30-second summary:
- MGM Resorts International and the Boston Red Sox have signed a multi-year agreement deal
- MGM logo will be placed in several areas of Fenway Park
- Deal comes as Massachusetts prepares for online sports betting
- Red Sox sign new partnership deal after a five-year agreement with Foxwoods Resort Casino of Connecticut expired in 2018
MGM Resorts International and the Boston Red Sox have formed a new alliance. The Red Sox ball club was partnered with the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. That deal expired at the end of 2018.
The ball club now looks forward to a new partnership with MGM, the owner of the MGM Springfield casino, which recently opened in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Multi-year agreement
The new deal between the ball club and MGM is a multi-year agreement. The company logo of MGM will be displayed prominently at Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox. The logo will be seen by millions of baseball fans as Massachusetts prepares to get started with online sports wagering.
As the official and exclusive resort casino for the ballclub, the lion head logo of MGM will appear on the Green Monster at Fenway. Additional logo signs will be placed in areas of the park such as behind home plate. MGM will also be mentioned via the media and on Red Sox radio.
With the partnership, the Red Sox yearly Winter Weekend will take place in Springfield in January. The MGM Springfield Casino will play host.
Historic partnership
The Boston Red Sox and MGM say they are excited to be working together. Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said: “This is such a natural partnership for our two brands. MGM has set the standard in the hospitality and entertainment industry and their recent expansion into the Commonwealth makes them a clear partner.
“We are thrilled to welcome them to the Red Sox family and look forward to a long collaboration.”
Jim Murren, the chairman of MGM Resorts, also commented on the agreement, calling it a historic partnership. Murren said combining the two iconic brands creates a one-of-a-kind experience for baseball fans that will be unique to the New England region, MGM Springfield and the rest of the United States.
The Boston Red Sox partnership with MGM is not the first foray the company has had with Major League Baseball. According to VSO News, last November, MGM Resorts announced a partnership agreement with the MLB. The agreement marked the first partner for the MLB regarding sports betting.
The agreement was a milestone in the US as it marked a turnaround for the league, which had previously announced its opposition to sports betting. As part of the deal, MGM Resorts will have access to the MLB logo as well as official data for its sports betting offering.