Much like the US sports market, the US healthcare market is a multi-billion dollar industry that relies on the custom of the US public. In recent years, with the healthcare revenues increasing, many of these providers have looked to engage with local sports rightsholders and events in order to maintain their presence in the public eye and generate positive brand associations.
One such provider is Northwell Health, the Long Island, New York-based healthcare firm that in 2024 was announced as an official partner of the 2025 Ryder Cup, golf’s most high-profile event. As the event’s official healthcare provider, Northwell will provide all necessary medical services for players, spectators, and players, during the event. It will also provide three on-course medical stations, and be in charge of health and wellness education for attendees.
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The PGA of America, which acts as part-organizer of the Ryder Cup, has a relationship with Northwell stretching back to the 2019 PGA Championship major event, also held at Long Island's Bethpage Black. GlobalData Sport has valued Northwell’s sponsorship of that event as worth $400,000.
Speaking to Sportcal (GlobalData Sport) Northwell Health senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer Ramon Soto explained why golf is a target sport for the brand and what it aims for when targeting sponsorship placement.
What do healthcare companies such as Northwell gain from sponsoring sports events
"Northwell’s sports sponsorships are a valuable way to drive forward our mission to improve the health of the communities we serve. While traditional advertising (i.e., :30-second spots) is great for awareness, our sponsorships allow a much deeper level of engagement and storytelling with our consumers. We make real connections with passionate fan bases and partner with teams that share Northwell’s commitment and values. Our sponsorship assets include securing team physician and medical services provider designations for our partner teams to competitively position Northwell as a leader in clinical care.
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By GlobalData"In addition, Northwell prioritizes community engagement programs to ensure that we integrate those we serve into our sponsorships—from offering opportunities for young fans to learn and play the sport, thus keeping them happy, healthy, and active, to finding ways to bring our community closer to their favorite team or sport. We allow fans to see our work in action, so they know us before they need us. Lastly, we can connect and promote initiatives across our network, from our Netflix documentaries to creating customized content with our teams to support key messages."
Why is golf now an avenue for this, what makes the sport align with your goals?
"Fandom around golf is at an all-time high, and as a sport, it allows all age ranges to stay active. It is a passionate fan base that transcends globally.
"The Ryder Cup coming to Long Island in 2025 provides us with an opportunity to further our strategy and support the community as they enjoy their passion points.
"As New York State’s largest healthcare provider, it was a natural fit for Northwell to be selected as the official medical services provider at the Ryder Cup. Northwell will provide necessary medical services to ensure a safe Ryder Cup for all players, spectators, and volunteers, staffing the course with emergency medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons, registered nurses, and emergency care covered by the health system’s Center for Emergency Medical Services.
"The Ryder Cup relationship also allows us to give back to one of our priority communities—military service men and women. Together with the PGA, Northwell is supporting PGA HOPE, a six-week adaptive golf program offered free of charge to veterans, designed to help them assimilate back into their local community after service."
Northwell also sponsors New York-area hockey franchises, how similar/differently will the golf partnership present itself compared to the hockey tie-ups?
"Our hockey partnership is structured similarly. Our goal is to curate consistent experiences and programming across our sponsorship portfolio so that we activate authentically to Northwell, whether at a hockey event, a golf event, or a music concert.
"Our key sponsorships with the New York Islanders and Northwell at Jones Beach Theater follow this template, starting with Northwell providing clinical services for the team and the fans, as well as developing programming that is meaningful, immersive, and provides a fan benefit within the energetic environment of live sports and events. The big difference is that golf allows us to go beyond the NY demographic and engage on a national and sometimes global level, especially with an event as big as the Ryder Cup."
What does success look like for you in terms of the Ryder Cup deal?
"The Ryder Cup is a cultural moment that will have fans tuning in from around the world and traveling to NY to watch the players and the sport they love. There’s no other global event that garners this level of excitement and brings the golf community together, all rooting for their team and country. Our goal is to keep all attendees, staff, players, and families safe and healthy during their Ryder Cup experience.
"We expect that our premium hospitality chalet on the 16th hole will aid in driving key business objectives and help us achieve our goal of engaging priority members of the community, like our first responders, military members, and our vast network of nearly 90,000 employees.
"We also want to celebrate the pride that New Yorkers have in their community and the Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course. Bethpage is a public course; it’s open to the community, and many Long Islanders have memories or traditions of playing on the course with a loved one. We aim for our partnership to honor those moments and emotions and encourage our community to celebrate health and the connections we share through the game of golf."
Is sport becoming a more important vessel for sponsorship investment? If so, why?
"Sports sponsorship is a key channel for Northwell to communicate our brand messaging and our overall platform of “Raise Health.” Sports bring out so much passion in the moment and contribute to some of our favorite memories, so a priority for us is to find ways to bring the community closer to the sport they love.
"Raise Health" comes to life in our sponsorships by creating opportunities for fans to learn about the game, play the game, and stay active and healthy. Emotionally, we recognize that when we raise health in our communities, we experience more moments together. Through our sports partnerships (as well as our entertainment and arts partnerships), we can create key engagement moments with New Yorkers."
Other healthcare companies engage in sports sponsorships in ways such as venue title sponsorship (Sutter Health Park etc), is there a reason why Northwell instead sponsors events/teams directly, or is that an avenue you would also explore?
"Venue title sponsorships are a great solution for driving awareness for a brand. In fact, our relationship at Jones Beach Theater was designed around naming rights from when our hospital system rebranded to Northwell. However, with our current, more established brand, we believe that we have a much deeper message to share with fans and an opportunity for them to get to know us and what we stand for.
"It’s an opportunity for them to meet Northwell and understand what an interaction with us might look like before a health event. We like to introduce ourselves to fans through the engagement opportunities that team sponsorships afford us in addition to the branding and visibility element that comes with sponsorship."
As healthcare sponsorships of sports properties increase how is Northwell differentiating itself?
"Based on our current marketing strategy, our sports sponsorships are designed to go beyond logo placement—they allow us to activate our "Raise Health" platform in real life, with real impact. The purpose-driven mission of 'Raise Health,' combined with the experiential nature of sponsorships, creates a brand engagement that is meaningful and memorable. When you layer in our clinical excellence and the fact that we’re often providing services to the team and caring for the fans, it’s a two-pronged approach that is hard to ignore."
