Scoring Points: Connect With Communities Through Sports

Sports are not just a game. They start conversations, strengthen community pride, create heroes, and inspire new ones. They also bring people together, regardless of team, even when division may exist just outside the stadium. Because of the goodwill sports creates, and the amount of eyeballs games and tournaments can capture, self-storage companies have begun making it a priority to sponsor teams both big and small and, in some instances, individuals with Rocky-esque stories we all want to root for. 

Touching Base 

“Take me out to the ballgame,” begins the song of the same name. It was written by Tin Pan Alley in 1908 and quickly became the anthem of North American baseball. Storage Post, founded in 1998 by industry veteran Bruce C. Roch, Jr., understood Americans’ connection with baseball, so in 2023, he decided to partner with the New York Yankees, which is arguably the most popular MLB team in the country. It made sense—Storage Post owns and operates 30 self-storage facilities in the New York metro area, including five properties in the Bronx, the home of the Yankees. 

Storage Post/Yankees LED Billboard 

As the official storage provider of the Yankees, Storage Post is featured throughout the stadium on the concourse televisions, LED animation in the Great Hall, and outfield terrace deck LED signage. 

Dylan Delaune, Storage Post’s COO, says that Yankees fans are highly concentrated in the markets the company serves. “We are incredibly excited to be associated with such an iconic baseball team,” says Delaune. “Their pride and winning attitude coincide with Storage Post’s goals of delivering high-quality self-storage assets and a winning customer experience.” 

As part of the partnership, Storage Post is also able to provide new customers with select game tickets through its website. 

Storage Post/Yankees promo 

Field And Ice 

Baseball may have received the title of “America’s favorite pastime,” but football is Americans’ favorite sport, according to Gallup Polling, and it has been since 1972. In fact, by 2023, more than 40 percent of U.S. adults said football was their favorite sport. 

One self-storage company paying attention is StorageMart. Founded in 1999 by the Burnam family, who already had a long history in the industry prior to that, StorageMart wanted to connect with the community in which it’s headquartered: Missouri. What better way to do that than to partner with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs? 

“The partnership with the Chiefs made a lot of sense geographically, but really, it’s our shared goal of supporting local communities that brought us together,” said Sarah Little, managing director of digital marketing for StorageMart. “The Chiefs do many great things to give back, and we’re thrilled to have partners aligned with our values as a global company.” 

Of course, the fact that the Chiefs made it to Super Bowl LIX was just icing on the cake! 

Part of the arrangement with the Chiefs is the StorageMart Tackle Tracker, which counts the Chiefs’ tackles at the start of the season. For every successful tackle, StorageMart makes a monetary donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. 

“StorageMart and the Chiefs are two local brands with deep midwestern roots and a shared mission to give back to our communities, not just here in Missouri but across the United States and even the world,” says Cris Burnam, StorageMart CEO. 

StorageMart gives $50,000 to charity thanks to its KC Chiefs Tackle Tracker. 

This powerful partnership inspired StorageMart to duplicate the success in Canada. Of course, in the Great White North, hockey is king. So, the self-storage giant partnered up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “We’re now the official storage providers of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” says Burnam, noting the Leafs fans are known for their loyalty to the team and are considered the No. 1 hockey fan base in the league. “We think that passion will translate into tenants. At our Scarborough facility [a district within Toronto], we’ve already outfitted it with the Leafs’ insignia and logos. Team members also sport Leafs gear. It’s a great time to be a Leafs fan, and a great time to be in the self-storage industry!” 

StorageMart/Maple Leafs Promo 

Reel Talk 

StorQuest Self Storage, owned and operated by the William Warren Group (WWG) and founded in 1994 by William “Bill” Hobin, has been positioning itself as a lifestyle brand since its inception. “I wanted to create something different in the self-storage industry,” says Hobin, who describes himself as an avid outdoorsman. “StorQuest Self Storage is more than just a storage company. It’s a lifestyle brand that strives to build a positive relationship with its guests to help them live a bigger life.” 

