• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 14:56
CEST 20:56
KST 03:56
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Team Liquid Map Contest #22: Results and Winners7Code S Season 2 (2026): RO4 and Finals Preview12TL.net Map Contest #22 - Voting & Ladder Map Selection7Code S Season 2 (2026) - RO8 Preview8[ASL21] Finals Preview: Two Legacies21
Community News
ZeroSpace at Steam NextFest - Last free demo15Weekly Cups (June 8-14): Clem and Solar double, PTR tested0RSL: S6 Finals played at BlizzCon 202611Douyu Cup 2026: $20,000 Legends Event (June 26-28)10[BSL22] Non-Korean Championship from 13 to 28 June4
StarCraft 2
General
StarCraft II 5.0.16 PTR Patch Notes may 26th Daily SC2 Player Grid - feedback wanted J188 – Nhà Cái Cá Cược Trực Tuyến Đẳng Cấp Châu Á Code S Season 2 (2026) - RO8 Preview TL Poll: How do you feel about the 5.0.16 PTR balance changes?
Tourneys
GSL CK #4 20-21th June Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2) Crank Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League Douyu Cup 2026: $20,000 Legends Event (June 26-28)
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
Work In Progress Melee Maps [D]RTS in all its shapes and glory <3
External Content
Mutation # 530 One For All The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 529 Opportunities Unleashed Mutation # 528 Infection Detected
Brood War
General
Battle cruiser feet vs Carrier fleet BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Fact based Zerg Upgrade Tier List vespene.gg — BW replays in browser Data needed
Tourneys
CSLAN 4 is Coming! [Megathread] Daily Proleagues Small VOD Thread 2.0 The Casual Games of the Week Thread
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Relatively freeroll strategies Creating a full chart of Zerg builds Why doesn't anyone use restoration?
Other Games
General Games
ZeroSpace at Steam NextFest - Last free demo Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Path of Exile Nintendo Switch Thread ZeroSpace Megathread
Dota 2
Looking for a Dota Mentor Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia {D-2} Late to making 20.06.2026 memorable [p]94718
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread [H]Internet/Gaming Cafe Tips and Tricks The Games Industry And ATVI UK Politics Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
The HerO Fan Club! The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books [TV/BOOK] *SPOILERS* Game of Thrones Discussion
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread McBoner: A hockey love story TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 Formula 1 Discussion Cricket [SPORT]
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Facing Challenges in Mobile App Development
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
How To Predict Tilt in Espor…
TrAiDoS
An Exploration of th…
waywardstrategy
I'm an arrogant trash talke…
FlaShFTW
Gauntlet SC2: A Retrospectiv…
Ctone23
Why RTS gamers make better f…
gosubay
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 7451 users

The trials and failers of getting a sponsor

Blogs > Kangg
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
Kangg
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States128 Posts
August 24 2010 21:32 GMT
#1
I am new to being a team manager and never thought it would be this difficult to get a team sponsor. I have been on many competitive teams for other games, and have gotten sponsored before but i was never the one running it. Now i see how difficult it is. I have spent nearly a week from 9 in the morning to about 3 in the afternoon calling businesses, staying up till 2 in the morning writing up proposals and reports. This a lot of work for something that i am not sure i am really qualified to do. I am going to college and have not been able to take all these professional writing courses so sometimes when i send the proposal it may not be exactly the company was looking for which frustrates me even more. I have also called so many companies and have heard this line so many times its ridiculous. "we do not usually sponsor teams." its a market that is untouched, the few companies that are in are making a bundle because of it and other companies for some reasan never see it. I know the money that can be made though marketing but for some reason the marketing departments dont. Idk i write this because im very stressed and pissed off and if anyone happen to knows a company that may be interested post up here and i will look into it. Thank you for reading my little rant god this has been a frustrating and pain staking process.

****
Creek
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
United States177 Posts
August 24 2010 21:43 GMT
#2
To be honest, I know little about all this stuff.
Take a break for a day and chill with SC2.
Kralic
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Canada2628 Posts
August 24 2010 21:43 GMT
#3
What kind of companies are you approaching?
Brood War forever!
darkponcho
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
United States262 Posts
August 24 2010 21:51 GMT
#4
and how good is your team?
life
dani_caliKorea
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
730 Posts
August 24 2010 21:54 GMT
#5
failures
Lexpar
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
1813 Posts
August 24 2010 21:58 GMT
#6
I recommend that first and foremost you spell check all these proposals and reports you've been writing up.
Kralic
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Canada2628 Posts
August 24 2010 22:02 GMT
#7
Here is the kind of things you need to ask yourself, I was able to get a few sponsors for my clans in the past.

