Fast food restaurant chain Papa John's has signed up as a sponsor of two major sports franchises based in Atlanta, US.
Papa John's has, through a deal with the AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE) controlling vehicle, become the official pizza partner of the Atlanta Falcons (NFL) and Atlanta United (Major League Soccer) teams, which AMBSE owns.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Both teams play their home games at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, hence both being included in this deal.
Papa John's, meanwhile, has a headquarters facility in the Georgia city.
The multi-year tie-up will come to life through game-day activations, giveaways, and appearances alongside both the Falcons and Atlanta United players, while there will also be community events organized.
The collaboration will start ahead of the Falcons' first home game of the 2026 NFL season, on September 18.
Fans of both teams will also be entitled to a 50% discount on Papa John's pizza the day after either team wins.
Dana Harple, vice president for corporate partnerships at AMB Sports & Entertainment, commented: "This partnership creates meaningful opportunities to connect with fans through shared experiences, and we're excited to work alongside Papa John's to reward our fans and bring even more energy, value, and memorable moments to our communities throughout the season."
Reports last week asserted that a deal has been struck for the Arctos Capital Partners private equity firm to take a 10% stake in the Falcons, at a total franchise valuation of $10.6 billion.
Chris Lyn-Sue, Papa John's global chief marketing officer, added: "Whether fans are gathering before kickoff, celebrating a victory or cheering on their team together, we're excited to bring people together and make Papa John's part of those celebratory pizza moments across both gamedays and matchdays.”
Elsewhere in the world of US sports franchise sponsorships, the NFL's Seattle Seahawks – Super Bowl winners earlier this year – have partnered with local running apparel firm Brooks Running.
That firm becomes the official partner of the reigning Super Bowl champions and will activate as such via in-stadium experiences, youth sports programs, and "community giving initiatives."
As an example of these youth initiatives, Brooks will present a weekly Seahawks Coach of the Week program throughout the high school football season.
Brooks has also just announced a Seahawks player, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, as a new global athlete ambassador.
Mario Bailey, vice president of community engagement and legends at the Seahawks, said: "We're proud to partner with Brooks to empower youth through these grant opportunities, and are excited to see the impact we’ll be able to make together through this partnership."
The Seahawks get their 2026 NFL campaign underway later today (local time), as they take on the New England Patriots in a repeat of last season's Super Bowl (which the Seattle side won, 29-13).
Mid-July saw the organization sold to the family office of prominent Indian-American investor Vinod Khosla, reportedly for an NFL record of $9.612 billion.
Khosla has made most of the family's wealth through his Khosla Ventures investment platform, established in 1986, and Sun Microsystems, the tech company he co-founded in 1982, which was sold in 2009 to Oracle for a fee of $5.6 billion.
Through the agreement, which makes the Khosla family the controlling owners of the Seahawks, the family will have to relinquish their minority stake in the Seahawks’ bitter rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, which they acquired in early 2025.
