Hidilyn Diaz is still the talk of the town, but with multiple (as of this writing) Pinoy athletes still on track to winning medals for the Philippines, there’s renewed interest in actually investing in our non-basketball athletes. The government can of course play a part in this, but corporate sponsorships can simply bridge some of our nation’s finest into becoming international powerhouses for years to come.
But not all corporate sponsors are made equal. Here now are just 8 athlete-sponsor partnerships so perfect, they should get to drawing up the contract yesterday.
8. Nesthy Petecio – Boxing
The Sponsor: Nestea
The most obvious pairing starts this list off. With at the very least a silver medal guaranteed at this point, the fiery Nesthy Petecio has endured so many Nestea puns by now that they may as well pull the trigger on it. Sure, the brand’s already given us one social media post acknowledging their “katukayo”, but Nestea’s copywriters must be rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of an official partnership.
7. Michael Martinez – Figure Skating
The Sponsor: Selecta
There’s no reason to look far and beyond for the perfect sponsor for our Winter Olympic hopeful. We’ve loved Michael Martinez since Sochi, and being backed by an ice cream brand seems deliciously appropriate. Just imagine the commercial spots!
6. The Philippine Volcanoes – Rugby
The Sponsor: PDEA
Yes, this is the only non-corporate sponsor on the list. No, we have no plans of explaining this one.
5. Eumir Marcial – Boxing
The Sponsor: Dragon Katol
A stunning KO victory within 2 minutes tells you everything you need to know about Eumir’s boxing prowess. Dragon Katol’s infamous slogan — “Dragon kung umusok, lamok siguradong tepok” — is the perfect descriptor for this slugger, although he’s definitely taking down much more than just mosquitoes at this point.
4. Carlos Yulo – Gymnastics
The Sponsor: Wilcon Home Depot
The king of floor exercises meets the king of flooring! Perfection.
3. Margielyn Didal – Skateboarding
The Sponsor: Sony Playstation
With Activision, makers of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series going through some really gnarly legal problems at the moment, Sony Playstation would be best served to spearhead the natural evolution of X-Sport (and now Olympic) games by creating a new poster child for the sport for a new generation. It really helps that Margie recently took a picture with a Tony Hawk lookalike, for that matter.
Looks like Olympic skateboarder Margielyn Didal got to meet the legend Tony Hawk 😂 pic.twitter.com/yJG3zrhmTq
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 26, 2021
What an uncanny resemblance!
2. Carlo Paalam – Boxing
The Sponsor: St. Peter’s
Let’s face it: St. Peter’s isn’t above using a little bit (okay, a lot of) gallows humor to get people talking. This rising star in boxing has a name that’s just perfect and wildly inappropriate enough for St. Peter’s brand of dark humor.
1. The Azkals – Soccer
The Sponsor: Dakak Resort
Sure, the Azkals were already well-funded, but there’s something about being Dakak’s soccer team that would really take the Azkals to newer heights than ever before.
Got any dream athlete-brand partnerships? Sound off in the comments!
