Dairy Queen just made one of the most strategically interesting sponsorship plays of 2026 — and it has nothing to do with the MLB. After walking away from its longtime corporate relationship with Major League Baseball, DQ has pivoted to the Savannah Bananas, the entertainment-first baseball phenomenon that has redefined what a live sports product can look like.
The partnership, brokered by DQ's agency Publicis Sports, goes far beyond logo placement. It weaves the brand directly into the Bananas' signature gameplay moments, creates a co-branded product hitting DQ stores nationwide, and establishes a content pipeline built for virality. It is a case study in how modern sponsorship should work.
The Deal Structure: Product, Activation, and Content
At the center of the deal is the DQ Shake Snag — a branded activation tied to one of Banana Ball's most iconic rules. In the Bananas' version of the game, when a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is called out. Under this partnership, every time a DQ Shake Snag occurs, all fans in attendance become eligible for a free small shake through the DQ Rewards app.
That mechanism is deceptively powerful. It does three things simultaneously:
- Turns an on-field moment into a brand activation that every fan in the stadium experiences
- Drives DQ Rewards app downloads and first-party data collection
- Creates a social media moment that fans will organically share — nobody stays quiet when 5,000 people win free shakes
Alongside the activation, DQ is launching the Savannah Bananas Split Shake, a co-branded product available at participating locations starting February 23. The shake blends DQ's signature soft serve with fresh banana, strawberries, and chocolate shavings. It is a limited-time offering designed to drive foot traffic during the Bananas' touring season.
The content layer rounds out the package: DQ secures national TV ad spots and co-branded social content featuring the Bananas' players, who have become genuine entertainment personalities with millions of followers across platforms.
Why DQ Left MLB for This
The strategic logic here is worth examining. Dairy Queen's departure from its MLB deal was not a retreat from sports — it was a reallocation toward a property that better matches DQ's brand identity and marketing objectives.
MLB offers massive scale but diffuse attention. A league-wide soft serve sponsorship gets lost in a sea of corporate signage across 30 ballparks. The Savannah Bananas, by contrast, offer something MLB cannot: concentrated cultural relevance. The Bananas sell out every venue on their national tour, command enormous social media engagement, and attract a demographic that skews younger and more digitally native than traditional baseball audiences.
For a brand like DQ — which competes on fun, accessibility, and family moments — the Bananas are arguably a better strategic fit than the league they technically play in the shadow of. The cost efficiency is likely superior as well. While league-wide MLB deals run into the tens of millions annually, a partnership with the Bananas likely costs a fraction of that while delivering more concentrated engagement per dollar.
The Bigger Trend: Entertainment Properties as Sponsorship Vehicles
This deal reflects a broader shift in the sponsorship landscape. Brands are increasingly recognizing that attention and affinity matter more than raw impressions. The Savannah Bananas are not just a baseball team — they are an entertainment brand that happens to play baseball. Their fans are not passive spectators; they are active participants in a show.
That distinction matters enormously for sponsorship ROI. When fans are emotionally engaged and socially active, brand integrations land differently. A logo on an outfield wall generates awareness. A DQ Shake Snag generates stories people tell their friends.
We are seeing this pattern across the industry. Brands are moving budget from traditional league deals toward properties with higher engagement density — whether that is the Bananas, niche esports leagues, creator-led events, or women's sports properties with passionate fanbases. Platforms like SponsorFlo.ai help brands identify these high-affinity opportunities by analyzing engagement patterns and audience overlap, rather than relying solely on reach metrics.
What This Signals for the Market
DQ's play here should put other QSR and CPG brands on notice. The Savannah Bananas have proven they can command premium sponsorship attention from major national brands — and they are still early in their growth arc. As the Bananas expand their tour schedule and potentially explore permanent venues, the sponsorship inventory around them will only become more valuable.
For rights holders, the lesson is clear: build an experience worth sponsoring. The Bananas did not attract DQ because of their TV ratings or their market size. They attracted DQ because they built something fans genuinely love — and brands want to be part of things people love.
For brands evaluating their sponsorship portfolios in 2026, this deal is a reminder that the best partnerships are not always the biggest. Sometimes the smartest money goes to the property that makes fans catch a foul ball and think of your milkshake.
