TheScore is betting on streetwear.
The Canadian digital sports company has dropped its first-ever apparel line in collaboration with Toronto-based brand Peace Collective.
With the collection, theScore hopes to make a splash in Ontario as the province prepares to roll out legalized single-game sports betting on April 4. The company plans to offer Ontarians online betting and iGaming services with the launch of its mobile sportsbook, theScore Bet.
Their limited-edition apparel line consists of streamlined, comfortable pieces featuring subtle theScore and theScore Bet logos, as well as very Peace Collective-y ‘Made in Canada’ slogans. There are six items in the drop, including crewnecks, T-shirts, hoodies.
“We are a Canadian brand. We grew up in Canada and even though we’ve had success across North America, Toronto, Ontario, is our home,” says Aubrey Levy, theScore’s senior vice-president of content and marketing. “If we’re going to introduce an apparel line, as we prepare to introduce our betting product into the Canadian market, it felt only appropriate that we come back with a tagline that played to our heritage and honored our Canadian roots.”
TheScore launched in 1997 in Toronto as a television network. OG Canucks will recall it as a go-to channel for sports highlights. Since those days, the outlet has evolved into a digital-first company. It’s currently the most popular sports media app in Canada, and the third-most popular in North America. Last year, it was acquired by U.S. casino giant Penn National Gaming in a $2 billion U.S. deal.
The company says its decision to team up with Peace Collective speaks to its scrappy spot in Canada’s sports media landscape, where it looks to build a younger and more digitally-minded following compared to the country’s traditional broadcast behemoths.
“If you remember back to the TV days, it was us up against the Sportsnets and TSNs of the world—we were always younger-skewing in our programming and our coverage,” says Levy. “When we think about partners that make sense from a brand perspective, someone like Peace Collective lines up beautifully for us. I think [being] more authentic in how we approach our respective fields, being younger-skewing, being on the forefront of where trends and consumer interests are, I think that’s 100 percent why they are a great fit for us.”
TheScore is now looking to be at the forefront of betting in Canada. While single-game sports betting became legal in the country on Aug. 27, each provincial gaming commission has been on a different timeline for launching it within their existing infrastructure. In Ontatio, betting can be offered by private operators starting on April 4.
“It’s going to be a huge game changer for Canadians for a couple reasons,” says Levy. “Sports betting is not new to Canadians and Ontarians; the grey market has existed here for a long time. By finally bringing it into a regulated, commercialized framework it’s going to provide consumer choice, facilitation of access, consumer protections; it’s going to be a much better environment for Canadian sports betting. Our approach to how we as an organization think about sports betting is different, and I think will be hopefully valued by Canadians. For us, a bet is not an isolated transaction. People bet because they’re fans, they consume media, they go to games, they wear merch. Betting is a component that adds a level of excitement and increases that engagement, but it’s not a standalone experience.”
TheScore x Peace Collective apparel line can be copped here. Check out some more shots of the collection below.
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