Hello there Sea Changers. Welcome back to my series of program lists to assist those of you looking to fund your sea change with affiliate marketing. My name is Paul and I have been making money in the affiliate marketing game for the past decade and have created this site to assist those of you looking to do the same.
Today we will look into a popular niche with so many options to choose from with my 10 best sports affiliate programs to run with this year.
Now I am thinking that I will eventually have to break this down in time due to its popularity – over 500,000 people per month search for the term “Sports” – but for now, I just wanted to give you a taste of what is out there if you are looking to start an affiliate business within this area…
- OnlineSports.com
- Al's
- Dick's Sporting Goods
- Prime Sport
- Fanatics
- Draft Kings
- Sports Plus
- PlayYourCourt
- Sports Memorabilia
- Leather Head
That's right! Wealthy Affiliate provided me with all of the tools and training I needed to get this post in front of my audience - a.k.a YOU!
You too can start your very own online business here that can make you money from anywhere in the world!!
I am also aware that as there is potentially so many sport related sub niches out there, that the quantity of affiliate programs to choose from may also be extensive. So how have I picked my best 10? Well… I really just wanted to give you a good cross section of what is out there so I did some searching around and checked a few out and chose them by looking at:
- What they offer
- Commission rates
- Payment terms
- Cookie duration
- Application processes
- Affiliate/Marketing materials provided
Best Sports Affiliate Programs
Stats show that people will spend money on sports and sporting gear online if it can make their lives easier so as long as you are meeting their needs and solving problems, then you are on the right track. And to give you a boost, let's have a look at 10 programs that I have found below:
1. OnlineSports.com
Let's start with sporting gear and OnlineSports.com. OnlineSports.com is a one-stop-shop site with a great range of sporting gear and products with so much available that I couldn't even start to list it all here. They do however cover the following sports:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Biking
- Billiards
- Cycling
- Football
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Table Tennis
- Track And Field
- Volleyball
- Golf
- Archery
- Hunting and Fishing
Look, to be honest, the list above goes no where near giving the site justice but just assume that if there is something you need to assist with playing, watching or supporting sport in any way shape or form, then this site will more than likely have what you need.
This is a great site on which to base your sporting affiliate business around with a good array of products and as well as coverage of all of the major brands, sporting teams and equipment. There is also a great range of merchandise for those in the collectors/memorabilia niche as well as stuff for the home.
Commission Rate: 10 – 14%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 60 Days
Application required?: Yes, OnlineSports.com's affiliate program is managed by either Share-A-Sale or CJ Affiliates. You will be required to apply for an account then for the OnlineSports.com affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: banner, text, and product links
2. Al's
Al's is another large vendor of sporting gear which although appearing to be mainly aimed at the outdoors/adventure niche, actually has a massive range of gear, shoes, apparel and accessories for many other sporting type pastimes as well. Their range of equipment covers the following:
Outdoors
- Climbing
- Hunting and fishing
- Snow skiing and boarding
- Water skiing
Organised sports
- Swimming
- Baseball
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Golf
- Lacross
- Football
- Tennis
- Racquetball
- Hockey
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Table Tennis
- Sports Medicine
- Track & Field
- Lawn Games
- Running
- Billiard
- Boxing
- Cycling
This is another great site that could be utilised to base a generalist, professional, or specific sport niche around with access to all of the major brands and everything all in the one spot.
Commission Rate: 10%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 150 Days
Application required?: Yes, Al's affiliate program is managed by Avantlink. You will be required to apply for an account then for the Al's affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Text links, Banners, Affiliate only promotions
3. Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods is another extremely large sports supplies store with equipment for just about every posting pursuit that you could think of. I could not even start to list them all here so their categories include:
- Shoes
- Clothing
- Activewear
- Organised sports
- Outdoor sports
- Water sports
- Winter sports
On top of all of that (think everything you could need for the above), there is also a range of fan gear for all major U.S. Sports as well as fitness accessories, outdoor and travel accessories and electronic monitoring devices.
