Iasi, Romania - September 20, 2012: Wilson NFL Trakified American Football ball, on the fiel
The National Football League is the king of all sports leagues in the United States of America. However, that does not mean that the integrity of the sport is always there. In the previous week alone, we had former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sue the league and three of its franchises for unfair hiring practices as well as the now Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder and the investigation of an unsafe working condition in the office.
Despite that, the NFL has been able to thrive and just get more and more incredible in terms of eyes on the product and revenue. Today, we are going to discuss how they are able to do just that despite the shield not always having the best public image.
One reason for the major successes around football is the ability to deep dive into NFL stats. Let’s dive into some major factors that made the NFL one of the biggest sports leagues on the entire planet.
It Is A Year-Round Sport
One thing the NFL does well is to be discussed throughout the entire year despite the games being from September through February. With the NFL Draft being as huge as it is, free agency, OTAs, and training camp, the sport is always there for public digestion and discussion. No other sport in North America can say that as they are always in the public eye for some reason.
They Are Pretty Good at Marketing Stars
The average NFL career is only a few seasons but they do know how to market their key stars. They knew that the biggest way to market stars is to center it around the quarterback position as they typically play long careers and are rarely injured. Look at the key stars of the last generation: Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, and Peyton Manning just to make a few. Even now some major names include Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Justin Fields, and Lamar Jackson.
They are not the only position to be viewed as stars as wide receivers have been able to get to the center of the spotlight with flashy catches and dominating the game. However, it seems like they have a formula and can make a star in markets from major markets like New York to small markets like Green Bay, Wisconsin.
They Are In Bed With Betting
One way to captivate viewers on your product is to make it appealing to sports bettors. As more and more states continue to legalize sports betting, the more prevalent it will be. I can understand a minority of people being sick of all the betting talk as it seems to be the main driving force in the game at times but it makes a terrible Jacksonville Jaguars vs New York Jets matchup intriguing.
The National Football League is one of the biggest sports for the sportsbooks as you can bet and not have to dedicate a lot of time into watching the actual game. If they can continue to drive money to betting apps and websites, they will continue to keep the game at the forefront of people’s minds and doing well into the future.
Conclusion
Despite a terrible moral clause behind the shield, it has no issue drawing eyes to their product. They were able to have 43 of the top 50 most-watched television products during the year and have the ability to draw and make money hand over fist. Some like the aggression, some like the offensive gameplay, and some just like the betting aspect of the game.
Even with the older generation of quarterbacks that helped get football to this point, it seems like they are in a strong spot right now and only continuing to grow. With the Super Bowl next week, it will be able to cover up all the negative publicity and continue to market the game, and continue to find new viewers and find new fans in all types of markets.
