ESPN Loses Sponsorship Deal Over Negative Browns Report
Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslem has taken a step to get back at ESPN for their scathing report on Cleveland’s dysfunction this past January. According to Sports Business Daily, Haslem pulled a sponsorship deal off the table between ESPN and another company he owns, Pilot Flying J travel centers, in retaliation to the article.
According to the report, Pilot Flying J was two years into a four-year deal with ESPN, one that had several layers.
The brand’s multi-platform deal with ESPN included significant advertising around college football, an SEC corporate sponsorship that made it the conference’s official travel center, and agreements for ESPN talent Paul Finebaum and Laura Rutledge to endorse the brand. ESPN owns all of the SEC’s marketing and media rights, which is why it sold the league sponsorship.
The deal between ESPN and Pilot Flying J, per SBD, was worth seven figures annually. In addition to the main points listed above, the travel center was also a presenting sponsor for SEC Nation on the SEC Network several times this season.
With Baker Mayfield at the helm, Cleveland is coming off their best season in some time and has high hopes moving forward. Freddie Kitchens, who helped groom Mayfield in 2018, is now the head coach of the Browns.
You can read the full report here.
Featured Image: Keith Allison [CC BY-SA 2.0], from Flickr