You know what’s better than a jersey sponsor? A beer sponsor.
The Vancouver Whitecaps and Labatt Breweries announced a five-year partnership that will see Budweiser become the official beer of the expansion Major League Soccer club.
The Whitecaps’ colors are blue and white in homage to the brewery that was previously affiliated with the team.
Before the start of the 1979 NASL season, the club decided to re-brand. They wanted to better represent the West Coast, the mountains and the water that inspired Denny Veitch to name the team. But there was another big factor that shaped the evolution of the club’s trademark style.
Labatt was a major sponsor of the Whitecaps at the time, and they wanted their brand to be incorporated into the team’s new look. So, in a move that befits both organizations, the team changed their colors to blue and white.
Thirty years later, the tradition continues. Whitecaps games just got a little bit more fun.