American Eagle's sponsorship of the Big East Basketball Championship

By Joey McMurry

As I was spending my morning watching basketball, I noticed something peculiar.

Clothing outfitter American Eagle is the sponsor of the Big East Basketball Championships for both men and women.

Huh. When I think basketball, I definitely think clothes like this.

Needless to say, that sponsorship doesn't fit.

So, the question is, why did the two sides make the sponsorship agreement?

I don't have an answer to that question. It's rare to see a clothing outfitter sponsor a sports event when the apparel the outfit produces is not sports related. American Eagle certainly doesn't fit the usual persona of a brand that would sponsor a basketball tournament.

That being said, perhaps American Eagle is trying to rebrand a bit and appeal to a new audience. Now, I'm not a shopper at the store at all, but I have not noticed a change in the type of apparel at American Eagle since they began sponsoring the tournament last year.

Previously, New York Life was the tournament's sponsor. Don's ask me why insurance companies sponsor these sorts of things either, but it's become normal for some sort of insurance company to sponsor sports teams and events.


The Big East tournament is no slouch, either. It's not like American Eagle got a deal to sponsor a small conference basketball tournament. The Big East is a big deal in basketball, and American Eagle probably had to shell out some big bucks to get the headline sponsorship.

Despite all the advertising the sponsorship gives the apparel outfitter, I'm not sure how effective it will be. Honestly, how many sports fans have a remote interest in dressing in American Eagle clothes? Not many.

If the company really is trying to rebrand itself and appeal to a new audience, then this is a huge sponsorship to them. I just don't see the logic in it because I see no difference in their clothing after a glance at their website.

 For the Big East, this doesn't make much sense either. Like I said, the Big East is one of the premier basketball conferences in the country. They should get a sponsorship that is a little less out of left field (sorry for the cross-sport pun). Does the Big East really want to be associated with American Eagle? That doesn't exactly give them the "badass" label.

But you know what? Neither does New York Life, really.

So that makes me think: is the Big East having a hard time getting a big time, relevant sponsor? I don't see how that is possible, but obviously I don't know.

Does anyone out there find this sponsorship effective for both parties? Can you think of any other random sponsorships? Comment and compare. I really am interested.