Bad Boy Mowers Inks Deal With Pinstripe Bowl Amid Naming Rights Carousel
The Bad Boys are getting back in the college football bowl game business by joining forces with the Evil Empire.
Bad Boy Mowers has inked a deal to become the naming-rights sponsor of the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Arkansas-based lawn mower manufacturer will replace headwear brand New Era, which had sponsored the annual college football game since its inception in 2010. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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It’s the latest bowl game to get a fresh title sponsor, following Vrbo’s recent takeover of the Fiesta Bowl and ReliaQuest putting its stamp on the event formerly known as the Outback Bowl. The deal also marks a return to bowl season for Bad Boy Mowers, which was the title sponsor for Tampa’s Gasparilla Bowl from 2017 until the deal expired after the 2019 game.
The naming rights to the Pinstripe Bowl were marketed by Legends, a premium experiences company partly owned by the Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys and private equity firm Sixth Street. The company is also helping the Yankees with their search for a patch sponsor.
New Era Cap Company Inc. has seemingly taken a step back from naming rights deals. The Buffalo-based brand didn’t renew its stadium naming rights deal with the Buffalo Bills amid the pandemic in 2020. The Bills have since reached a 10-year naming rights deal with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Bad Boy Mowers, meanwhile, is beefing up its sports-marketing portfolio. The company, which sells zero-turn residential and commercial-grade mowers, signed University of North Carolina basketball star Armando Bacot to its first NIL deal earlier this year. It also sponsors the Battle 4 Atlantis annual college basketball tournament, and has marketing partnerships with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Outlaws of the new PBR Team Series.
The Pinstripe Bowl pits an ACC team against a Big Ten team, and it paid out $4.4 million per conference last year. This year, the game is scheduled for Dec. 29 and will be televised on ESPN.
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