1) Do you have a website?
2) Is your team's website professional?
3) How long has your clan been around?
4) What kind of achievments(not game) has your team accomplished?
5) How many people do you have on your team?
6) What kind of sponsorship are you seeking?(I only looked for and got free dedicated game servers and free ventrillo servers for FPS games)

There is a lot more I can ask but this will help you narrow down what could be going wrong.
Brood War forever!
Skyze
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
Canada2324 Posts
August 24 2010 22:04 GMT
#8
from what i've seen on the three sponsored teams ive been on in the past, You really want to be putting up strong results before you talk about sponsors. Infact, some sponsors will make themselves known to you if you are putting up good results, dont expect to go up to a company asking for one if you have no success.

Also, only focus on sponsors that are somewhat relevant to gaming, such as PC gear, internet cafes, etc etc. Dont go contacting like Walmart or your local grocery store.
Canada Gaming ~~ The-Feared
Hot_Bid
Profile Blog Joined October 2003
Braavos36401 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-24 22:13:52
August 24 2010 22:07 GMT
#9
What team are you representing? Assuming you're not representing a top tier team (even if you were), did you really expect to find a sponsor within a week? That's just unrealistic. Teams look for sponsors for ages, even really good ones.

It seems you jumped into this without really considering how difficult it is. You need to have great people skills, experience, and professionalism to pitch a team sponsorship to a company. Especially if your team isn't super famous. You can't spend a week writing proposals and then expect to get hard results.

"we do not usually sponsor teams." its a market that is untouched, the few companies that are in are making a bundle because of it and other companies for some reasan never see it. I know the money that can be made though marketing but for some reason the marketing departments dont.

What you say here may be true, but you have to show experience in doing things. If you are the former manager for SK Telecom then it's easy to approach someone and say "this is what I did previously, consider sponsoring my new team." There's credibility there, and the company can see why it's beneficial. If you're just a college student emailing proposals to random companies about sponsorship for an unproven team, you're never going to find a good sponsor. They would have to be crazy to fund an entirely unproven team and manager. No company is going take that huge a risk.

Summary:
1. You need experience, time, and effort (way more than 1 week)
2. Your team needs results

I checked your post history and you seem to be representing "Team VzR." I don't recognize any of the players nor have your guys finished in the top of any leagues. I feel you don't have a correct picture of how difficult it is for a non-korean team to find a sponsor. Teams like Root who have top tier players have not found a suitable sponsor for months, what makes you think that an unknown team can just call up companies and find one in a week?

It's a very difficult road you are walking. Cold calling companies is frustrating and soul-crushing at times. I'm not going to say it's impossible, because amazing things can happen if you work hard, but the odds are really long. Good luck, and try not to get too frustrated after a week :p
@Hot_Bid on Twitter - ESPORTS life since 2010 - http://i.imgur.com/U2psw.png
Hynda
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Sweden2226 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-24 22:38:37
August 24 2010 22:37 GMT
#10
On August 25 2010 07:07 Hot_Bid wrote:
What team are you representing? Assuming you're not representing a top tier team (even if you were), did you really expect to find a sponsor within a week? That's just unrealistic. Teams look for sponsors for ages, even really good ones.

It seems you jumped into this without really considering how difficult it is. You need to have great people skills, experience, and professionalism to pitch a team sponsorship to a company. Especially if your team isn't super famous. You can't spend a week writing proposals and then expect to get hard results.

Show nested quote +
"we do not usually sponsor teams." its a market that is untouched, the few companies that are in are making a bundle because of it and other companies for some reasan never see it. I know the money that can be made though marketing but for some reason the marketing departments dont.

What you say here may be true, but you have to show experience in doing things. If you are the former manager for SK Telecom then it's easy to approach someone and say "this is what I did previously, consider sponsoring my new team." There's credibility there, and the company can see why it's beneficial. If you're just a college student emailing proposals to random companies about sponsorship for an unproven team, you're never going to find a good sponsor. They would have to be crazy to fund an entirely unproven team and manager. No company is going take that huge a risk.

