How sponsors create brand associations One moti- vation for companies to sponsor sporting events or programs is to either enhance or reinforce the brand associations with their company. This motivation is based on the belief that image attributes of the entity being sponsored can be transferred to the sponsor. A sponsor such as Gatorade or PowerAde might seek to align itself with the best college basketball or football teams to reinforce the perception that their sport drink is of high quality and used by the best athletes. Similarly, Nike, Reebok, Adidas, and others often fight for the footwear and apparel rights associ- ated with the professional sport leagues, college athletics programs and athletes. This is probably at least partially due to the desire to be associ- ated with the best.