Sports Illustrated Tickets inks stadium naming deal with Red Bulls

The N.Y. Red Bulls’ stadium in Harrison, N.J. has an outside naming rights sponsor for the first time in its 13-year history: Sports Illustrated Stadium. Sports Illustrated Tickets has inked a 13-year deal with the Red Bulls to put SI’s brand on what was heretofore known as Red Bull Arena. Sports Illustrated Tickets will become the Red Bulls’ Official Ticketing Partner for all events at the stadium, including Gotham FC matches, beginning in 2026 once the company takes over from Ticketmaster.

A league source indicated the deal’s total value reached nine-figure territory and represents a top three stadium naming rights deal in MLS. It’s also the first sports venue naming rights in the 70-year existence of Sports Illustrated, which is now owned by Authentic Brand Group.

“Ticketing companies, there have been many, many opportunities over the year to brand a venue,” said Sports Illustrated Tickets CEO David Lane. “I think it’s important that Sports Illustrated has its moment as a new era begins for us and as we begin to introduce Sports Illustrated to a whole new generation of fans.”

No agencies were involved in arranging the deal; in fact, Red Bulls President Marc de Grandpré and Lane were introduced by mutual friend Fred Mangione, former COO for the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center. More serious discussions about a deal began in 2024’s first quarter.

“We’ve been looking at a naming rights partner for quite some time, but we were very calculated in our approach and wanted to find the right partner. It’s not only a name on a building but that adds value to the organization, to our fans, and to the community, and that shares core values as we do,” said de Grandpré. “It’s been a long road; we were patient, and we found the right partner in Sports Illustrated Tickets and Sports Illustrated.”

Sports Illustrated Tickets, which launched in 2021 and offers primary and resale ticketing, will become the Red Bulls’ primary ticketer following the next MLS season, making Sports Illustrated Stadium the first venue in the world to have 100% on-blockchain digital ticketing. That means each fan’s ticket will be an NFT, essentially a living digital artifact that can be altered even after a fan scans the ticket to enter the game. That could mean greeting messages from a favorite player loaded onto the NFT ticket, a message or offer from a sponsor, or a postgame highlight. Each Sports Illustrated Stadium fan will receive a digital Sports Illustrated magazine cover from the event they attended.

New York Red Bulls

Additionally, Sports Illustrated is bringing its Club SI concept — found at Churchill Downs and the Super Bowl — to the Red Bulls’ stadium, taking over an area previously known as The Crossbar. The 1,000-capacity Club SI will deliver VIP access, food, beverages, live entertainment (it will have a stage), and affordable fan ticket packages. There will be at least two Sports Illustrated Stadium hero signs on the stadium’s exterior.

The deal could help drive awareness of Sports Illustrated Tickets, as well as present marketing opportunities for its SI Swimsuit and SI Resorts business lines. And the tie-up between Sports Illustrated and Red Bull could potentially be expanded into more crossover between the two global brands in the coming years.