World Champion Surfer Kelly Slater in his StorQuest unit 

When setting out to establish partnerships with those who “live big,” athletes would be key. The company found two such individuals in 12-time World Champion Skateboarder Tony Hawk and 11-time World Champion Surfer Kelly Slater. Both are legends in their sport and users of StorQuest facilities. “My StorQuest unit is great,” says Slater. “It feels safe. In fact, I feel safer here than in my own house. My storage unit is the most organized thing in my life.” 

One of StorQuest’s latest endeavors is its continued sponsorship of the Bass Angler Magazine (BAM) Tournament Trail, an exclusive West Coast, professional-level bass fishing tournament circuit. It was a natural fit for the StorQuest brand, says Brooke Wiegand, vice president of marketing. “To match the culture of our company, we are always looking for ways to connect self-storage to an outdoor lifestyle and individuals needing to store gear or their personal belongings. This allows us to show our commitment to supporting the lifestyles and passions of our guests,” she says. Of course, outdoorsmen have a lot of gear, as tournament angler Mark Lassagne, the owner of the BAM Trail and Magazine, demonstrates in this photo!

StorQuest supports Pro Bass Fisherman Mark Lassagne as he battles for big bass. 

Need For Speed 

Motor sports are more popular than ever, and fans are loyalists. In fact, AdLarge reports that more than 70 percent of fans will choose a brand just because they’re sponsors and helping to power their favorite racecar driver. This fact has not been lost on SmartStop Self Storage, which has been involved with motorsports for years. The company started small, sponsoring a car in the 2019 Toronto Grand Prix. Fueled by that success, SmartStop CEO H. Michael Schwartz then saw an opportunity to go beyond sponsoring a single car and instead be part of a team. “That’s when we partnered with the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team,” says Rhonda Williams, vice president of marketing. “They have such a rich history, and we love the story of Bruce McLaren, who started out as a bit of an underdog himself but wound up building McLaren into what it is today.” 

#6 SmartStop Self Storage Arrow McLaren Chevrolet 

In 2023, SmartStop made headlines by sponsoring 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2004 IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan who was making his last lap at the 107th Indianapolis 500. While he didn’t win, the partnership has prevailed. “Tony is now the team principal of Arrow McLaren, and he is our No. 1 brand ambassador,” says Williams. “He visits our stores, he posts on social about us, he speaks at our leadership conferences—it really gets the crowd excited to see someone like Tony versus the typical speakers you have at these events.” 

“Tony has more than 620,000 followers, and they’re loyal followers. When he mentions us, or highlights No. 6, that’s a lot of eyes on us,” Williams says. 

Individual Attention 

Sponsoring individuals embarking on a journey to the top is another way SmartStop differentiates itself and makes a difference in lives. In 2014, the company sponsored Greg Paul as he climbed the summit of Mount Everest. SmartStop sponsored American cyclist and Olympic hopeful Shane Kline in 2018. Then, in 2023, it sponsored Callum Wallace and his “Flight For Hope” as he piloted a small single-engine aircraft around the world to raise awareness for Home Suite Hope in Oakville, Ont., Canada. 

SmartStop also sponsors individual athletes across many sports, including BMX racers and MMA fighters. “We sponsor four to five fights per month with the MMA,” says Williams. “These young men and women may end up battered and bruised, but they train incredibly hard, and we’re proud to support them.” 

Adds Williams with a laugh, “Their appearance after a fight can be a bit alarming, so we usually only post those promos on our Insta stories, not our main feeds!” 

Ultimately, SmartStop likes to make dreams happen. “Teaming up with people who may not yet be at the top but are on their way there is important to us,” she says. “These people have a dream but may not have the financial backing they need, whether it’s for training, travel, gear, etc. SmartStop provides the support they need to get there, and then we’re able to go along on their journey with them.” 

