How Credit Unions Are Making Sports Into Strategy

Credit union sponsorships are suddenly everywhere in sports, but behind the surge is a deeper strategy -- and growing awareness of the need to do it right.

By Marc Rapport
Contributing Editor

Key Points:
• Credit union logos now dominate sports venues. 
• Strategy is evolving beyond simple visibility. 
• Community connection drives the deeper partnerships. 
• Execution determines real value and impact.

If it feels like you’re seeing a credit union logo in nearly every sports venue – on broadcasts, in major and minor league sports stadium naming rights, across college fields – you’re not imagining it. 

Christine Blake

As Christine Blake, president and CEO of $358 million Cardinal Credit Union in Mentor, Ohio, put it, “keen interest in this type of sponsorship for credit unions has dramatically increased over the past two to three years.” 

That visibility has reached a point where it’s no longer just a trend – it’s a conversation. And Blake is taking a lead role in making that conversation happen in true credit union cooperative fashion. 

She led the staging of the inaugural Professional Sports Team Credit Union Executive Summit in March 2025 in San Francisco, with the next one being planned for next year.

As head coach of the Official Credit Union of the Cleveland Browns, Blake has plenty of experience of her own to share with other credit union leaders. 

Blake says the idea for a dedicated industry summit came from a simple need to “share best practices and learn from one another,” as more credit unions enter the space and look for ways to do it better. 

Now, together they can explore how partnering with professional sports teams can help enable the credit union mission, conference promoters say. And it’s not just professional sports teams. College sponsorships are growing, too. What started as visibility is quickly becoming strategy. 

Click here to see Christine Blake discuss the first Professional Sports Team Summit in our on-air interview on CUbroadcast.

Why Credit Unions Are Investing in Sports
As member-owned financial cooperatives, the move into sports for many isn’t starting with marketing – it’s starting with mission. 

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Nick Riegal

At Ascend Federal Credit Union, Senior Vice President of Marketing Nick Riegal says, “every decision we make starts with our mission to serve our members and strengthen the communities where they live.” 

Ascend is based in Tullahoma, TN, and the $4.7 billion shop has naming rights to a major entertainment venue in Nashville, about an hour away, as well as a key sponsorship with nearby Middle Tennessee State University.

That focus on mission doesn’t mean the business case takes a back seat. Riegal described a disciplined filter, calling it “a two-step approach” that seeks to answer, “does it help drive our brand … then, does it provide us value?” 
That’s a balance that’s becoming standard as deals get bigger and more visible. 

At Cardinal, Blake sees sports as a natural extension of what credit unions already do. “Professional sports by nature unify communities,” she says, noting that the alignment with the cooperative principle of “people helping people” makes these partnerships “a perfect fit.” 

Growth is another clear driver, especially with younger audiences. Many of these partnerships are structured to attract new and deeper ties, often through targeted programs tied to youth engagement and early financial relationships. 

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Ent Credit Union approaches that challenge by making finances feel more tangible. “By connecting financial concepts with recognizable and trusted people, we’re able to translate what can often feel abstract into something more real and motivating,” says Lauren Weglarz, partnerships and events manager at the Colorado cooperative.

Ent signed a multi-year deal in 2024 to become the official banking partner of the NFL’s Denver Broncos and is in the process of rebranding to Wings Credit Union after a merger of equals that created a nearly $20 billion institution and will carry the Minnesota credit union’s name. ​

Mike Daum

What These Sponsorships Actually Look Like
What shows up on screen – a logo, a name on a building – is only the surface. At $21.5 billion Golden 1 Credit Union, Chief Marketing Officer Mike Daum says the decision to secure naming rights to Golden 1 Center was “about so much more than just brand awareness.” 

That partnership, tied to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, was built as a long-term platform. Daum says the goal was to “expand access, support our members, and enhance financial well-being in the region,” making the arena a vehicle for broader impact. 