Summary:
1. You need experience, time, and effort (way more than 1 week)
2. Your team needs results

I checked your post history and you seem to be representing "Team VzR." I don't recognize any of the players nor have your guys finished in the top of any leagues. I feel you don't have a correct picture of how difficult it is for a non-korean team to find a sponsor. Teams like Root who have top tier players have not found a suitable sponsor for months, what makes you think that an unknown team can just call up companies and find one in a week?

It's a very difficult road you are walking. Cold calling companies is frustrating and soul-crushing at times. I'm not going to say it's impossible, because amazing things can happen if you work hard, but the odds are really long. Good luck, and try not to get too frustrated after a week :p
Now I don't have experience with E-sports so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I do have experience with other sports. Having a poster-boy is of paramount importance when looking for sponsors. Even if you have a wellrounded team it's going to be alot harder to find a sponsor than if you have one big guy and a few perhaps not as good players. I can see it fit in even better in Starcraft since the individual players are in so much focus.

The thing they are looking for is people to go "I want to be like this guy so I'll get the stuff he uses" rather than "I want to be part of team X... yet I have no idea what sponsors they have, nor do I care".
Inkarnate
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada840 Posts
August 24 2010 23:04 GMT
#11
I do some marketing for my job and theres a few things to keep in mind:

  • They need to have a product/service aimed to to the type of people you hope to have watching you play or else there is no value for them in sponsoring you instead of say, their kids soccer team.
  • You will have to make A LOT of cold calls to even talk to the right person, let alone find someone that is interested in spending money.
  • Make sure your proposals look professional, you are proposing to companies, PM me for more info if you don't know what this entails and I can help you out.
  • Don't burn yourself out or else you will lose the passion for something that I hope you enjoy doing now, take a break.


Hope this helps, cheers.
SCC-Faust
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
United States3736 Posts
August 25 2010 00:20 GMT
#12
Hot_Bid said it all really nicely.

If you don't show results, who is going to sponsor you?
And not petty results either. No one is going to care if you win a clan war or two.
I want to fuck Soulkey with a Zelderan.
ProFail
Profile Joined August 2010
Korea (North)81 Posts
August 25 2010 00:29 GMT
#13
I would have thought that really you need to be getting top results, getting a professional website up and running and prove you have a loyal fan base who would purchase the goods of the sponsor. Show examples of other teams who are sponsored and how your team is better, no-one wants to sponsor the person who comes anywhere other than first, so just start to win and I'm sure they will come

Good luck.
Didnt play Beta, Never played any RTS, straight in plat.
alffla
Profile Blog Joined November 2005
Hong Kong20321 Posts
August 25 2010 02:38 GMT
#14
yeah nobody knows who you are and who your team is ..

probably should just work on playing more and winning lots first
Graphicssavior[gm] : What is a “yawn” rape ;; Masumune - It was the year of the pig for those fucking defilers. Chill - A clinic you say? okum: SC without Korean yelling is like porn without sex. konamix: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!
ZeeTemplar
Profile Blog Joined October 2008
United States557 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-25 03:00:57
August 25 2010 02:59 GMT
#15
Make your proposal clear enough so that everyone can understand what your goal is(plain simple English), what does your team have to offer to their company, why you over the next team, etc..

Jangbi storms!!!
SCC-Faust
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
United States3736 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-25 03:00:34
August 25 2010 02:59 GMT
#16
On August 25 2010 09:20 SCC-Faust wrote:
Hot_Bid said it all really nicely.

If you don't show results, who is going to sponsor you?
And not petty results either. No one is going to care if you lose a clan war or two.


Edited for accuracy.

(I'm just kidding yo)

+ Show Spoiler +
Sponsors always come last. You want to find a team that practices hard, has good manners, and works well with each other. Without getting all those first, finding a sponsor will be near impossible. This is specifically for new teams though. Established teams such as fnatic and mym have been here before Starcraft 2. It all started with them recruiting a team (think when excello picked up MgZ) who I believe wasn't sponsored. That team, usually isn't sponsored. And... MIRICAL! No but seriously I've seen how sponsored teams worked in Brood War, and it is no cake walk. Your intentions have to be in the right place, and not just for whatever you think you're going to get out of a sponsor.
I want to fuck Soulkey with a Zelderan.
ZeeTemplar
Profile Blog Joined October 2008
United States557 Posts
August 25 2010 03:03 GMT
#17
Faust is correct. lol. You would probably need that first.
Jangbi storms!!!
Kangg
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States128 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-25 04:53:31
August 25 2010 04:53 GMT
#18
Seems like many people are iffy on my proposal, if you are interested in looking at it and wanna see it would love to see people make comments and see what i should change. Send me a pm asking me and i will email the proposal to u.
Kangg
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States128 Posts
August 25 2010 04:56 GMT
#19


I checked your post history and you seem to be representing "Team VzR." I don't recognize any of the players nor have your guys finished in the top of any leagues. I feel you don't have a correct picture of how difficult it is for a non-korean team to find a sponsor. Teams like Root who have top tier players have not found a suitable sponsor for months, what makes you think that an unknown team can just call up companies and find one in a week?


