What Are Sports Affiliate Programs?

Sports affiliate programs are generally online marketing programs where sports products are sold via links to specific products or to an online sporting goods store. These programs pay the Web site or blog that links to the product or sporting goods store a commission on the purchases made by any person directed to the product or store from the original blog or Web site. Each affiliate program has specific parameters for participation and payment. The process is roughly the same for all sports affiliate programs.

These affiliate programs allow individuals to provide their readership with access to products that might be interesting to the readers. Some sports affiliate programs allow the individual blogger to determine which products he or she will link to on the blog. Other programs require that the blogger post a link to a specific product category or an entire store. Each link has information embedded within it to designate the originating blog or Web site.

The readers click the link to the product to learn more about it. The code within the link designates a specific blogger as the originator of the link. For each purchase made based upon the link, the blog or Web site initiating the link receives credit for the sale. This credit is tracked and paid to the individual participants in accordance with the terms of each of the specific sports affiliate programs.

Most programs differentiate themselves based upon the commissions they pay and other payment terms. Many programs pay commissions of 10 to 15 percent of the sale price of each product. Some programs credit the original link for a specific Internet browsing session, while others allow the link to last for up to 60 days. Certain programs may credit the originating blog with the entire purchase from the linked store or pay commissions strictly on the product from the original link, while other programs pay one level of commission on linked products and a lower-level commission on the other items purchased. Some sports affiliate programs will continue to credit the original linking site for a set period after the original link, where the affiliate receives commissions on any additional purchases from the linked store.

The linked stores benefit from an introduction to a store by a credible source. Many bloggers and Web sites that link to sports affiliate programs introduce their readership to stores that the readership might not otherwise find. It often translates into a beneficial relationship for all of the parties involved. The store acquires more possible purchasers, the blogger receives a commission for his or her referral, and the purchaser gains access to a store he or she might not otherwise find.