From Adweek · Brandon Hardin · · 2m
ADWEEK's Sports Marketing MVPs 2026
Sports marketers transform fan engagement with data-driven strategies and cultural relevance.
In brief
Sports marketers transform fan engagement with data-driven strategies and cultural relevance. ADWEEK's 2026 Sports Marketing MVPs showcase executives driving record fan engagement and revenue through immersive sports marketing strategies. Originally reported by Adweek.
Live sports marketing trend
Live sports is the hottest trend in marketing but brands can’t just show up wearing the team jersey.
ADWEEK Sports Marketing MVP list
ADWEEK’s annual Sports Marketing MVP list recognizes executives crafting savvy strategies to connect with fans while delivering results for companies.
Mazen Alawar
Mazen Alawar, SVP & Head of Marketing at COSM, built Shared Reality with 1.27 million social followers without paid media.
Stacey Rosenson
Stacey Rosenson, Head of U.S. Sports Marketing at Prime Video, led NBA on Prime and Masters Tournament campaigns.
Ryan Lehr
Ryan Lehr, Co-CCO at Deutsch, created Dr Pepper’s Fansville series with 117% incremental lift in restaurant visits.
Julia Kang
Julia Kang, SVP of Partnerships at USOPP, guides LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games brand partnerships.
Martin Blich
Martin Blich, Head of Sports Partnerships at WPP Media, built a marketing engine for outcome-driven sports decisions.
Kimberly Veale
Kimberly Veale, SVP of Marketing at Portland Fire and Thorns, built fan strategy for WNBA expansion team.
Zach Hilder
Zach Hilder, CCO at 72andSunny Los Angeles, created NFL campaigns with Emmy-winning ads and World Cup activations.
Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy, SVP of Brand Marketing at Adidas NA, poured $242 million into 2026 FIFA World Cup marketing.
Orlando Baeza
Orlando Baeza, VP of Brand & Creative at Chime, expanded sports footprint with 123.6 million views on Ball on a Budget.
Angela Jung
Angela Jung, Group Manager at Coinbase, built partnerships across NBA, WNBA, and F1 with 18.5 million organic impressions.
Carlos Padilla II
Carlos Padilla II, VP of Global Sports Marketing at Dow, connected sponsorships to CRM pipelines with 377% YoY output growth.
Scott Mager
Scott Mager, U.S. CMO at Deloitte, launched 'Together makes progress' platform with 5-point year-over-year brand differentiation growth.
Jimmy Spano
Jimmy Spano, EVP & Head of Dentsu Media Sports, oversees $1 billion in annual sports investments across channels.
Jo Fox
Jo Fox, SVP of Marketing at ESPN, drove 3 million sign-ups with 'Sports Forever' campaign.
What to remember
ADWEEK's 2026 Sports Marketing MVPs showcase executives driving record fan engagement and revenue through immersive sports marketing strategies.
