Non-alcoholic beer's push into professional sports venues took a significant step forward as Athletic Brewing Company secured a multi-year partnership with MetLife Stadium, the New York Giants, and the New York Jets — its first formal sponsorships of an NFL stadium and two professional football teams.
The agreement makes Athletic the official non-alcoholic beer partner of all three organizations, marking the first time MetLife Stadium and its two home teams have aligned with a dedicated NA brewer. For venue operators watching the rise of mindful drinking, the deal is a clear signal that non-alcoholic options are graduating from afterthought to anchor beverage category in major-venue programming.
What Fans Will See
Under the agreement, fans at MetLife Stadium — which seats 82,500 and ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for tickets sold and ticket revenue in 2024 — can purchase 19.2 oz. cans of Run Wild IPA and Upside Dawn Golden at locations throughout the venue. Athletic branding will appear across concourse displays, pylons, LED boards, menus, retail kiosks, and digital highway signage near the stadium. Video board content and interactive fan promotions will round out the in-stadium activation, with product sampling on select game days.
"Delivering an exceptional experience for every guest is our highest priority at MetLife Stadium," said Ron VanDeVeen, President & CEO of MetLife Stadium. "Partnering with a non-alcoholic brewing pioneer like Athletic allows us to broaden our beverage offerings, provide greater choice, and further shape the experience for all guests."
Beyond the Concourse
The partnership extends well past the stadium's walls. Athletic will be integrated across New York Giants and New York Jets television, radio, digital, and social media platforms. The brewer will also participate in both teams' training camps, community initiatives, and select events throughout the year. Later in 2026, Athletic plans to release special-edition 12-packs — Run Wild IPA branded with the Giants logo and Upside Dawn Golden carrying the Jets logo — available to consumers across the Tri-State area.
The MetLife deal deepens an already extensive venue footprint for Athletic. The company is currently served at more than 200 venues nationwide, with partnerships spanning professional soccer, baseball, lacrosse, hockey, college athletics, endurance events, and live music. For foodservice and hospitality operators, Athletic's trajectory illustrates how non-alcoholic beverage trends are moving from niche wellness positioning into mainstream, high-volume venue programming.
Athletic holds more than 50% of the U.S. NA craft beer market, outselling the next 100 NA craft brands combined and leading its closest competitor by 44 share points, according to NielsenIQ data for the 52 weeks ending July 11, 2026. Co-founder and CEO Bill Shufelt framed the stadium deal as central to the brand's broader mission: "We can't wait for Athletic to become the game day ritual fans count on, from the tailgate to the final whistle."
For hospitality and foodservice operators, the MetLife partnership underscores a fast-moving shift in how venues approach beverage inclusivity — and how a dedicated NA brewer can command the same sponsorship real estate once reserved exclusively for traditional alcohol brands. Food & Beverage Magazine has tracked Athletic's rapid expansion across the on-premise channel as a bellwether for the broader NA beer category growth in restaurants and venues.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
