Jerseys with players’ names on the back, endorsements from large companies to professional athletes, and professional sports arenas named after corporations are common in marketing a sport.

“Sports and the economy is a symbiotic system,” Darren Rothermel, Sports and Entertainment Marketing teacher, said. “If the economy is down, then businesses don’t make as much money on sporting goods. Sporting events get affected as well when there’s a down trend, because people won’t have surplus money to spend on going to expensive games where you can easily spend over $100.”

Not only do big sporting goods businesses make big money on sports, but sport-themed restaurants, such as Buffalo Wild Wings, can prosper on game days.

“Businesses like Buffalo Wild Wings get their money by advertising for sporting events. You could walk in anywhere and sit right down for a haircut during a big game, but restaurants that advertise for game days will be packed because you get both the game and the food,” Rothermel said.

Sports also play a big deal in advertising. During almost every commercial break, there’s a commercial with a sports good, player, or team in it. One of the pages on ESPN’s website bolsters a list of the top commercial from each of the last 25 years, picked by a panel from ESPN, and another list voted on by ESPN viewers.

Whether it’s selling jerseys, gaining profit off of commercials, or having a place to go for food and the game, businesses rely on sports doing well.