Miami has 15 local sports sponsorships

Sports Business Journal reported on May 18 that Miami-based companies account for 15 local naming-rights, on-field-logo or uniform sponsorships across major teams and events in the market. The publication cited Hard Rock’s deal with the Miami Dolphins, Kaseya’s arena agreement with the Miami Heat and Royal Caribbean’s partnership with Inter Miami as examples. The count appeared in SBJ’s “Best Sports Business Cities: No. 10 Miami,” published May 18 as part of its 2026 city rankings. ### Where does the number 15 come from? Sports Business Journal said Miami-based companies currently hold 15 local sponsorship positions spanning naming rights, on-field logos and uniform placements. The figure was included in the publication’s profile of Miami after it ranked the city No. 10 in its 2026 list of sports business markets. The SBJ ranking package said its broader 2026 project drew on more than 540,000 data points and input from more than 100 executives. (sportsbusinessjournal.com) In Miami’s case, the sponsorship tally was presented as one measure of how much corporate support comes from companies based in the same market as the teams and events they back. ### Which Miami companies were named? Hard Rock was cited by SBJ as one of the clearest examples through its relationship with the Miami Dolphins. (sportsbusinessjournal.com) The Dolphins announced in 2016 that Hard Rock International had signed an 18-year stadium naming-rights agreement, making the venue Hard Rock Stadium. Kaseya was another example named by SBJ through its agreement with the Miami Heat. The Heat’s home arena became Kaseya Center in 2023 under a long-term naming-rights deal with the Miami software company, giving one of the city’s best-known local brands a permanent place on a major league venue. SBJ cited that partnership as part of the 15-deal total. Royal Caribbean was the third example highlighted by SBJ, tied to Inter Miami. (media.miamidolphins.com) The cruise company, which is based in Miami, has used team sponsorship to place its brand alongside one of the city’s fastest-growing global sports properties, according to the SBJ report. ### Why did SBJ connect those deals to Miami’s ranking? Miami was ranked No. 10 by Sports Business Journal in its 2026 “Best Sports Business Cities” list. (sportsbusinessjournal.com) The publication said the rankings measure the strength of sports business markets across categories including events, facilities, franchises and commercial activity. The 15 local sponsorships gave SBJ a concrete way to show that Miami’s corporate base is not only buying media or hospitality around sports, but attaching company names directly to venues, uniforms and field-level inventory. (sportsbusinessjournal.com) That is the specific commercial detail SBJ used in describing the city’s sports business footprint. ### What kinds of deals are included in that count? (sportsbusinessjournal.com) SBJ’s wording grouped three categories together: naming-rights deals, on-field-logo placements and uniform sponsorships. That means the 15 total is not limited to stadium names alone and instead covers several of the most visible sponsorship assets available to teams and event operators. Hard Rock Stadium illustrates the naming-rights side of that mix. (sportsbusinessjournal.com) Inter Miami and other local properties represent the logo and uniform side, where sponsors can appear on kits, training gear or other premium inventory depending on the structure of each agreement, as described by SBJ. ### What comes next? Sports Business Journal’s city ranking was published in the May 18, 2026 weekly issue, and the Miami entry remains the current published source for the 15-sponsorship figure. The next public milestone in that package is the continuation of SBJ’s 2026 city-by-city rollout and related data pages tied to its “Best Sports Business Cities” project. (sportsbusinessjournal.com) (media.miamidolphins.com)