From there, the real work happens in activation. The big California shop translates the partnership into “events, one-of-a-kind experiences, exclusive benefits and discounts,” Daum says, turning passive exposure into active engagement. 

Ascend takes a similar approach, blending sports and entertainment through partnerships that range from college athletics to a major Nashville venue. Riegal says the amphitheater creates a chance to connect with people “in a place where people aren’t necessarily thinking about their finances,” which changes how the brand is experienced.

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Lauren Weglarz

Growing the Playing Field Into Something More 
Those partnerships also open the door to education-focused initiatives. At Middle Tennessee State University, for instance, “We sponsor their Financial Literacy Month annually, helping provide students with access to more resources and knowledge they need to build strong financial habits early, says the cooperative’s marketing SVP. 

Ent layers in another dimension with player partnerships and community campaigns. Weglarz says the goal is to create “experiences and moments that resonate on a personal level,” not just impressions that fade after a game. 

That includes cause-driven activations tied directly to performance on the field. Whether it’s donations linked to interceptions or three-point shots, Weglarz says “what we’ve seen is that when members and employees can participate … the value compounds far beyond a single campaign.”

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Cardinal work with the Cleveland Browns reflects the same shift. Blake pointed to the Lil’ Brownies Savings Program as an example of using a team platform to teach financial literacy while building long-term relationships with families. 

Across the board, the pattern is clear: the most effective sponsorships don’t stop at visibility. They build systems around that visibility to drive engagement, education, and growth.

Measuring Value and the Risks to Watch
With more dollars flowing into sports, scrutiny follows just as quickly. Weglarz says Ent tracks its ROI through “brand health, engagement, and business outcomes,” with performance reviewed consistently over time. 

Golden 1 applies a similar lens, combining hard data with community feedback. Daum says the organization looks at “awareness, brand resonance, and engagement,” along with qualitative input, to understand what’s actually working. 

Credit unions also are measuring outcomes like new business, new cards and new memberships to ensure sponsorships are tied directly to growth, not just exposure. 

That level of accountability reflects a broader mindset shift. At Ascend, Riegal says the focus is on whether partnerships “create positive associations, spark local pride, and open doors for us to engage with people,” using those signals to refine future strategy. 

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Bo McDonald

The Gap Between Spending and Strategy 
Still, not everyone is convinced the industry has figured it all out. Veteran marketing guru Bo McDonald of Your Marketing Co. offers a blunt assessment: “I’ve rarely seen sports sponsorships done right,” pointing to a gap between spending and strategy. 

He warns that too many deals fall back on visibility as the primary justification, calling them “expensive visibility plays with no real strategy behind them,” which raises real questions about value. 

There’s also the issue of crowding, as more credit unions enter the space. “If every credit union is doing it … then what exactly are you differentiating?” McDonald says, noting the risk of blending into the background. 

Ultimately, he says, the difference comes down to execution. “To actually resonate, you have to add value to the experience,” he says. Without that, even the most visible sponsorship risks becoming invisible. 

That’s what all those promotional events and community activities are aiming for, going beyond just displaying logos.

Going Where the Logos Can’t
“Sports are emotional,” McDonald says. “They’re tied to identity, pride, community. I love my New Orleans Saints, and I know many people who bank with Hancock Whitney bank just for the Saints debit card,” he says, “but it’s not because their name is on the scoreboard.

“That emotional connection belongs to the team, not automatically to the sponsor. So, if all a credit union is doing is placing a logo next to that emotion, they’re borrowing it … not earning it. To actually resonate, you have to add value to the experience. Otherwise, you’re just background noise.

That tension – between visibility and value – is where the next phase of credit union sports sponsorships will be defined. The logos that go along with sponsorship aren’t going anywhere, but the institutions that stand out will likely be the ones that turn that into something more.

If not, they can risk becoming “expensive visibility plays with no real strategy behind them,” McDonald says.

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