Winning the Global Game: Why Multiculturalism is the New MVP in Sports Marketing
April 16, 2026
By Sofia Martinez – School of Communication, Florida State University
The United States society of today is not built from a singular culture. Rather, it’s evolved to become a mix of multiple cultures that all come together to create the American society. Over the last couple of years, there has been an increase in multicultural trends, traditions, and societal views in the United States due to the mix of different cultures that make up our country today.
Because of this, marketers have adapted towards focusing on in-depth cultural values that will resonate with a variety of cultural perspectives (Peracchio, 2014). From Hispanics to African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans etc., the U.S. market is a unique mix of different cultures that many marketers are still trying to connect with and understand. One area specifically this applies in is the world of sports. Sports in the United States is known to be the nation’s most powerful community-building institution (Naison et al., 2010). In a country that has so many different backgrounds, traditions, and views, sports is one of the few areas that can bring all Americans together. Because of this, sports is changing the landscape of marketing in the United States and adapting towards these multicultural marketing efforts.
From mega sporting events to athlete endorsements, multicultural marketing is only getting started in the world of sports. Bad Bunny being named the 2026 Superbowl halftime performer is setting the stage for what influence multiculturalism in the United States is having on sports. Recent Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza incorporating Spanish-language into his award speech also demonstrates the influence that background and culture can have on an athlete’s upbringing and attributes. With that in mind, sports marketing needs to cross national boundaries and better understand cultural and social differences (Gashi, 2025). This includes the expansion of market research and cultural exchanges to better understand the diverse landscape of cultures within sports (Gashi, 2025). In order to understand a certain culture or athlete’s 3 background, marketers need to learn and immerse themselves into these cultures. They need to understand where these athletes come from and create a relationship with them.
In addition, cultural diversity is another area marketers need to dive into. Being a multifaceted concept, cultural diversity is known as a contributing attribute towards an individual’s cultural identity (Huang et al., 2023). Embracing this will help marketers understand a variety of diverse cultures and backgrounds that make up our American society. Especially in sports marketing, adapting an athlete’s cultural identity into marketing campaigns can resonate with fans who share similar traditions and experiences. For example, a Cafe Bustelo advertisement showing a Cuban-American athlete drinking Cuban coffee with his family would
resonate with other Cuban-Americans who drink Cuban coffee regularly. As multicultural consumers continue to increase, marketers need to continue developing a relationship with their cultural values (Peracchio, 2014). These consumers are changing the way organizations/brands market their products and also expanding research for cultural influence on consumption (Peracchio, 2014).
Today, 40% of the U.S. population is multicultural consumers, causing a buying power of over $5 trillion dollars (Torelli & Rodas, 2024). With that in mind, the integration of communication strategies have also been adapted by marketers in order to connect with multiple cultures. Within sports, this can include anything such as games being televised in multiple languages, as well as billboards and advertisements. For example, to promote the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the tournament has focused on marketing towards multicultural audiences knowing this is the main demographic profile of the sport (Mizrahi, 2025). This year’s upcoming World
Cup is expected to attract multiple cultural segments. Because of that the focus is to show that “the World Cup is everyone’s game” and create diverse and representative storytelling through the marketing process (Mizrahi, 2025). Brands like Adidas, Lays, and Mastercard have already taken the step towards innovating multicultural advertisements in anticipation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (Dilworth, 2025). Incorporating bilingualism and different cultural values is displaying how these brands are evolving their marketing strategies by connecting with multiple cultures ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
With continued growth of multicultural consumers in the coming years, brands and organizations need to consider how they can continue developing their marketing plans towards a variety of audience segments. One approach that brands and organizations can take is designing speciality departments specifically towards each cultural segment. As companies continue tailoring their marketing activities towards the needs of different markets, there is a need for marketing expertise within these organizations (Burton, 2025). The approach of marketing a product towards all is not going to revenue the same results today. Multicultural marketing is
changing the marketing game, which is why learning about different cultures is so valuable in today’s American society. Even in the sports industry, cross-cultural marketing is being witnessed more than ever before across team franchises, athlete endorsements, and all types of advertisements.
In a growing multicultural society today, marketers need to adapt towards change and adjust their marketing strategies in order to connect with a variety of cultures. Just like in sports, athletes are trained to practice and adapt towards change in order to succeed. The same goes with marketing towards a multicultural audience. With practice and better understanding of multiple cultures, marketers have the potential to connect with consumers from all backgrounds and continue evolving the landscape of multicultural marketing in the United States.
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