Again, the lists above probably don't do this site justice and there is definitely enough on this site to build an online business around including within any sub niche listed as well. As with the others above, they also offer products from all of the major brands with options for all levels of experience and skill.
Commission Rate: Not Stated
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: Not Stated
Application required?: Yes, the Dick's Sporting Goods affiliate program is managed by Impact Radius. You will be required to apply for an account then for the Dick's Sporting Goods affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Text links and banners, Product Data Feed.
4. Prime Sport
Ok, let's step away from the big sports equipment sites and into more targeted sporting areas starting with Prime Sport. Prime Sport is a sports travel company that offers tickets, hospitality and travel packages to some of the largest sporting events in the world including:
- Super Bowl
- Pro Bowl
- NFL Draft
- NCAA Final Four
- PGA events,
- College Football Bowl Games
- Tennis Majors
- Music festivals
- NASCAR and Indy Cars
This is a great high ticket option program that whilst probably not geared to support an affiliate program on its own, would certainly be a great addition to any sporting, fitness, corporate or luxury gift site that you could imagine.
Commission Rate: Not Stated
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 30 Days
Application required?: Yes, Prime Sport's affiliate program is managed by Awin. You will be required to apply for an account then for the Prime Sport affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Ad banners, text links
5. Fanatics
Now we head out into the professional sports niche with Fanatics. This is fan gear site on steroids (if I am allowed to say that on a sports page) with options for every team in every major U.S professional code as well as individual and international sports. Their stock range is massive and includes:
- Jerseys
- Hats
- Shirts
- Hoodies
- Memorabilia
- Collectables
- Shoes
- Home Decor
- Women's gear
- Toys
And so so much more. Gear can also be customised or chosen by team, player or event.
There is really a lot here and the site could be utilised to build an affiliate business around within the professional sporting or fan based niches or as a great add on or gift idea for just about any other sporting site dealing with these particular sports or events. Oh, and you can buy tickets via this site as well for cash back rewards.
Commission Rate: Up to 10%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: Not Stated
Application required?: Yes, the Fanatics affiliate program is managed by Share-A-Sale. You will be required to apply for an account then for the Fanatics affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Text links, banners, product feed.
That's right! Wealthy Affiliate provided me with all of the tools and training I needed to get this post in front of my audience - a.k.a YOU!
You too can start your very own online business here that can make you money from anywhere in the world!!
6. Draft Kings
Let's now head into the world of fantasy sports affiliate programs with Draft Kings. This is an online fantasy sports site that allows members to play daily, weekly, monthly or ongoing within the following sports (and some that aren't really sports) including:
- Football
- American Football
- Golf
- Basketball
- Baseball
- MMA
- Hockey
- NASCAR
- College Football
- College Basketball
- League of Legends
- EuroLeague Basketball
- Tennis
- XFL
- CS:GO
- Rocket League
- Call of Duty
- Australian Football
- iRacing
There is probably not enough here to build an affiliate site around (unless you are in the gambling niche) however it could be added to any number of sporting based sites as a good cross selling opportunity.
Note: This is predominately a gambling site so jurisdictional influences/regulations should be checked out prior to addition to your site.
Commission Rate: Not Stated
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: Not Stated
Application required?: Yes, You will need to provide personal and website information as well as promotional plans to apply.
Marketing material provided: Text Links
7. Sports Plus
Sports Plus takes us into sports team/competition management with its all in one software platform that allows sporting groups, teams and individuals to manage:
- Registration
- Payment processing
- Scheduling
- Player and parent portals
- Team communications and interactions
Again, similar to above, there is not enough here to build an affiliate business based on this site alone however it would be a great addition to any junior, amateur or sports specific niche. There is also the ability within this site to build a sports team website as well.
Commission Rate: Not Stated
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: Not Stated
Application required?: Yes – You will need to enter personal and website information to apply.
