What do an iconic New Haven pizzeria, an Ohio-based corporation and a Kansas City-style barbeque joint have in common? Well, each is one of three new sponsors of the Yale Bulldogs.

Yale Athletics announced a trio of new, and perhaps unexpected, sponsorship agreements: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Cintas Corporation and Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ. The new sponsors will be featured on promotional materials and highlighted at game days. Yale Athletics made posts on their website announcing sponsorship deals with Pepe’s on Aug. 17, with Cintsa on Aug. 25 and with Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ on Sept. 14.

“It’s great, it’s so cool to get recognition from local, Connecticut-based places,” said Maddy Zavalick ’26, a member of the field hockey team. 

Pepe’s, a nationally renowned pizza eatery founded in New Haven in 1925, and Bear’s Smokehouse, a Connecticut-based barbeque brand known for its Kansas-style barbeque dishes are both New Haven staples. 

The two restaurants also represent a growing connection between Yale Athletics and local businesses. 

Poppy Beales ’26, a field hockey player from England, told the News that, “Being international, it’s so cool that a place that comes up when I search New Haven [Frank Pepe’s] is supporting our team.” 

Pepe’s and Bear’s Smokehouse join fellow New Haven restaurants Mory’s and Garden Catering as Connecticut-based businesses that sponsor the Bulldogs. 

With these new additions, four out of the 17 sponsors advertised on the Yale Athletics website are Connecticut-based small businesses.

“The goal of our sponsorship program is to create meaningful connections with local and national brands that share our university values,” said Erica Egan, Yale’s assistant athletic director for development and sponsorships. 

The newest national brand sponsorship comes from Cintas, a corporation that provides business products and services, including uniforms, mops, cleaning and restroom supplies and fire extinguishers. Cintas, a publicly held Fortune 500 company, values safety, equity, social responsibility, honesty, integrity and accountability, according to its website. 

Cintas sponsors athletic programs around the country as well, most notably as the sponsor of the Cintas Center, the basketball and volleyball arena at Xavier University.

Beales mentioned that the sponsorships “create equality between teams” and make “amateur sports feel more professional.” Even though the players are often unaware of the details of the sponsorships, Beales said that the deals are exciting regardless “because [they] will impact every sport.”  

As the sponsors contribute to the goals of the teams, Yale Athletics administrators told the News they plan to promote the sponsors throughout the year to increase their presence on campus.

For example, this year’s iteration of The Game may come with a side of barbeque. According to the Yale Athletics website, “Bear’s Smokehouse will play a prominent role” at the Yale-Harvard Game. 

Olivia Goldman ’27, a self-proclaimed “avid fan of the Yale Bulldogs,” said she believes that chowing down on some pizza or ribs will make the game day experience even better. 

Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ is also the official barbeque of the UConn Huskies.