Atlanta Hawks and Delta Air Lines Enter High-Flying Hometown Partnership
Hawks and Delta create first-of-its-kind original content from airline’s chartered team flights
ATLANTA – Two Atlanta institutions, the Hawks and Delta Air Lines, today announced a partnership that names Delta the “Official Airline of the Atlanta Hawks.” The arrangement includes entitlement of the high-flying Delta Sky Squad, a first-of-its-kind digital content series, in-arena branding, and sponsorship of Hawks President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer’s weekly radio show.
The two companies will collaborate to create an original digital content series to be distributed on the Hawks’ award-winning social media and digital channels. The series, titled “Hawks Hang Time,” will feature two teammates conducting interviews with each other from the airport’s tarmac before and after the club boards its chartered Delta jet during road trips. The first episode, featuring four-time NBA All-Star Paul Millsap and guard/forward Kent Bazemore, can be seen on the team’s website by clicking here.
“We are proud to partner with Delta Air Lines, an Atlanta company that sets industry standards across the globe,” said Hawks EVP and Chief Revenue Officer Andrew Saltzman. “For years, our mantra has been ‘True to Atlanta,’ and this partnership will undoubtedly strengthen our ties to this great city and beyond.”
“The Atlanta Hawks are the type of hometown organization Delta enjoys partnering with,” said Bill Betz, Delta General Manager of Brand Marketing. “We are a proud and long-time supporter of the Hawks, and we look forward to growing with them, on the court, in the air and in our collective community.”
As a result of the agreement, the Delta Sky Squad, the acrobatic performance team which provides in-game entertainment at approximately 25 Hawks home contests per season, will wear Delta-branded uniforms while utilizing equipment featuring the airline’s logos. The group will also assist with community engagement efforts for the Hawks and Delta, as the squad will make several appearances at local events during each season of the partnership.
Additionally, Delta Air Lines will be named the presenting sponsor of “On the Court with Coach Bud,” the weekly radio segment featuring Coach Budenholzer on CBS Radio’s SportsRadio 92-9 The Game in Atlanta. The segment airs each Thursday at 10:20 a.m. on Atlanta’s top-rated sports radio station.