#CannesLions - Sports Beach: “Athletes Are the New Creatives”

From Serena to Piastri, top talent called for deeper, more collaborative brand partnerships — not just logo placements.

Cannes Lions - Sports Beach

Live sports = the last mass medium. At Cannes Lions 2025, marketers got the memo.

From Stagwell’s newly minted “Lions Sport” partnership to packed panels at Sport Beach, sports didn’t just show up at Cannes—sports dominated. Serena Williams, Oscar Piastri, Noah Lyles, Megan Rapinoe, and other top athletes joined execs from Amazon, WPP, Disney, State Farm, and McLaren Racing to dissect the future of fandom, streaming, sponsorships, and athlete-brand alignment.

Across five days of panels and activations, the takeaways were clear: If you’re a brand looking for scale, culture, and real-time relevance—sports is the only space left that delivers all three.

The Lowdown

Live sports are still one of the few guaranteed mass-reach platforms. Women’s sports are projected to hit $2.35B in revenue in 2025—a 25% YoY increase. F1 sponsorships are up 10% YoY, expected to hit $2.9B globally in 2025. Streaming tech is shifting sports from passive viewing to immersive, data-rich experiences.Athletes now expect creative control and long-term input in brand campaigns.

“Now it’s an immersive experience.”

Streaming tech has turned fans into participants.

Amazon’s Jared Stacy (Prime Video) and WPP’s Rob Reilly said it flat out: the old broadcast model is dead. With low-latency streams, AI overlays, and interactive tools (like alternate commentary and real-time stats), sports content has become multi-layered and fan-driven.

Key stat: Amazon’s sports division is investing heavily in AWS-powered live production, aiming to reduce latency and add new ad formats that respond to live events.

“Five or ten years ago, it was just a show… now it’s an immersive experience.” — Rob Reilly, WPP

“No more logo slaps.”

Athletes are collaborators, not spokespeople.

Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki made the case for treating athletes as creative partners. Their main point? Authenticity can’t be retrofitted.

Dirk: “I picked brands that felt close to me.”

Blake: “If there’s no genuine interest, fans can tell. The whole thing falls flat.”

Supporting stat: 65% of Gen Z consumers say they’re more likely to engage with a campaign if the athlete appears “genuinely involved” (Boardroom x Nielsen report).

“Real-time or irrelevant.”

Live sports offer what streaming fragmentation has taken away: shared moments.

Michael Lacorazza (U.S. Bank) and Taylor Rooks (Prime Video) stressed that brands are looking for fan-first touchpoints—not just screen time. With fewer people watching linear TV, live sports are a rare opportunity to “be there in the moment.”

Case study: La Mer’s Uber x F1 activation at Miami GP—riders got free skincare and social content on the way to the track. La Mer later repeated the giveaway at its Cannes lounge.

“It’s a way of being involved right in the moment, live.” — Michael Lacorazza, U.S. Bank

“Women’s sports are now business-critical.”

A 25% YoY growth rate is reshaping media and marketing budgets.

Disney’s Rita Ferro and ESPN’s Rosalyn Durant cited women’s sports as the fastest-growing vertical in sports media. Baldwin Cunningham (State Farm) broke the myth:

“The audience isn’t just women—it’s majority male and extremely online.”

Key figure: Deloitte projects $2.35B in women’s sports revenue for 2025 (up from $1.88B in 2024). Add to that: The “Taylor Swift effect” reportedly lifted NFL female viewership by 35% in key markets.

“Culture isn’t a stunt—it’s a process.”

Panelists warned brands against fake hype.

Verizon’s Leslie Berland and creative director Jeff Staple both called out superficial campaigns. Real engagement, they argued, comes from being embedded in the culture—not performing it.

Example: Nigel Sylvester’s “Brick by Brick” Jordan BMX campaign, built from real neighborhood stories, not rented clout.

 “Culture isn’t something you manufacture in a boardroom.” — Jeff Staple

“Sponsorships are now strategic infrastructure.”

F1 is the benchmark, but brands are diversifying.

Ampere Analysis projects global F1 sponsorship spending to hit $2.9B in 2025—up 10% year-over-year. McLaren’s CMO Louise McEwan highlighted a critical insight: 99% of F1 fans never attend in person, so digital storytelling must do the work.

Oscar Piastri noted the shift in his own brand value: “I did more work off the track than on it… we still want to get value for the brands.”

Supporting stat: F1 now counts 827M global fans, with a third of them new to the sport in the past three years (McLaren panel data).

Campaigns That Delivered

“Haaland Payback Time” – Supercell/Clash of Clans

Soccer fans raided Erling Haaland’s in-game village. Cannes Grand Prix winner for gaming x sports crossover.

La Mer x Uber – F1 Miami Activation

Luxury skincare gifted to Uber riders going to the GP. Activated online and on the ground.

Unrivaled Basketball x Sephora

Start-up women’s league partnered with beauty brand. Highlighted non-endemic sponsorships and crossover audiences.

Amazon x Disney DSP Integration

Technical but major: Merging Disney’s ad exchange with Amazon’s DSP tightens streaming sports + e-commerce targeting.

Key Stats to Know

$2.35B → Projected women’s sports revenue (2025)

$2.9B → Projected F1 sponsorship revenue (2025)

827M → Global F1 fans, with 1/3 new since 2022

25% → YoY growth in women’s sports business

1% → Of F1 fans ever attend races in person

What’s Next?

Q: If you’re a brand, where’s the opportunity?A: Partner with athletes early. Design for live. Get specific about fan experience.

Q: What did Cannes prove?A: Sports isn’t just media—it’s strategy, identity, and culture in motion.

Want more campaign debriefs or deeper numbers by sport or region? Just ask.