Marketing material provided: Text Links, unique coupon code
8. PlayYourCourt
PlayYourCourt calls itself a ‘mobile tennis club' that facilitates a number of services for those looking to learn, play and compete in tournaments. Its memberships offer a range of services for all levels with:
- Online and in-person coaching
- Individual and Group practice sessions
- Access to their Challenge league
- Gear and apparel discounts
To be honest, the list above probably doesn't do them justice as there is a lot there to assist those with all levels of their tennis game. This is a great site for those within the tennis niche as well as a good add on to children's, beginner or semi-professional sports options as well.
Commission Rates: $15 per membership signed
Payment Terms: Monthly.
Cookie Duration: Not Stated
Application required?: Yes, You will need to enter personal and website information to apply
Marketing material provided: Text links, banners
9. Sports Memorabilia
As their name suggests, Sports Memorabilia specialises in authentic memorabilia and collectables from sports worldwide including:
- NFL
- MLB
- NBA
- NHL
- NCAA
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Golf
- Boxing
- NASCAR
- UFC
- Wrestling
- Olympics
- Horse Racing
- ESports
- WNBA
All items come with certificates of authenticity with some ‘game used' products and a great range of trading cards as well.
Unless your site is aimed solely at sport memorabilia, there is probably not enough here to base a whole affiliate business around however it would certainly be a great high ticket or gift addition to just about any of the sport related, corporate or ‘man cave‘ type sites. Keep in mind – avid collectors will spend money on these items and will do so online!
Commission Rate: up to 12%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 30 Days
Application required?: Yes – the Sports Memorabilia's affiliate program is managed by Share-A-Sale and applications are by invitation only. Should you be interested in this program, contact the company directly via their contacts page.
Marketing material provided: Banners, Text Links, Product feed
10. Leather Head
And finally, let's check out a cool little sporting gear site in Leather Head. Leather head specialises in hand crafted leather balls including:
- Baseballs
- Footballs
- Basketballs
- Rugby balls
- Medicine balls
- Soccer balls
All balls are made with superior leather and designed to be played with. They can also be customised as a great gift or heirloom idea as well.
As with above, this affiliate program could be aimed at any sporting (general of game specific), corporate or gift related site. There are also some added cross selling opportunities with a range of apparel and other leather based gifts (key rings, card sleeves etc.) as well.
Commission Rate: 10%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 60 Days
Application required?: Yes, Leather Head's affiliate program is managed by Share-A-Sale. You will be required to apply for an account then for the Leather Head affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provide Days: Banners, Text Links
Amazon Associates
Alternatively, should you wish to set up your site up with a range from a few different brands or companies on the same site then you can do so via Amazon. Amazon provides access to a good range of sport related products and has a fairly good affiliate program as well. So if you wish, join the Amazon Associates program, locate the best products relevant to your site within Amazon itself and you can post links on your own site as well.
Amazon's commission rates are not too bad and some prefer this avenue due to the sheer amount of traffic and trustworthiness that comes with a company site of this size.
How to find your own affiliate programs
As stated earlier, by outlining the sites above I have really just tried to give you a good cross section of the types of programs that are out there by listing the really good ones in each ‘category'. That does not mean that you cannot find affiliate programs that better suit what it is that you are trying to do within this space especially as I could never even begin to cover every sport related requirement or sub niche in the one post. Luckily for us, there is a simple way to find these programs online.
All you need to do is enter “affiliate: niche type” into your search engine (substituting ‘niche type‘ for whatever product it is that you are choosing to sell).
There are sport related affiliate programs for everything else that we have listed at the top of this page as well – you will just need to have a look around until you find one or two that suit your site. Once you have completed your searches, you can look through and find programs that:
- Relate to your niche/problems that you are solving.
- Have quality products – your brand can be severely damaged if you promote poor quality products.
- Have solid payment and customer service arrangement.
- Pay decent commissions.
- Have good testimonials covering commission payouts and quality of product.
In most cases, you will need to apply for the program before you are allowed to promote their products – don’t take this step lightly or you will be rejected. Affiliate programs will generally want to know:
- Your website name.
- Traffic levels.
- Why you want to join – (so I can make money by selling your soccer balls is unfortunately not generally a good enough answer).
- How you plan to promote their products.
