If this new contract is not a surprise, it is nonetheless a small shock in the world of sport. The Professional Football League (LFP) formalized this Thursday the agreement with McDonald’s for the “naming” of Ligue 1, replacing the meal delivery service Uber Eats whose three-year partnership was ending. The announcement may be major, but this contract is not the first of its kind to mix sport and junk food. It is based above all on a principle of economic reality. “We can ask moral questions about the association, but there is also a reality: could the Naturalia brand, for example, put the sums that McDonald’s promises to the Professional Football League?” Christophe Lepetit, sports economist.
In this agreement, the financial interest of the LFP is central: it will double the amount of its income, obtaining from the global fast food giant 30 million euros per year simply so that it can add its name to that of its flagship competition. And this, while “Uber Eats only paid 16 million euros per year,” indicates sports economist Pierre Rondeau. With this win-win pact, the fast-food company also finds its share. “Choosing McDonald’s, rather than Conforama, which was the first brand associated with Ligue 1, or even Uber Eats, also means giving itself international visibility, with a brand known all around the world, for the LFP which seeks to find new income outside France,” underlines Christophe Lepetit.
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The economic windfall from the LFP being obvious, why did McDonald’s want such an association, when it is already very well positioned in France? Beyond the financial aspect, “there is an issue of reputation, visibility, and respectability,” argues Pierre Rondon. For several years, the American company has intended to move away from its “junk food” side and is making a lot of efforts to erase this bad brand image. “They highlight a green logo to support the environment; they display products from French agriculture, fries, meat, bread; they support the farmer,” he recalls. However, sport and junk food do not always go well together in the collective mind.
This is why this ad “could improve the image of McDonald’s by associating itself with high-level athletes.” “In the long term, consuming McDonald’s could become synonymous with consuming organic, local and healthy foods. Its market share should increase and capture a new sociological profile of consumers.” The company “could totally integrate into this new marketing wave,” adds the economist.
While this agreement may be surprising, it is not illegal or unprecedented. Especially since the LFP is not the first to have entered into a partnership with a “fast-food” player. She had already associated the name of her second competition, Ligue 2, with Domino’s pizzas. The French Federation therefore has KFC fried chicken as a partner, at least until 2028, FIFA has long been linked to Coca-Cola. Also more locally, most professional clubs establish commercial alliances with fast food groups in their sector.