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood resurfaced for play and painted in vibrant colours and designs to appeal to young players. The partnership is also growing Raptors fandom into the country’s furthest corners. Subway, says Sebastian, was one of the NBA’s first partners to support the NBA House project in Vancouver, the site of watch parties for the 2024 Finals. They also supported a pre-season game in Montreal that saw the Raptors take on the Washington Wizards at the Bell Centre and a sold-out WNBA match in Edmonton.

“Subway has an incredible reach across the country, so partnering with a quick-service restaurant that engages millions of Canadians offers us a way to further connect with and celebrate with Raptors fans nationwide,” says Jordan Vader, MLSE’s senior vice-president of global partnerships.

These partnerships extend beyond corporate branding, creating real community impact. At the same time, they raise questions about the role of fast-food companies in sports. A 2018 study published in the journal Pediatrics found that 76 per cent of food items in ads tied to sports teams scored poorly on nutrition. At the same time, the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm that childhood obesity is one of this century’s most pressing health issues. And in the U.K., a report from Food Active, the Children’s Food Campaign, and the Health Equalities Group called for the removal of fast-food advertising from all sporting events over a growing concern about the “sportswashing” of unhealthy food and beverages.

In Canada, however, government funding for physical education and community sports participation has been, since the 1970s, redirected towards high performance, Olympic calibre athletics – another set of sports icons who feel out of reach. Brands like Subway, the NBA and MLSE are providing financial support for programs like Hoop Queens, a local network providing opportunities for underserved female basketball players, Hope & Health, an organization that encourages team spirit among Indigenous youth, and 100% Skate Club, a project for women, girls and non-binary skateboarders.

The issue, both for recreational players and future star athletes, is accessibility to athletics at a grassroots level. To ensure that, we need to field a larger, more diverse team to support these efforts.

For recreational players and future star athletes alike, the real challenge is accessibility to athletics at a grassroots level. Corporate sponsorships may not be a perfect solution, but they are helping to ensure that no child or fan is left on the sidelines.