drrt Budweiser Beer

Belgium brewer InBev has agreed to buy Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion. And the biggest question we have here at Sports Biz is, how much will this impact the business of sports? Or to some, how will this impact Super Bowl commercial watching?

This is what we know.

Anheuser-Busch

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[BUD  Loading...      ()   ]spent $218,210,715 on advertising during sporting events in 2007. That made up 83.8 percent of their total TV ad spending, according to Nielsen Media Research and the SportsBusiness Journal. That $218 million topped the next biggest sports spender, Chevrolet, by $45 million.

We also know that consolidation most often leads to cost cutting and combine that with the fact that InBev apparently has the reputation of being slashers and the sports world could be feeling this one.

Don’t forget, all this takes place as Coors and Miller officially combined on July 1. Those two were the ninth and 11th highest spenders on sports programming in 2007, combining for $172 million in sporting event advertising on TV.

How big of an impact does Anheuser Busch have on sports sponsorship? The only way I can affectively convey this is to run a partial list of Anheuser-Busch sponsored sporting events. Please remember, this is only at the corporate level. There are literally thousands of regional level deals.

Baseball

• Official beer sponsor of Major League Baseball and 26 teams (Budweiser and Bud Light).

Basketball

• Official beer sponsor of the National Basketball Association and 26 teams (Bud Light).

• Official beer sponsor of the National Basketball Association in China (Budweiser) and Mexico (Bud Light).

BASS Fishing

• Sponsor of Denny Brauer, 16-time winner on the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail (Busch).

• Sponsor of Kevin VanDam, three-time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, 2001 FLW Angler of the Year and two-time Bassmaster Classic Champion (Busch).

Boat Racing

• Primary team sponsor of Champ Boat Racing Series driver Tim Seebold (Bud Light).

• Primary team sponsor of David Scott’s offshore powerboat racing (Bud Light).

• Primary team sponsor of Todd Beckman’s Poker Run offshore team (Bud Light).

Cycling

• Official beer of the Tour of Missouri (Michelob ULTRA).

Equestrian Sports

• Numerous event title sponsorships on American Grandprix Association circuit (Budweiser).

• Sponsor of two U.S. polo teams (Michelob ULTRA and Bud Light).

Football (American)

• Official beer sponsor of 28 National Football League teams (Budweiser and Bud Light).

• Official beer sponsor of the National Football League in Canada (Budweiser).

• Exclusive alcohol beverage and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage sponsor of the Super Bowl telecast through 2012 (Anheuser-Busch).

• Exclusive alcohol beverage and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage sponsor of the Bowl Championship Series (Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and National Champ Games) on FOX through 2010 (Anheuser-Busch).

Football (Soccer)

• Official beer sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil (Budweiser).

• Official beer sponsor of the English Premier League and Manchester United football club (Budweiser).

• Official beer sponsor of Major League Soccer and each of its 13 teams (Budweiser and Bud Light).

• Official sponsor of the U.S. men’s (Budweiser) and women’s (Bud Light) National and Olympic teams.

• Official beer of the InterLiga tournament (Bud Light).

• Official beer of the SuperLiga Tournament between Mexican First Division and MLS teams (Bud Light).

• Official beer sponsor of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup™ in South Africa (Budweiser).

Golf

• Official sponsor of the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour (Michelob).

• Official sponsor of the LPGA (Michelob ULTRA).

• Title sponsor of the LPGA Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill.

• Sponsor of PGA TOUR golfer Sergio Garcia (Michelob).

• Sponsor of LPGA golfers Lorie Kane, Grace Park and Natalie Gulbis (Michelob ULTRA).

• Exclusive alcohol beverage and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage sponsor of the Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup on NBC through 2011 (Anheuser-Busch).

• Exclusive alcohol beverage and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage sponsor of the PGA Championship on CBS through 2011 (Anheuser-Busch).

Hockey

• Official beer sponsor of the National Hockey League and 21 U.S. teams (Bud Light).

Horse Racing

• Official beer sponsor of Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (Budweiser Select).

Lacrosse

• Official beer sponsor of Major League Lacrosse and each of its 10 teams (Bud Light).

Mixed Martial Arts

• Official beer sponsor of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) (Bud Light).

NASCAR

• Primary team sponsor of Gillett Evernham Motorsports, the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge and driver Kasey Kahne (Budweiser).

• Official beer sponsor of Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 (Budweiser).

• Title sponsor of the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

• Exclusive alcohol and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage sponsor of the Daytona 500 on FOX through 2010 (Anheuser-Busch).

• Primary team sponsor of the No. 9 Budweiser World of Outlaws sprint car with team owner, Kasey Kahne and driver Joey Saldana (Budweiser).

NHRA

• Official beer sponsor of the National Hot Rod Association (Budweiser).

• Primary team sponsor of Bud King Racing Team, driver Brandon Bernstein and team owner Kenny Bernstein (Budweiser).

Olympics

• Official international beer sponsor of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China (Budweiser).

• Official malt beverage sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team through 2008 (Anheuser-Busch).

• Exclusive alcohol and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games telecast on NBC, Telemundo and all cable properties (Anheuser-Busch).

• Official beer sponsor of the China Olympic Team through 2008 (Budweiser).

• Official beer sponsor of Team Great Britain (Michelob ULTRA).

• Official beer sponsor of the National Olympic Teams in 25 countries (Budweiser).

Outdoors

• Sponsor of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, Quality Deer Management Association, American Trapshooting Association Grand American, National Bird Dog Trials and World Shooting Complex (Budweiser).

Running

• Title sponsor of the Michelob ULTRA Run to the ULTRA series; 40 events in the United States.

Snow Sports

• Official beer of USA Snowboarding (Bud Light) and USA Skiing (Budweiser).

• Official beer sponsor of Steamboat Ski Resort, which includes title sponsorship of the Bud Light Cowboy Downhill at Steamboat Springs, Colo. (Bud Light).

• Official beer sponsor of the Vail Valley Foundation, which includes sponsorship of the Bud Light Street Beat Concert Series, American Ski Classic, the Session snowboarding event and the Bud Light Hot Summer Nights Concert Series (Bud Light).

Surfing

• Sponsor of Bud Light Surf Team.

• Title sponsor of Bud Light WakeFest in Toronto, Canada.

Tennis

• Official beer sponsor of Pilot Pen Tennis, a United States Tennis Association event (Michelob ULTRA).

• Official beer sponsor of the St. Louis Aces of the World TeamTennis Pro League (Michelob ULTRA).

Volleyball

• Official beer sponsor of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) and title sponsor of the Bud Light Long Beach Open (Bud Light).

Questions?  Comments?