The Deal
Athletic Brewing Company, America's largest dedicated non-alcoholic brewer, has signed a multi-year partnership with MetLife Stadium, the New York Giants, and the New York Jets — marking the first time the East Rutherford, N.J. venue and its two NFL tenants have formally aligned with a dedicated NA brewer.
Under the agreement, Athletic becomes the official non-alcoholic beer partner of all three organizations. Fans will find 19.2 oz. cans of Run Wild IPA and Upside Dawn Golden at points of sale throughout the stadium, supported by concourse displays, pylon and LED placements, digital highway signage near the venue, and in-game video board content. Product sampling and interactive activations are planned for select game days.
Market Position
The sponsorship adds two of the NFL's marquee franchises to a venue portfolio that Athletic says already spans more than 200 locations nationwide, covering professional soccer, baseball, lacrosse, hockey, college athletics, endurance events, and live music. The company reported more than 200 prestigious taste awards since its commercial launch in 2018 and holds over 50.0% share of the U.S. NA craft beer segment per NielsenIQ data for the 52 weeks ending July 11, 2026 — a lead of 44 share points over its closest competitor, outselling the next 100 NA craft brands combined. Athletic ranks among the top 15 U.S. brewing companies overall, according to the Brewers Association's 2025 Annual Craft Brewing Industry Production Report.
Ron VanDeVeen, President and CEO of MetLife Stadium, framed the deal in terms of evolving guest expectations. "As the live event experience continues to evolve, we are committed to offering amenities that reflect the preferences of all guests," he said. "Partnering with a non-alcoholic brewing pioneer like Athletic allows us to broaden our beverage offerings and provide greater choice." The stadium, which seats 82,500 and ranked first in the U.S. for both tickets sold and ticket revenue in 2024 per Pollstar, offers significant on-premise volume for Athletic's draft and packaged formats.
Beyond Game Day
The partnership extends well beyond in-stadium pours. Athletic will appear across both teams' television, radio, digital, and social media platforms and will participate in training camps and community initiatives throughout the New York metropolitan area. Later in 2026, the company plans to release special-edition 12-packs: Run Wild IPA carrying the New York Giants logo and Upside Dawn Golden bearing the New York Jets logo, targeting retail buyers across the Tri-State market.
Bill Shufelt, Co-Founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing, said the deal advances the company's broader mission: "This is an exciting step forward in our mission to revolutionize the way the world drinks and make modern moderation more accessible." The NFL footprint represents a meaningful distribution and brand-awareness lever for a company already available at more than 75,000 retail locations nationwide.
For operators and beverage directors tracking the non-alcoholic category, the MetLife deal underscores how NA beer is migrating from specialty shelf sets into high-throughput sports-and-entertainment venues — a channel historically dominated by mainstream alcoholic brands. Food & Beverage Magazine has tracked Athletic's rapid share gains as a bellwether for the broader moderation trend reshaping beverage menus. Operators evaluating NA programming for large-format venues should note the scale Athletic now brings to in-venue activations, as covered in our analysis of non-alcoholic category growth in foodservice and the related sports-venue beverage trends reshaping stadium concession strategy.
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.