Conclusion
So… There are 10 of the best sports affiliate marketing programs to run with this year. I hope it has been helpful for you as you commence your own sports or sporting gear based affiliate marketing business and as usual, please do not hesitate to comment below if you have any questions, need some advice or have any experiences to share. Oh, and especially comment if you have any experience with these, or any other programs as well.
Until next time
Have fun
Paul
Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price. This may include sales made via Wealthy Affiliate.
Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own sports based website?
Are you looking for a comprehensive training platform that can give you step by step training, 24/7 support, tools to develop and host your very own website, ongoing assistance with SEO and social media and access to some of the best affiliate marketing minds on the planet, then click on the following link to read more about Wealthy Affiliate.
Introducing Wealthy Affiliate, My #1 Recommendation for Setting Up Your Own Online Business
When I started, I knew I wanted to work online, but had absolutely no idea where to begin! You see I had watched friends of mine run a sales party to sell essential oils and someone asked if they could just sell them online?
Then, as I sat on the bus heading into my office job, I started to wonder if I could do just that, sell essential oils online.
Anything to stop having to catch this bus to and from work every day right!
The trouble was, as I mentioned above, I had no idea how to even start.
So of course I started to look around online and found all these courses! They all promised me riches then took my money but left me with no riches!
Then I stumbled across the program that didn’t promise me riches, but told me it could help me get started even with no experience!
So I did that, joined Wealthy Affiliate that was it, and the rest as they say, is history!
But it doesn’t come without work!
That is the key here! I began on their starter membership and did the training! I then joined as a member and did some more training!
Each night after work, I would do a little more, then a little more.
And to cut a long story short, after 10 months I realized I didn’t really like writing about essential oils, so I sold the site for about $2000. But I had learned so much that I started another – about fishing and camping!
Then, after 18 months (by which time it had earned me close to $10k), I was offered $17k for the site, so I sold it too.
Now, through my travel blog, I’ve been able to fund my passion for travel and explore different places around the world.
In the past few months, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing destinations, including Bali, Los Angeles, Dallas, Vancouver and Las Vegas.
The success of my travel blog has allowed me to fully fund my travels and explore new destinations with my family.
Try the Wealthy Affiliate as a Starter Member and Build your First Hub!
As you start your journey, Wealthy Affiliate is there for you with the most comprehensive training package I have ever seen – And as I have mentioned, I have used a few in my professional career trust me.
To get you started, Wealthy Affiliate has recently introduced the Hub.
The Hub
The hub is an AI based niche and website creation tool that will get you up and running with the foundation of your OWN business in just a few minutes. This includes:
- Your website – hosted and inclusive of a WordPress editor
- Your brand
- Your ‘done-for-you’ research
- Your blueprint
- A task list that is going to help you drive the creation and growth of your business moving forward.
The hub makes the website creation process simple which allows you to get started on the training with a solid base and understanding of the processes.
All you need to do is choose your subject – which is known as your ‘niche’ – and follow the steps on the screen.
Oh, and as you run through the training below you may realize that what you created above is not exactly what you want. That’s ok, you can just create a new hub!
Wealthy Affiliate Training
Then as you continue your journey, the Wealthy Affiliate Hub is there for you with the most comprehensive training package I have ever seen – And I have used a few in my professional career trust me.
Above we discussed the use of the Hub to set up a website. Once you have done this, you will be able to access the “Step-by-Step Core Training”.
This is available to all members including starter members and will give you everything you need to know to continue to create your online business.
Member Training
There are also Live weekly classes taught by REAL industry experts on a range of topics like artificial intelligence (AI), SEO, YouTube, WordPress, PPC marketing and more.
Great, What Else Does Wealthy Affiliate Have To Help You?
So, let’s keep this short, Wealthy Affiliate is a one-stop-shop platform that provides:
- The Hub – this is the starting point and uses AI processes to assist you in determining your niche and creating your brand.
- Complete training programs to assist with the development of your own affiliate marketing website in your own niche.
- Website creation and publishing tools including access to WordPress editors and themes.
