Defined by IEG (2013) as “cash and/or in-kind compensation paid to a property in exchange for access to the exploitable commercial potential associated with that property”. The adoption and growing adaptation of sponsorship exemplifies one of the fastest developing sectors of the marketing communications business. Evidenced by the fact that the total UK investment in this medium amounted to just £4 million in 1970 (Buckley, 1980; p10-14). However, by 2015 the scale of spending in the global market is estimated at £28.9 billion and will become the largest revenue stream in sport, compared to the £28.6 billion predicted from gate receipts according to PWC (2013 ). From the consumer's perspective, having already been inundated with information sponsorship promotes differentiation among competitors and allows organizations to overcome the immunity that consumers have developed to countless advertising stimuli. (Lagae, 2003; p8). In a subtle way, public affiliation between the brand and the sport is believed to alter perceptions of the brand's image (Brooks, 1994; pXX). (Milne and ‎McDonald, 1999; p123). The perceived and real benefits of engaging in non-traditional marketing tactics like sponsorship are well documented. Broadcast events use sponsorship as a brand exposure opportunity that can provide brand integration, which advertising scholars illustrate as "the inclusion of product or brand identifiers through audio or visual means within the mass media programming" (Wiles and Danielova, 2009; pXX). Existing research supports the theory that sponsorship enriches corporate image and consumer response ( Javalgi et al. 1994 ; Stipp and Schiavone 1996 ; Koo, Quarterman, and Flynn 2006 ). The authors have...... half of the article ...... the hip is and can be successful, we are not providing unequivocal evidence. There is insufficient evidence to support the parallel adoption of sponsorship and organizational success, as there is little understanding of the key factors that can make sponsorship the successful communications tool that it arguably is. Therefore the aim of this thesis is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of sports sponsorship as this research will provide a critical analysis of the sponsorship used by elite sports sponsors to determine whether consumer perception is related to sponsorship support in order to evaluate the success of sponsorship activities. gained from elite sporting events; empirically assessing consumers' awareness of existing sponsorship strategies, their subjectivism and whether fit exists and whether it is related to consumer purchasing behavior..