Look at the ESL open ladder and diamond ladder number one player is on our team on both ladders. Secondly we have placed top 4 in over 5 tournaments in a week. That is better than most established thats and thats from 3 players on our team. We have cridentials and have been streamed. We may not be well known know but anticipate it. In 1 month u will know of us.
GogoKodo
Profile Blog Joined April 2003
Canada1785 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-25 05:18:44
August 25 2010 05:18 GMT
#20
Your location says US so I'm assuming you're approaching English companies. I understand your posts here don't necessarily show the level of work you put into your proposals and communications with companies but there are some pretty glaring errors. If you aren't already using someone to proof read everything you send out you should probably do that.
twitter: @terrancem
1 2 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
IPSL
16:00
Ro8 M3
Bonyth vs Dewalt
Liquipedia
PSISTORM Gaming Misc
15:55
FSL TeamLeague: PTB vs ASH
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
ByuN 699
BRAT_OK 80
Ketroc 28
MindelVK 24
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 18577
ggaemo 247
firebathero 146
Leta 98
Rock 17
ajuk12(nOOB) 7
Dota 2
qojqva1466
420jenkins338
League of Legends
Trikslyr64
Counter-Strike
fl0m11516
tarik_tv8973
summit1g6460
byalli639
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor287
Other Games
Grubby1767
singsing1711
FrodaN947
Mlord832
B2W.Neo327
uThermal269
DeMusliM99
PiGStarcraft58
minikerr1
Organizations
Other Games
EGCTV948
gamesdonequick930
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
[ Show 16 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• printf 52
• intothetv
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• Pr0nogo 5
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Nemesis2057
Counter-Strike
• C_a_k_e 2210
• Shiphtur170
Other Games
• imaqtpie761
Upcoming Events
BSL22 NKC (BSL vs China)
4m
XuanXuan vs Jaystar
Mihu vs Messiah
eOnzErG vs Dewalt
Bonyth vs Jaystar
TerrOr vs Messiah
XuanXuan vs Mihu
eOnzErG vs Jaystar
Replay Cast
5h 4m
WardiTV Spring Champion…
16h 4m
GSL
17h 4m
IPSL
21h 4m
Hawk vs Julia
Patches Events
22h 4m
BSL22 NKC (BSL vs China)
1d
Dewalt vs Messiah
Bonyth vs Mihu
TerrOr vs XuanXuan
eOnzErG vs Messiah
Jaystar vs Mihu
Dewalt vs XuanXuan
Bonyth vs TerrOr
Replay Cast
1d 5h
WardiTV Weekly
1d 16h
Monday Night Weeklies
1d 21h
[ Show More ]
Sparkling Tuna Cup
2 days
The PondCast
3 days
Douyu Cup 2020
4 days
Oliveira vs Trap
Jieshi vs XY
soO vs FanTaSy
TY vs Coffee
Douyu Cup 2020
5 days
Neeb vs Impact
MacSed vs Cyan
Scarlett vs Kelazhur
INnoVation vs Dear
Douyu Cup 2020
6 days
Maestros of the Game
6 days
herO vs Classic
Maru vs Serral
BSL22 NKC (BSL vs China)
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-06-19
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
Heroes Pulsing #2

Ongoing

IPSL Spring 2026
Acropolis #4
CSCL: Masked Kings S4
YSL S3
BSL 22 Non-Korean Championship
CSL Season 21: Qualifier 1
SCTL 2026 Spring
Maestros of the Game 2
WardiTV Spring 2026
Murky Cup 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026

Upcoming

CSL Season 21: Qualifier 2
CSL 2026 Summer (S21)
CSLAN 4
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
RSL Revival: Season 6
CranK Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League
HSC XXIX
Douyu Cup 2026
BCC 2026
Light HT
Heroes Pulsing #3
BLAST Open Fall 2026
Esports World Cup 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.