Major League Baseball

MLB Reaches Deal with Coca-Cola for Sponsorship

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:55 p.m. ET

Fansided, Nick Fustor/FanSided via Call to the Pen

Major League Baseball officially reached a multi-year deal to make Coca-Cola its official beverage sponsor, which means the league will drop its longstanding deal with Pepsi, per a report by AdAge.

Back in 1997, Major League Baseball partnered with Pepsi in hopes of linking the two brands' unique marketing approaches to young fans. Pepsi had deals with all four major sports leagues since 2015, when the NBA dropped Coke for Pepsi. Pepsi still has partnerships with the NFL and NHL.

The deal to partner with Coca-Cola won't impact individual teams' deals with Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Currently, 18 teams have a partnership with Coca-Cola and 11 work with Pepsi, including the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Forbes listed the teams that currently have a Coca-Cola sponsorship:

"Coca-Cola has 18 MLB Club partnerships: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals."

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That leaves the Cubs, Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks with Pepsi deals.

It's worth noting that the Oakland Athletics have a deal with Zevia, a Los Angeles-based soda manufacturer. The 11 teams with Pepsi deals will still be able to serve Pepsi at their stadiums, but the rest will serve Coca-Cola.

In a statement, via CNN Money, Pepsi said it "loves the great sport of baseball and has had a collaborative, longstanding relationship with the league." It was also noted in the statement that Gatorade, which Pepsi owns, is the "official sports fuel partner" of MLB.

The deal will ultimately impact advertisements and tie-ins to MLB Advanced Media's products, including MLB.com, team web sites, MLB.com At Bat and Ballpark Mobile apps, and through MLB social media accounts. Per Forbes:

"We're excited to partner with MLB on new ways for fans to enjoy this great game, at the park or on the go," Sandy Douglas, president, Coca-Cola North America, said. "And of course, there's nothing more delicious than an ice-cold Coke while you're cheering on your team playing America's national pastime."

"While there is a lot of shared history between our brands, this partnership is focused on looking forward and connecting Coca-Cola with our fans through digital, mobile and social," said Bob Bowman, MLB President, Business and Media. "We are looking forward to bringing together two brands that mean so much to people while entertaining and refreshing fans on a daily basis."

Financial terms of the Coca-Cola and MLB deal have not been announced.

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