BroThrow Implies ESPN Bet Imitated Its Logo

ESPN Bet, a joint venture between ESPN and Penn Entertainment, recently unveiled its logo. The reveal preceded the launch of the highly anticipated betting platform, meaning to pump fans up about the upcoming rollout. However, a startup betting company alleges that ESPN might have taken inspiration from its logo.

BroThrow, a peer-to-peer social betting exchange noticed that ESPN Bet’s logo is eerily similar to its own. Regardless of whether the similarity was intentional or not, BroThrow remarked on the obvious similarities between its own logo and ESPN Bet’s.

In an X post, the social betting startup stated that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and tagged ESPN.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Nice design @espn. https://t.co/bCVzqxtKIx

— BroThrow (@brothrowbets) October 18, 2023

For reference, BroThrow’s logo sports an aquamarine B against a dark blue background. ESPN’s new logo, on the other hand, also represents a B symbol of the same color with ESPN’s signature E inside of it.

In an earlier statement, Chin Wang, ESPN Creative Studio’s VP of visual storytelling said that the aquamarine color of the new logo is meant to represent fun and innovation.

The Design Choice Was Likely Not Malicious

BroThrows’ founder and chief executive officer, Brady Sharp, later discussed the matter with Sports Handle, telling the news outlet that ESPN’s designers have likely seen BroThrow’s logos at one of the multiple industry shows attended by the startup.

Sharp said that ESPN’s design choice was likely not malicious. He added that his team hasn’t trademarked the logo itself but has trademarked the BroThrow brand itself.

BroThrow is a fairly new name in the American gambling sector, offering a peer-to-peer social betting exchange. It is designed to function much like the Facebook Marketplace but for sports betting and leverages functionalities that allow players to arrange and track bets easily,

The company secured the Rising Star accolade at the 2023 SBC Awards North America and is ambitious to become a local powerhouse. Based in Arkansas, the company also offers monthly subscriptions that enhance the experience of its customers.

ESPN Bet, meanwhile, is set to launch in November. The new platform promises innovative experiences that fans cannot find anywhere else. The new platform has even onboarded celebrities such as Scott Van Pelt and Pat McAfee, seeking to further differentiate itself from its competitors.