If you’re a sports fan, you’ve probably seen a lot of 0.0 lately. Non-alcoholic beer and sibling drinks are sponsoring pro teams all over the globe. The movement is so significant that it’s pretty much swept up every major sport on earth.
Pairing no-and-low alcohol brands with athletes is pretty smart. After all, sporting types tend to limit their calories and are after functional beverages. Meanwhile, consumers in general are increasingly curious about near beers, seeking them out more than ever.
Soccer enthusiasts have no doubt witnessed the trend. Giant clubs like Manchester City in England are sporting warm up kits with the Asahi 0.0 logo. The Champions League, one of the biggest annual sporting events on earth, has been pushing Heineken’s new non-alcoholic beer in a series of ads.
Elsewhere, it’s much the same. Athletic Brewing has partnered with Arsenal, another heavyweight in the English Premiere League. The brand’s NA offerings are available at the Emirates Stadium, where the north London club plays. The nation’s largest NA beer company (with J.J. Watt as a big investor, by the way) has also linked up with the likes of the Indiana Pacers and MLB franchise the Seattle Mariners.
Estrella Galicia has teamed up with F1 Racing and Heineken has too. Look for more partnerships soon as we settle into the core of fall sports season. Non-alcoholic brands are making waves, and it’s only a matter of time until we see more ads and logos during WNBA games, hockey fixtures, the NBA playoffs, and more.
The beer and sports connection is continuing in traditional avenues as well, as evidenced by the slew of special one-off brews made for specific teams all over the U.S. and beyond.
