Across the world, many sports teams are funded by sponsors. Without these sponsors, it would be difficult to play major sports because of a lack of financial support and resources. Park’s own sports teams have sponsors to help out, such as Park’s football team being fed by Park Tavern on game days, or sponsorships with Park’s hockey team to afford expensive practice gear, pucks and ice time.
According to junior Finn Shepherd, Park’s football team and its sponsors have mutually beneficial relationships. He said the football players wear clothing that promotes local businesses around Park and the team itself simultaneously.
“Sponsors help out our team financially by getting us shirts to represent our team to the community,” Shepherd said. “We help out our sponsor by wearing our shirts to school and their logos on them as advertisements.”
Senior hockey captain Owen Anklam said sponsors helped the boys hockey team by funding the purchase of practice and game equipment for its players. He said the team takes trips to away games, as well as Duluth at the beginning of the season, and sponsors are a major help in funding transportation costs.
“Sponsors help us fund our sport by allowing us to purchase equipment like pucks and gloves. These are crucial to our success as a team. They also fund our team trip to Duluth at the beginning of the year, as well as paying for buses to and from away games,” Anklam said.
According to boys soccer head coach Anson Opara, Park’s soccer program is heavily reliant on funding from local sponsors or donations for its big expenses. He said sponsors play a crucial role in making the sport accessible to all families with varying financial backgrounds.
“The sponsors we have are nice because they can help us get equipment we might need, or jerseys are usually a big expense. It helps with those things we need for the program,” Opara said. “They help with facilities, everything. Especially in our sport of soccer, we have varying demographics financially compared to other sports, and it’s nice (to have costs covered by sponsors) for kids who come from families that are low-income. That extra money can be used for them.”
According to Anklam, without boys hockey sponsors, the team would have a much more difficult time funding practice and play time, and owning exclusive Park equipment.
“If we did not have sponsors, our sport would be harder to fund and we would not be able to have the opportunity that we have. We would not be able to purchase new equipment that is necessary for the season,” Anklam said.
Shepherd said some local businesses help the football team by helping fund or pay for nice equipment or technology to give their home games a nice environment for the fans to enjoy. He said they have to give the fans a good environment because they are part of the reason they play.
“Our sport would be different without sponsors because we need funding and support to put on a good atmosphere at our home games for the fans, (which) wouldn’t be possible without them,” Shepherd said.
According to Opara, sports and sponsors are interlinked, as the sponsors help fund soccer so that they can play. He said fans or parents see restaurants they enjoy, helping out Parks sports, which is an advertisement for them to visit or eat at these sponsors
“The sport helps the sponsor in ways where parents like a local restaurant, if they know they’re donating to the team, it gives them notoriety. Park Tavern helps us, Applebee’s has donated in the past, and (parents or other fans) go and support the business (when they see the sponsor),” Opara said.
