Recapping Moderna’s Sponsorship of the 2023 U.S. Open Celebrating Changemakers and the Power of mRNA

At Moderna, we like to think differently – and this includes showing up in unexpected places not usually associated with biopharma. That is why, for the second year in a row, we sponsored the U.S. Open tennis tournament to educate more people on the impact and ongoing potential of mRNA to change the future of medicine.

The U.S. Open tennis tournament has always symbolized excellence, determination, and inspiration. It provides an incredible opportunity to reach more than 850,000 fans in person and millions more on television and digital platforms as we approach this fall’s vaccination season. 

In-person fans could stop by the Moderna booth throughout the tournament, where our brand ambassadors helped educate on mRNA science and had the opportunity to sign the screen as the U.S. Open champions do and post it on their social media feeds. We also hosted Moderna Night on September 8th, where we lit up Arthur Ashe Stadium in red with digital signage, urging spectators to stay current on their COVID and flu vaccines. 

Check out the Moderna Night recap video:

We launched our second “Here’s to the Changemakers” campaign for those viewing the U.S. Open on television and digital platforms. Last year, we featured tennis legend and equality advocate Billie Jean King. This year, we continued that theme by highlighting another tennis legend and health advocate, the late Arthur Ashe. 

Arthur Ashe was an American professional tennis player, the first Black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team, and the only Black man to win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. He was also an advocate for health equity and social justice.

In 1970, Ashe used his platform to speak out against apartheid in South Africa, facing arrest during a significant protest. Later in his career, it was Ashe’s personal health challenges – first suffering a heart attack and then being diagnosed with AIDS – that drove him to become an advocate for equal access to healthcare. These experiences inspired Ashe to participate in disease awareness campaigns and found the Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS. Just two months before he died of complications from AIDS, Ashe also founded the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to address health equity issues.

We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible event and to inspire others through the Arthur Ashe video. As we look towards the future, Moderna remains committed to transforming lives through innovative science and positively impacting global health. Let’s continue championing resilience, unity, and progress on and off the court!