The Boston Celtics and GE Announce Multi-Year Partnership Centered on Data and Innovation
Team will benefit from GE’s best-in-class technology and analytics platforms
GE will be team’s first jersey patch partner beginning 2017-18 season
Celtics and GE will also collaborate on community initiatives in Boston
The Boston Celtics and GE today announced a multi-year partnership in which the world’s leading digital industrial company will
become the team’s exclusive Data and Analytics Partner. GE, which moved its global headquarters to Boston in 2016, will receive a
number of marketing assets, including the first jersey patch partnership in the team’s history, beginning in the 2017-18
season.
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170125005804/en/
(Photo: GE)
A key component of the relationship will center around GE’s ability to provide the 17-time NBA Champions with its best-in-class
expertise, products and insights across data science, medical equipment, and lighting solutions. Terms of the partnership were not
disclosed.
The Celtics will seek to leverage GE’s expertise in a variety of areas, including player performance, injury prevention, and
business optimization. The parties will work closely to integrate GE’s technology into the team’s basketball facilities,
particularly as it relates to the Celtics’ state-of-the-art Auerbach Center at New Balance Headquarters, scheduled to open in
2018.
The GE patch will feature the company’s iconic logo in team colors, and appear on the front left shoulder of game jerseys
beginning in the 2017-18 season. Jersey sponsorships were approved as part of a three-year pilot program by the NBA Board of
Governors in April 2016.
In announcing the partnership, Celtics president Rich Gotham said, “GE will be woven into the fabric of the Boston Celtics both
literally and figuratively. Their leadership in innovation, analytics, and technology will help us to be as competitive as we can
be in everything from optimizing our facilities and equipment to player performance. Simply put, GE will make us a better and
smarter basketball team and organization.”
“GE and the Boston Celtics both have rich histories of tradition and innovation and we’re thrilled to bring these two iconic
brands together in a way that will drive further success for the team and pride in the City of Boston,” said GE Chief Marketing
Officer Linda Boff. “The Celtics will become another key ally in GE’s mission to help make Boston an epicenter of tech
innovation.”
The two Boston based organizations will collaborate on a series of community initiatives as part of their partnership. GE has
already committed $50 million to the City and surrounding areas to improve STEM education in Boston Public Schools, improve
community health care, and drive future skills development in diverse populations. The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation extends
the reach of the Celtics championship legacy into the community through programs that directly benefit children in need.
GE will also be integrated into highly visible team platforms, including:
- Digital and Social Media Content
- Fan Engagement and Enhancement
- TV Visible Signage
- Scoreboard Integration and Promotions
GE’s partnership with the Boston Celtics adds to the company’s sports marketing portfolio, which includes partnerships with the
International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee. In addition, GE Healthcare has an ongoing collaboration
with the NBA to promote orthopedic and sports medicine research for the benefit of NBA players and the general public.
The Celtics partnered with WME | IMG’s Global Partnerships group on the jersey patch opportunity.
For additional materials, please click here.
About the Boston Celtics
A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946,
the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959-1966, winning their first title
in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and respect, including hiring the first African
American Coach and starting the first all black starting five. In addition, 39 former Celtics players, management or staff have
been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the
first time since 1963. For more information on the Celtics, log on to www.celtics.com.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that
are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each
business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and
application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers
by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
Celtics Media:
Christian Megliola
617-399-8456 (office)
617-510-8190 (cell)
cmegliola@celtics.com
Heather Walker
617-854-8072 (office)
617-594-4453 (cell)
hwalker@celtics.com
or
GE Media:
Susan Bishop
617-443-2991 (office)
203-253-2735 (cell)
susan.bishop@ge.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170125005804/en/