In a culture-driven, digital-first world, legacy sports leagues must prove their relevance, especially with younger fans. Using E-Score Brand and E-Score Celebrity data in these key demos, we evaluated the Big 4 (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) across three key pillars – League Pulse (Culture), Brand Partnerships, & Key Athletes.
NFL
League Pulse
- The NFL commands reach and fan passion, but its cultural connection with 18–34s is driven more by scale than emotional depth:
- Strong awareness and fandom are especially pronounced among 18-34 men, but the league sees double-digit drop-offs with 18-34 women across fandom, emotional impact (makes my life better), and engagement.
- Closing the gender gap and investing in more inclusive, story-driven content can help the NFL build on its already strong foundation and ensure continued dominance.
Brand Partnership Impact: NFL x Amazon
This partnership succeeds by balancing heritage with innovation. Amazon modernizes the NFL’s image; the NFL gives Amazon cultural credibility and mass visibility – a win-win for Gen Z engagement.
- Closing the gender gap and investing in more inclusive, story-driven content can help the NFL build on its already strong foundation and ensure continued dominance.
- The NFL helps make Amazon feel more approachable – crucial for 18-34s.
- Amazon helps position the NFL as more contemporary and consumer-friendly, vital for long-term fandom among 18-34s.
Athlete Spotlight
- Ashton Jeanty has yet to make his NFL debut, but the Heisman runner-up already stands out with strong scores in Endorsement Potential, Fandom, and Social Engagement. His “Dynamic + Cool + Credible” profile makes him ideal for lifestyle, fitness, and youth brands.
NBA
League Pulse
- The NBA thrives on cultural connection and emotional relevance, solidifying its role as a lifestyle brand for 18–34s:
- The league’s strength is emotional connection, posting strong scores across the board for this key pillar. However, the gender gap is striking with 18-34 men outpacing women by double-digits across all metrics.
- While the NBA maintains its “cool” factor along with competitive innovation scores – closing the gender divide represents a key growth opportunity to extend the league’s cultural influence.
Brand Partnership Impact: NBA x Google Pixel
The NBA x Google Pixel partnership thrives on shared appeal, high advocacy, and identity-driven relevance, while also offering complementary value: the NBA lends cultural excitement and loyalty, while Google Pixel delivers modernity and innovation.
- With shared strengths in appeal, advocacy, and innovation, the NBA x Google Pixel partnership is built for lifestyle and tech-forward storytelling.
- The NBA brings leadership credibility, built-in affinity, and cultural passion that can boost Google Pixel’s consumer enthusiasm.
- Google Pixel helps modernize the NBA’s image – attracting younger, progressive, and tech-savvy consumers.
Athlete Spotlight
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is primed to capitalize on a historic 2025 season, posting strong scores in Fan Passion, Endorsement Potential, and Social Media. With Cool + Inspirational appeal, Shai is tailor-made for fashion, footwear, and culturally driven brand campaigns
MLB
League Pulse
- MLB faces a connection gap with younger fans, driven more by low emotional intensity than outright rejection:
- Total awareness remains on par with the Big 4, the league underdelivers on personal relevance, fandom, and emotional impact, especially among 18-34 women.The league sees stronger scores among 18-34 men across fandom and emotional impact (makes my life better) metrics, highlighting a gendered engagement gap.
Brand Partnership Impact: MLB x T-Mobile
The MLB x T-Mobile partnership pairs heritage with modernity, tapping into tradition while pushing for relevance. T-Mobile injects energy and modernity into MLB, while MLB reinforces trust and tradition – offering a blueprint for cross-generational engagement.
- The MLB and T-Mobile share appeal across familiarity, tradition, and trust – positioning this partnership well for campaigns built on emotional connection, stability, and family-friendly engagement.
- MLB boosts T-Mobile’s emotional credibility, giving it a more family-safe, approachable feel – especially important for campaigns built around live events and sports culture.
- T-Mobile modernizes the MLB, improving its relevance, trial potential, and social currency – key for engaging younger, mobile-first sports fans.
Athlete Spotlight
- One of the MLB’s rising stars, Julio Rodríguez already boasts strong scores in Endorsement Potential and Social Media Engagement. Attribute strengths like Exciting, Dynamic, and Interesting, making him a natural fit for brands looking to connect with 18-34s through energy, storytelling, and cultural momentum.
NHL
League Pulse
- The NHL struggles with visibility and emotional resonance among 18–34s, but cultural perception is not the core issue
- The steep awareness gap among its peers limits broader connection, while lower emotional engagement signals a relevance challenge rather than outright rejection.
- The league performs significantly better among 18-34 men, showing wider gender gaps in fandom, emotional impact (makes my life better), and engagement (would try brand’s new products or services).
- The NHL holds steady in “cool” perception and outperforms Next-Tier leagues in awareness, indicating growth potential – potentially through player-led storytelling, regional pride, and digital strategies that engage 18-34 women.
Brand Partnership Impact: NHL x Chipotle
The NHL x Chipotle partnership is a cultural and emotional exchange: the NHL offers legacy appeal; Chipotle brings modern relevance. Together, they can co-create youth-forward campaigns that blend tradition with trend.
- NHL x Chipotle fuses tradition and trend – making both brands feel more fun, visible, and culturally in tune with Gen Z.
- The NHL helps Chipotle feel more inclusive and fun, expanding its appeal in family and sports-centered environments – especially important for live events, youth programs, and community engagement.
- Chipotle injects modernity, relevance, and cultural fluency into the NHL – especially in digital, social, and values-driven areas that matter to 18–34s. It helps the league close perception gaps in engagement, sustainability, and trend leadership.
Athlete Spotlight
- The face of the Vegas Golden Knights, Jack Eichel pairs strong Social Engagement with Cool + Confident traits – ideal for performance, lifestyle, or tech-forward campaigns.
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How we defined each measure:
League Pulse: Culture, Cool, and Connection
How emotionally essential are the Big 4 to the next generation of consumers? We benchmarked each league against both peer leagues and Next-Tier challengers like UFC, WWE, and Formula 1 using 10 E-Score Brand metrics.
The metrics span four key areas:
- Emotional Connection: relevant to me, proud to be associated with, fan of brand, makes my life better
- Cultural Relevance: cool, trend-setter, innovative
- Brand Trust & Value: trustworthy, high-quality
- Engagement Readiness: would try brand’s new products or services
Brand Partnership Impact
Which partnerships break through with 18-34s? We highlight a league partnership that deepens emotional connection, elevates brand storytelling, and delivers mutual brand value and cuts through a saturated media landscape.
Athlete Spotlight: Endorsers for a Connected Generation
Today’s top athlete endorsers are more than stars – they’re cultural connectors and digital amplifiers. Leveraging E-Score Celebrity data on endorsement, fandom, and social engagement, we spotlight those primed for fast, authentic, influence-driven campaigns.
Source: E-Score Brand & E-Score Celebrity, July 2024-July 2025
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