Little Giants 

While many brands prioritize high-profile sponsorships, some also invest in the next generation of athletes, leaders, and dreamers, like StorQuest. Through its commitment to youth sports, StorQuest empowers young players and deepens its connection to the communities where its facilities thrive. 

To bring this vision to life, StorQuest has launched a nationwide initiative to partner with local youth sports programs, helping young athletes chase their dreams, build confidence, and develop lifelong skills. To ensure these efforts have the greatest impact, the company has engaged its store managers, which it considers “the heart of each community,” to identify local teams and meaningful organizations for potential inclusion in the program. 

“This isn’t just about putting a name on a jersey,” says Joy Martin, field marketing manager at StorQuest. “It’s about showing up for the communities that support us, helping kids stay active, and giving them the resources they need to succeed—on and off the field. Whether it’s a high school football team, youth soccer league, or little league baseball, StorQuest is committed to making a difference where it matters most.” 

Support will take many forms, from financial donations and free storage space for equipment to special discounts that help keep local programs running strong. For StorQuest, these partnerships are about fostering teamwork, perseverance, and the belief that anything is possible with the right support. 

“At the end of the day, success isn’t just measured in rentals—it’s measured in the impact we make,” Martin adds. “StorQuest is dedicated to giving back, inspiring the next generation, and proving that big dreams can start anywhere, even in the smallest of leagues.” 

Agency Advice 

How do you know if a sports sponsorship is right for your brand? And what benefits could a sponsorship provide? Depending on the size of your company, your internal marketing team may reach out to a sports team directly. For other self-storage brands, it may be beneficial to go through an agency, such as Knox Sports, a Tampa, Fla.-based sports marketing agency with a national reach. 

“If you are driving down the interstate and you see a billboard that just has an ad on it, you may not give it much attention,” says Paul Sickmon, president and CEO of Knox Sports. “Now, if that ad also has your favorite sports team’s logo on it, you’re going to give it a second look.” 

Paul Sickmon, Knox Sports

While that can help with brand awareness, Sickmon says its effectiveness may not be lasting unless there’s an offer attached to it that can really attract fans. That’s why his company goes beyond just putting two logos together. “Let’s say that you have a compelling offer that includes something from the team you’re working with. It could be as simple as a unique set of koozies or pins or magnets, or maybe it’s tickets or an offer for a special fan moment with the team. Now you’ve turned the sponsorship into an experiential opportunity for fans. That’s when their fan passion really turns into business.” 

Knox Sports puts a huge emphasis on ROI. “We have some clients that just simply want more web traffic, so we define the deal based on the amount that we deliver with a particular sports relationship,” says Sickmon. “Other clients need more sales, so we attach what we’re doing directly to a sales initiative so they can see what the difference is.” 

If you're not structuring a sports sponsorship that way, Sickmon feels you’re not doing it right. “Brand elevation is lovely, and sports will always do that. But it’s expensive, so we encourage every client to have a measurable ROI in mind. For self-storage companies, maybe that’s how many more units you can fill because of a particular promotion.” 

Although Knox Sports does work with professional leagues, many of its clients gravitate toward college sports. “It’s less expensive and gives you year-round exposure across multiple sports,” says Sickmon, who adds that these partnerships typically focus on teams, not individual athletes. “There is a risk involved when you’re attaching yourself to an athlete’s personal brand—people make mistakes! But with a team, it’s not going to impact you if one individual on the team gets some bad press. You’re pretty much bulletproof because your relationship is with the team, not the individual.” 

Let The Games Begin 

It’s estimated that approximately 95 million Americans are avid sports watchers. By attaching themselves to a sports team, an athlete, or a local league, self-storage brands can build goodwill and eventually revenue. Now, let’s play ball (or start your engine, or cast your line … you get the idea)! 

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Brad Hadfield is the MSM website manager and a staff writer. 

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