United We Brand

It's the kind of play that makes modern marketers smile and traditional sports fans wince. Last week, Manchester United, England's best-known soccer club, joined forces with U.S. baseball's New York Yankees in a tie-up that will likely raise the profile of both clubs across the globe. Under the marketing alliance, United will explore sponsorship, television and other cross-promotional opportunities with YankeeNets, the Yanks' parent company, which also owns the New Jersey Nets basketball team and ice hockey's New Jersey Devils. The agreement could result in United's own television channel, MUTV, broadcasting Yankee game highlights, for example, or United replica kits sharing...