- AI Content article design and content creation
- Domain name purchasing (you get a free domain when you upgrade to the Premium membership).
- Website hosting, security and backup.
- Online help and chat forums.
- Weekly live training events.
- 24/7 support.
- Keyword access tools.
- SEO assistance.
The platform has been active for over 15 years with the original developers and owners, Kyle and Carson, still extremely active in its day to day operations – especially as they rollout their AI capabilities.
You Can Try it Yourself For Free
Now of course I can tell you all about how Wealthy Affiliate works (because it does) until I am blue in the face. But every other program out there – including the shams and scams – will tell you the same thing!
So how about you just try it for free yourself. The Wealthy Affiliate Starter membership is free to join and gives you access to everything you need to get started – all without the need to spend a cent!
With the starter membership, you get:
- 1 Limited Business Hub
- 1,500 AI Word Credits
- Try the AI Author Platform (BETA)
- 1 Practice Website
- Jaaxy Starter
- Limited Help & Support
- Core Niche Training (8 Classes)
And of course I will be there to help you every step of the way as well!
Look, in the interest of transparency, whilst Wealthy Affiliate does offer a free starter membership, this is designed to give you a look around, have a practice and see if it is worthwhile for you – which is a really great option.
However, as with all new businesses, you will need to make some investment so if you are serious about making money online , you will need to upgrade to a premium membership as this will give you access to all the tools you need in the one spot to succeed!
Afterall, every business needs tools to grow!
So How Much Does This Really Cost?
Wealthy Affiliate does not use upsells once you join – but as I mentioned in the video, to succeed here you will need to invest in a membership. There are a couple of options that provide access to all the tools, training and assistance that you could need – and a free domain as well.
Wealthy Affiliate offers a trio of membership tiers, as detailed on their pricing page.
You can opt for the Starter membership at no cost, the Premium membership for $49 per month or the Premium Plus+ membership for $99 per month. That’s the full extent of it – and you can absolutely build your website without having to spend another cent.
You won’t encounter any unexpected additional charges or covert fees and as a Premium member, you’re equipped with all the essentials to initiate, develop and expand a thriving online enterprise.
Those who opt for the Premium membership are provided with
- Hosting for their websites
- A complimentary domain name
- Access to hundreds of hours of current expert tutorials
- Various marketing and research tools
- Personal guidance from seasoned professionals in the field
- And much much more
And for those of you who want to make a serious investment into your future, there are some yearly options as well below to give you peace of mind that you have a whole year ahead of you to get stuff done!
And Don’t Forget the Personal Coaching
Once you join, not only do you get plenty of assistance from me, but you also have access to expert coaching, support and mentorship from real industry experts.
I mean, you can have access to all of the top-tier affiliate marketing training in the world, but inevitably, questions arise, particularly during the initial stages.
With an exceptionally dynamic and engaged community that boasts over 2.7 million members, Wealthy Affiliate offers an environment where you, as a member, can fully immerse and leverage this network.
You’re never alone; you have the collective wisdom of an entire community at your fingertips, ready to assist at any moment.
Plus, there’s always-on, rapid-response website support to handle any technical queries you may encounter.
Wealthy Affiliate Works: Real Results From Real People
As I have mentioned a number of times, Wealthy Affiliate has helped me make real money online though its training and tools.
I have made money each month as well as a sale for $17,000.
But again, those promoting other programs will tell you the same thing!
So let’s get away from me and see what others are saying:
To start with, Wealthy Affiliate has a 4.9 out of 5 Star TrustPilot rating, which is a remarkable accomplishment in any industry, let alone the online business industry.
And here are some of those reviews:
And this is what people are saying within Wealthy Affiliate as well:
So, Let’s Make a Decision!
Let’s be frank, you have read this far so why not go all in, click on the button below to get started on the way to your very online business.
And once you are in and have had a play around with the hub, look for the little envelope on the top right and there will be a message from me. It is of course automated so respond to let me know you are there and we can start this journey together.
(oh, and the profile is mine so you can find me that way as well)
See you there
Paul
