SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Over the course of Super Bowl weekend, there was certainly no shortage of face-painted fans, celebrity appearances, and sell-out parties. However, American sports magazine sports illustrated (SI) took a quieter approach, teeing off Big Game Weekend with its first annual Golf Invitational.
On February 10, approximately 100 ticketed guests gathered at Talking Stick Golf Club. Matt Goldstein, senior vice president of entertainment and special projects at Authentic Brands Group (ABG) — the global brand management firm that SI bought for a cool $100 million in 2019 — said the venue was “a clear choice.” The 497-key Talking Stick Resort & Casino has also hosted Shaq’s Fun House (Shaquille O’Neal is ABG’s second largest shareholder) and sports illustrated The party over the weekend.The Invitational took place on February 10th. The day began with breakfast and a warm-up before drone delivery company Wing used one of their high-tech drones to deliver the tee ball.Photo: Courtesy of Authentic Brands Group
Matt Goldstein, senior vice president of entertainment and special projects at Authentic Brands Group, said the “drone drop on the first tee” was a personal favorite moment. “We wanted to start our first-ever invitational golf tournament in a memorable way, and the inclusion of a unique ball toss added an element of fanfare.”Photo: Courtesy of Authentic Brands GroupTickets to the SI Invitational cost $10,000 for a team of four that included rock star Alice Cooper, actor Frankie Muniz, former MLB player Gary Sheffield, NFL player Jordan Jenkins and more.
After breakfast and a warm-up, a shotgun launch followed at 11:00 a.m., and a different partner was present at each touchpoint. “Our partner Wing (a drone delivery company) provided the first tee ball,” Goldstein explained, adding that the high-tech “drone launch on the first tee” was a personal favorite moment. “We wanted to start our first-ever golf invitational tournament in a memorable way, and the inclusion of a unique ball toss added an element of fanfare,” he said.
Then “each hole had special activations and friendly competitions like ‘Closest to the Pin,’ presented by Brooks Brothers, where the winner took home a custom Brooks Brothers athletic coat.” And in other play-to-win moments, “LA sponsored Golf a blindfolded putting competition where the winner received a new LA Golf putter, [and] Dough Ball Whiskey sponsored Longest Drive and the winner received a yellow YETI Dough Ball cooler,” explained Goldstein.
The invitation was held at Talking Stick Golf Club and tickets cost attendees $10,000 for a team of four.Photo: Courtesy of Authentic Brands Group
Local food trucks were tapped to help players recharge throughout the day. Local vendors included Randizzle’s Food Truck, Scottsdale’s Bourbon & Bones, and Phoenix’s Pork on a Fork.
Ultimately, we know what you’re thinking – a golf event during Super Bowl weekend? And Goldstein said that every year it’s about “producing events that stand out from the competition”. He was also confident that “every year we succeed,” and credited the achievement to producing partners JP Sports + Entertainment.
“Super Bowl weekend is ultimately an adult playground with endless entertainment beyond Sunday’s big game,” Goldstein said, explaining that the idea for an invitational golf tournament was born from the Sports Illustrated nod [as] the ultimate destination to celebrate sport.”
There were many play-to-win moments, including a blindfolded putting contest in which the winners received an LA Golf putter, and a Closest to the Pin game in which the winner received a Brooks sports coat Brothers received.Photo: Courtesy of Authentic Brands Group
“Dough Ball Whiskey sponsored ‘Longest Drive,’ and the winner received a yellow YETI Dough Ball cooler,” explained Goldstein.Photo: Courtesy of Authentic Brands Group
Away from the green, the same message was conveyed with an adjacent, three-pronged social media strategy, which Goldstein said included “organic and paid pre-event content aimed at driving foursome sign-ups; custom content creation and social tagging in support of participating sponsors; … [and] Live content creation during the event to bring home our brand storytelling and connection to core SI brand message.”
Later that weekend, all eyes turned from the fairway to football. Sunday’s game ended in a 38-35 victory for the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Philadelphia Eagles thanks to a game-winning field goal.
Check back with BizBash later this week for a full rundown of Super Bowl LVII, as well as what other Big Game Weekend events caught our eye (including Shaq’s Fun House, Sports Illustrated The Party, and more).
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