From Checkered Flags to a Green Jacket: 3 Recent Sports News Trends

A look at the sports news from PR Newswire in March and April that you might have missed.

By Brock Haroldson | Published May 10, 2023

When you think of sports in March and April, some of the events that come to mind might be The NCAA Basketball Tournament and The Masters. This proved to be just the case when you look at the press releases that companies sent out with PR Newswire over the two-month period of March and April.

The last two months saw almost a thousand sports-related releases cross our wire. From traditional sports like basketball and baseball to drone racing, the UFC, pickleball, and skijoring (a horse and rider pulling a skier or snowboarder through a course), the wide world of sport was well represented.

Releases on outdoor recreation took the top spots in the most viewed news of the cycle. Some of the most popular sports releases in March and April included:

• Henry Repeating Arms Reveals First Revolvers, .360 Buckhammer Rifles, and More
  
• REI Co-op releases Trailmade collection designed to welcome new hikers and backpackers
• New Amazfit T-Rex Ultra Is Launched For The Ultimate Multi-Environment Outdoor GPS Smartwatch Experience
• Pickleball4America Merges with US Open Pickleball Championships® and Unveils 2023 Ballpark Festival Series™ with events at Fenway Park and Oracle Park
• DICK'S Sporting Goods Showcases the Power of Sport in New "Sports Change Lives" Campaign

Sports News Trends for March–April 2023

Here’s a look at a few of the overall trends we noticed among sports-related press releases in March and April, with a few examples of each.

Formula 1 News Steps on the Gas

Running from March to November, the start of the 23-race Formula 1 season saw several racing releases make a pit stop on the wire — 50 releases alone that mentioned "Formula 1." A current  or upcoming event is always a good marketing tie-in, and many releases used the F1 season to promote their product or company.

Here are just a few of the F1-related releases we spotted:

• Formula 1® And Pacsun Drop Merchandise For 2023 Season
• "It's Lights Out and Away We Go" as Marriott Bonvoy, The Ritz-Carlton and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Launch Extraordinary Experiences for the 2023 Season
• Luxury Bellagio Fountain Club Revealed For Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023; Packages Now Available
• mCloud Partners with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One® Team to Accelerate Path to Net Zero
• Aristocrat Gaming™ Named the Official Slot Machines of the FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX
• PokerStars And Oracle Red Bull Racing Drive Global Partnership Into Its Second Year

College Basketball "Madness"

The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are synonymous with March. Many of the releases that went out catered to the fans' needs to have an array of snacks while watching the games — and probably watching their brackets get busted.

Check out these news announcements with tie-ins to the basketball tournament:

• DICK'S Sporting Goods and Just Women's Sports Team Up with 6 WNBA Stars for Second Annual Women's College Basketball Bracket Challenge
• Pizza Hut Brings Back Limited-Edition Mini Basketballs for the First Time Since the 1990s
• DICK'S Sporting Goods, NCAA, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and CBS Sports Announce New Partnership, Making DICK'S the Official Sporting Goods Retail Partner of the NCAA
• DIGIORNO® Unveils Exclusive All-Onion Pizza, Just In Time For College Hoops' Most Emotional Tournament
• Marriott Bonvoy and NCAA® Celebrate March Madness® with Unforgettable Stays and Unparalleled Fan Experiences
  
• Coors Light Introduces New Beer-Flavored Coors-Icles To Bring The Chill When College Basketball Heats Up

Springing into Golf Season

The final round of this year’s Masters tournament, held April 6-9, drew more viewers than any golf event in the last five years. This could be due to the list of big-name golfers near the top of the leaderboard, or the ongoing controversy between the PGA and LIV Golf.

The increase in employees working from home also has led to an increase in mid-week golf playing, according to a Sanford study. Spring is always an enjoyable time to dust off the clubs and get back out on the course, so it's a wonderful time for companies to get out the word about their golf event or product. In March and April, PR Newswire distributed more than 300 releases that mentioned "golf," including:

• Jon Rahm Wins His 2nd Major Championship at The Masters with Callaway Clubs and Golf Ball
• Callaway Golf Announces New Big Bertha and Big Bertha REVA Equipment
• Mark Wahlberg and Pro Golfer Abraham Ancer Go for Laughs, Not Par, In New Video from Vidanta and Flecha Azul
• Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give Keeps Focus on Family Fun: Discovery Land Additions, Most Affordable Concessions in Professional Sporting Events
• The Washed Lord Invitational: Ben Baller's Inaugural Golf Tournament to Feature Celebrity Guests and Incredible Prizes
• Aileron Golf Club, Southwest Florida's Ultimate Golf Destination, Awaits Sunseeker Resort Guests This Fall

Looking Ahead

Summer typically is a slower sports news season but looking ahead, golf tournaments like the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, and the MLB season getting into full swing should see plenty of news. The NFL and football news never really have an off-season and May should see the NFL  2023-2024 season schedule released. As the weather warms, we should also expect to see more news in the outdoor recreation world. 

Stay tuned for more sports news trends!

About the Author

Brock is a senior editor and has been with PR Newswire since 2012. When he’s not helping clients with their press releases, he enjoys leading music at his church, traveling, camping, hiking, skiing, following the Denver Broncos, baking sourdough bread, and spending time with his wife and two children at their home in New Mexico.