General Electric's increasing influence over Boston continues. The company, which relocated its headquarters to Boston last year, announced Wednesday that it has landed a multi-year partnership with The Boston Celtics that will include a prominent logo placement on Celtics' jerseys — a first for the basketball team.
GE will become the Celtics' "exclusive Data and Analytics partner," giving the basketball team access to the company's expertise, along with its "products and insights across data science, medical equipment and lighting solutions." GE's technology will also be integrated with the Celtics' new Auerbach Center at New Balance Headquarters, scheduled to open next year. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"GE will be woven into the fabric of the Boston Celtics both literally and figuratively."
"GE will be woven into the fabric of the Boston Celtics both literally and figuratively," Celtics President Rich Gotham said in a statement. "Their leadership in innovation, analytics, and technology will help us to be as competitive as we can be in everything from optimizing our facilities and equipment to player performance. Simply put, GE will make us a better and smarter basketball team and organization."
GE and the Celtics will also work together on a series of community initiatives. While the two organizations didn't specify, GE's previously announced $50 million commitment to the city to improve public STEM education, community healthcare and skills development for underserved communities was mentioned in the announcement, as well as the basketball team's Shamrock Foundation, which supports programs for children in need.
In addition, GE's brand will be incorporated into a number of marketing assets for the Celtics, including on social media, TV-visible signage and the team's scoreboard.
"GE and the Boston Celtics both have rich histories of tradition and innovation and we’re thrilled to bring these two iconic brands together in a way that will drive further success for the team and pride in the City of Boston," GE CMO Linda Boff said. "The Celtics will become another key ally in GE’s mission to help make Boston an epicenter of tech innovation."
