The Guardians are joining the on-uniform advertising trend.
The team has announced that Marathon, the retail brand of the Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Corporation, will have their new Endurance logo featured on the sleeve of Guardians jerseys beginning Monday, July 3.
The jersey patch will be featured through the end of the 2026 season. Marathon has been a corporate partner of the team since 2021.
“We look forward to expanding our relationship with Marathon as our inaugural patch partner,” said Brian Barren, Cleveland Guardians president of business, in a statement. “When we started to look for a partner to don on our jersey, we knew we wanted an Ohio-based brand that was recognizable to our fans and had been part of the Northeast Ohio community for as long, if not longer, than we have .”
“Marathon checked all those boxes, putting down Ohio roots as far back as 1887, and we look forward to partnering with them in our community and with our fans for years to come.”
Marathon will also feature their logo on the first-base side of Progressive Field in addition to the continuation of home plate signage.
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“With our Ohio roots and just over a decade separating our foundings, we think it’s fitting to be the Cleveland Guardians’ inaugural jersey patch sponsor,” said Brian Partee, Marathon’s senior vice president of global clean products. “While we can both be proud of our past, it’s the future we’re most excited about, including the partnership.”
“As a bonus, many of our employees and customers are generational and passionate fans of the celebrated ballclub.”
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Guardians became the 12th team in Major League Baseball to feature a jersey patch
Advertising on uniforms is nothing new in the world of sports, but it is a growing and more recent trend in Major League Baseball and some of the other major North American sports leagues.
The Guardians are the 12th team to feature a jersey patch, joining the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.
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Ryan Lewis can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians uniforms add new Marathon patch | Photos