It was 1973, and German football was still buttoned-up, strict, and untouched by the world of flashy sponsorships. But Günter Mast, the mastermind behind Jägermeister, had other ideas. As a passionate supporter of Eintracht Braunschweig, his hometown team, he wasn’t just cheering from the sidelines, he was about to change the game forever.
At a time when commercial branding on team jerseys was strictly forbidden in the Bundesliga, Mast saw an opportunity. He struck a deal with Eintracht Braunschweig to incorporate the Jägermeister stag logo into the club's official crest. It was clever, it was bold, and - most importantly - it worked. The German Football Association pushed back, but Mast held firm, and eventually, the move was approved.
With that, Eintracht Braunschweig became the first German Bundesliga team to wear a sponsor’s logo on their jersey, making history not just in football, but in marketing. The bold stag against the blue and yellow kit wasn’t just a logo – it was a cultural shift.
This wasn’t about slapping a name on a shirt. It was about identity. About tying the wild spirit of Jägermeister to the fight, grit, and pride of a team. And in doing so, it paved the way for the era of commercial football we know today: one brand, one team, one game-changing moment at a time.