Walt Disney World is extending its Champion of the Community (COTC) sponsorship with the Orlando Magic, and the Disney brand will stay on the team’s uniforms. The two announced the agreement on Monday, October 12th, continuing a partnership that began in 2010. To celebrate, Disney and the Magic also unveiled a redesigned Walt Disney World Atrium at the team’s home, the Kia Center. The updated space features new artwork and advanced projection technology.
Walt Disney World Extends Sponsorship With Orlando Magic
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Disney’s sponsorship with the Magic continues, and the Disney brand stays on Magic uniforms.
- The redesigned Walt Disney World Atrium at Kia Center has updated artwork and advanced projection technology.
- The partnership traces back to 2010, and Magic co-founder Pat Williams once tied the team’s story to Walt Disney’s.
Orlando’s NBA team, the Orlando Magic, and Walt Disney World have been partners for 16 years, and that relationship is continuing. Disney says the extension keeps the Disney brand on Magic uniforms and ties the two together on the global stage. It also strengthens their shared commitment to the Central Florida community.
Disney became a Champion of the Community sponsor in 2010 and the Magic’s jersey sponsor in 2017. We noted both milestones when Disney and the Magic last extended their community sponsorship in 2022. Monday’s extension keeps that jersey presence in place. Magic President of Business Operations Charlie Freeman ties the renewal to the hometown roots both organizations share.
“The Magic are thrilled to extend our longstanding relationship with Walt Disney World,” Freeman says. “As two Orlando-born organizations, this continues our 16-year COTC relationship, putting the community at the heart of what we do. We’re honored to represent our great city and look forward to creating more magic for Central Florida.”
A Redesigned Walt Disney World Atrium at Kia Center
Alongside the news, Disney and the Magic unveiled the new Walt Disney World Atrium at Kia Center. The redesign builds on Walt Disney World’s longstanding presence at the arena. When Disney and the Magic last extended the sponsorship in 2022, the venue was still Amway Center, and the Disney Atrium was already part of that presence.
Disney says the redesigned atrium has updated artwork and advanced projection technology that will transform the space throughout Magic games and all events at the venue. The goal is a dynamic and immersive guest experience. Walt Disney World President Joe Schott says the atrium carries the partnership forward.
“For years, Walt Disney World and the Orlando Magic have brought people together through shared experiences and a deep commitment to Central Florida,” Schott says. “The reimagined Walt Disney World Atrium builds on that partnership, creating a vibrant new welcome for fans and an experience that feels distinctly Orlando.”
Shared Roots in Central Florida
Disney says the continuing collaboration reinforces Central Florida as a premier sports and entertainment destination. The ties between the two go back before Disney appeared on the Magic’s jersey, and even before they became Champion of the Community partners.
Both Walt Disney World and the Magic share a vision of the magic they can create in Central Florida. Late Magic co-founder Pat Williams explored that idea in his book Lead Like Walt, writing that building an NBA team from the ground up meant he was “attempting to do what Walt had already done many times in his life.” Williams pointed to Walt Disney’s habit of starting with a dream and turning it into reality, from creating Mickey Mouse to building Disneyland and imagining a far more ambitious project in Florida. Decades later, Walt Disney World and the Magic are still creating magic in Central Florida together.
Keep Reading
- Get the background on the partnership with our coverage of the 2022 sponsorship extension, which covers the Disney Atrium, the jersey patch, and the community work Disney and the Magic have done together.
- Revisit the day Mickey Mouse welcomed Magic players to the City Edition jersey unveiling at The NBA Experience at Disney Springs, where the team revealed a uniform inspired by Orlando’s “orange” roots.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!