A Baseball Game of Thrones: R.A. Dickey’s New Alliance

It seems I’m always ranting and raving about sponsorship- what’s a good fit, what makes a good partnership, etc. When I’m usually on my soapbox, I’m talking about official partnerships and the various dynamics that go along with such a partnership. Sometimes however, I’m all about unintentional sponsorship. That is, I really like when one entity supports a brand simply ‘just because’. When this happens it not only brings light to the brand, but it also allows fans of the brand to flock to the entity supporting it. …Now, what happens when both the entity and the brand happen to fall into the category of “Brandon’s favorites”? An explosion! So without further ado, I present my favorite duo (Ever, may I dare say?):

Mets Pitcher R.A. Dickey and HBO’s Game of Thrones!

Wait, what!? That’s right, R.A. Dickey is a supporter of HBO’s hit series, Game of Thrones, and New York Mets fans are already giving him the nickname “King of the North”! What does this support consist of? Well, ballplayers get to pick their at-bat walk-up music, and Dickey walks up to the renowned Game of Thrones theme song. If that wasn’t enough, Dickey reportedly names his bats as swords. What a baller.

I find this more than intriguing. Forget the fact that I’m a hug fan of both Game of Thrones and the knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey; I’m interested in the ‘unofficial sponsorship’ possibilities. Just as I wondered about the value of Eli Manning’s appearance on SNL, so too do I wonder how this affects Mets fans who don’t watch Game of Thrones, and Game of Thrones fans who don’t watch the Mets. If die-hard fans of the HBO hit hear about this, will they tune into a Mets game if Dickey is pitching? When Mets fans hear Dickey’s walk-up music, will they decide to get on HBO-Go and watch a few episodes? What is this all worth, and how profitable is this for both entities? So many questions, so few answers…but don’t fret! Just in case you’re too perplexed, I’ve gone ahead and made your day by leaving you with a familiar soothing tune…

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