The sports marketing industry in California is a dynamic and vibrant sector, hosting a myriad of companies that offer a diverse range of services. These companies provide specialized services including strategic partnerships, media rights, brand development, digital marketing, and event management for clients across the sports spectrum. With the growing popularity of esports, traditional athletic sports, and even university sports events, these companies play a significant role in the successful promotion and reach of these brands and teams. Looking ahead, as technology advances and new sports trends emerge, these companies will continue to be at the forefront of shaping the future of the sports marketing landscape.


Top 19 sports marketing companies in California

1. Team Liquid

  • Website: teamliquid.com
  • Headquarters: Santa Monica, California, United States
  • Founded: 2000
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • LinkedIn

Team Liquid is a professional esports organization that competes in various gaming titles. They have a strong presence in games such as Valorant, League of Legends, Dota 2, and CS:GO. Team Liquid offers a platform for talented players to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level of esports.


2. JMI Sports

  • Website: jmisports.com
  • Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
  • Founded: 2006
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • LinkedIn

JMI Sports is a leading media rights and development company that specializes in creating transformative partnerships with iconic brands, institutions, and teams across the sports industry. They work with their clients to develop impactful partnerships with leading brands, customized solutions, and creative marketing programs that accomplish their marketing objectives. Their portfolio includes multimedia rights partnerships with various universities and athletic conferences, facility development projects, sponsorship sales representation, and brand partnerships.


3. HallPass Media

HallPass Media is a sports marketing agency that offers a wide range of services to help sports organizations and athletes achieve their goals. They provide strategic marketing solutions, event management, brand development, and digital marketing services to enhance the visibility and reach of their clients in the sports industry.


4. Hookit | A KORE Software Company

  • Website: hookit.com
  • Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
  • Founded: 2001
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • Latest funding type: Acquired
  • LinkedIn

Hookit is a sports sponsorship analytics and evaluation platform that helps brands improve the performance of their sponsorships. They offer tools like Discover, Scorecard, and Watchlist to help brands find the best partners for their goals. Their AI-powered technology allows brands to impact their bottom line through comprehensive sponsorship analytics. They empower brands to make smarter decisions about sponsorships and maximize their ROI.


5. Relo Metrics

Relo Metrics is a platform that provides sponsorship solutions for brands and rights holders in the sports industry. They offer real-time analytics and insights to help maximize sponsorship value and optimize performance. With their data-driven approach, they help clients negotiate the right deals, analyze brand exposure, and achieve better results.


6. JRH Marketing

JRHEXPERIENCES is a global marketing agency that specializes in delivering strategic marketing solutions for worldwide brands with core expertise in sports, entertainment, retail and sponsorship marketing, experiential branding and live experiences.


7. Immense Sports Group

Immense Sports Group is a global sports agency that offers services to athletes, teams, and brands. With an innovative and client-focused approach, Immense Sports is dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals and make a real impact in the sports industry.


8. Estey-Hoover Advertising & Public Relations - Newport Beach CA, New York NY

Estey-Hoover is a public relations and advertising agency with over 43 years of experience in delivering reliable service to businesses across the United States and abroad.


9. Rogers & Cowan PMK

Rogers & Cowan PMK is a creative marketing and communications agency that connects clients to consumers through the world of entertainment, lifestyle, sports, influence, and popular culture.


10. Pereira O'Dell

Pereira O'Dell is a creative agency that collaborates with their clients to create engaging and impactful campaigns. They value the time consumers invest in their message and aim to create memorable experiences. They have worked with notable brands and have been recognized for their independent network.


11. ATN Event Staffing

ATN Event Staffing is a premier nationwide event staffing agency that specializes in providing passionate and energetic individuals to bring brands to life. They partner with brands, marketing agencies, and companies to create engaging and meaningful brand-to-consumer interactions. Whether clients need staff for experiential marketing campaigns, live marketing events, or would like to join their event team, ATN Event Staffing is dedicated to forming long-lasting partnerships and providing exceptional service.


12. First Team Media

First Team Media specializes in publishing magazines that are 'Micro-Targeted' to specific High School or Neighborhood residential areas. They deliver advertising, branding, and marketing messages directly to each home-owner within the communities they serve.


13. Southport Marketing, Inc.

Southport Marketing is a professional marketing agency offering services in experiential marketing, events and tours, innovation and tech, and marketing fulfillment. With a strong focus on customer satisfaction, Southport Marketing helps clients create memorable brand experiences.


14. Zequity Marketing

Zequity Marketing offers brand discovery, strategy, and marketing services to various industries. With experience in overhauling global brands, managing creative campaigns, content development, and crisis management, they create compelling content, campaigns, and stories to align internal and external brand strategies.


15. Street League Skateboarding

  • Website: streetleague.com
  • Headquarters: Studio City, California, United States
  • Founded: 2010
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • Latest funding type: Series Unknown
  • LinkedIn

Street League Skateboarding is a professional skateboarding competition that hosts championship tours in various cities worldwide. They offer thrilling skateboarding events, news, and ticket sales to the skateboarding community.


16. RockandSock'em

  • Website: rockandsockem.com
  • Headquarters: Newport Coast, California, United States
  • Headcount: 1-10

RockandSock'em is a full-service, lifestyle marketing and public relations consultancy specializing in branded entertainment, sports marketing and PR. Our competitive edge lies in offering hands-on senior management representation, strategic counsel and uncompromising client service - at a fraction of the cost of high-overhead, junior talent-heavy big agency competitors. Check out some of our work, and let's get busy rockin' your customers, market share and bottom line - and sockin' your marketplace competitors!


17. Two Dots Productions

Two Dots Productions is an event management, event production, and staffing agency that specializes in connecting brands with consumers through effective and efficient large-scale event execution. They offer services such as sponsorship activation, sports marketing, VIP events, PR events, sampling programs, product demonstrations, trade shows, street team acquisition/sales, mobile marketing and tours, logistics management, uniform productions, storage and fulfillment, and vendor procurement. Their expertise lies in bringing creative ideas to life and ensuring consumer connectivity.


18. Brake Through Media

  • Website: brakethroughmedia.com
  • Headquarters: San Anselmo, California, United States
  • Founded: 1980
  • Headcount: 11-50

BrakeThrough Media is a cycling media production and communications company that offers visual content creation, strategic brand management, and storytelling services to clients in the cycling industry.


19. Immersv

  • Website: immersv.co
  • Headquarters: Emeryville, California, United States
  • Founded: 2015
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • LinkedIn

Immersv.co is an online marketing company that provides accurate and up-to-date information on the latest trends in social media, ecommerce, email marketing, and virtual reality (VR) advertising.


Want to find more sports marketing companies?


If you want to find more companies that offer diverse services like media rights, brand development, and digital marketing you can do so with Inven. This list was built with Inven and there are hundreds of companies like these globally.


With Inven you'll also get to know the company's:


  • Ownership: Which of these are private equity backed? Which are family-owned?
  • Contact data: Who are the owners and CEO's? What are their emails and phone numbers?
  • Financials: How do these companies perform financially? What are their revenues and profit margins?

...and a lot more!