Ever since a court awarded the original USFL $1 in damages in their Donald Trump-led challenges to the NFL, which brought the upstart league to its ultimate demise as it tried to move seasons, the specter of spring football has existed. There is an insatiable need for football, the player pool is crazy deep, the fans will fill stadia has been the rallying cry.
We have now seen the UFL make the best and boldest and sustained pitch for live spring football, which came after the AAFC, the XFL (1), the pandemic zapped XFL 2, the new version of XFL 3, several versions of AFL, IFL, The Spring League, Ultimate Flag, X7FL, the latest USFL (and one before it that never saw the light of day), Fan Controlled Football, and the still holding on Canadian cousin the CFL, come, battle, innovate, disrupt, pitch, challenge, and for the most part.
There is an interest in spring football…one that makes great business sense, draws national attention across multiple networks, showcases new stars and rewards existing ones and keeps the pigskin version of hot stove talk buzzing.
It’s called the NFL. And they haven’t played a game since February.
The NFL Combine
Free Agency
The NFL Draft
And now more than ever The NFL Schedule release drama.
Here are some great stats about the business why of the sked release by colleague Alex Kopilow…his newletter is also great and worth a signup…
| Sponsorship Stats |
| 97% of teams (31-of-32) had sponsored Schedule Release assets (hero video or graphics). The only exception? The Los Angeles Rams. (Though their Between The Horns live reaction show was sponsored by Toyota.) |
| 78% of Schedule Release videos (25-of-32) were sponsored. Of the seven teams without a video sponsor, six had a sponsor on their static graphics. |
| 96% of sponsored videos (24-of-25) included a brand logo. The Philadelphia Eagles were the only team that skipped the logo. |
| 52% (13-of-25) of teams with sponsored videostagged their brand partner in the post. |
| 44% (11-of-25) integrated the sponsor logo directly into the video—not just as an overlay. |
| 12% (3-of-25) included product integration: |
| New York Jets: JetBlue plane featured in their hand-drawn video.Chicago Bears: United Airlines plane and terminal appeared in their Hunt for Ben Johnson concept.Pittsburgh Steelers: Players searched for a sasquatch in the Laurel Highlands, highlighting a regional tourism partner. |
| Ticketmaster was a sponsor for 50% (16-of-32) of NFL teams on Schedule Release night, more than triple the next most common brand (SeatGeek, with 5 teams). |
| Only six brand categories were primarily featured across the NFL: |
| Ticketing: Ticketmaster (16), SeatGeek (5), Vivid Seats (1)Airlines: United (2), Delta (1), JetBlue (1), Allegiant (1)Tourism: Visit Laurel Highlands (1)Real Estate: Dream Finders Homes (1)Fintech: Shift4 (1)Healthcare: BizCare Benefits (1) |
No one down, not one concussion but great platforms to keep the brand activation going, give events to the fans in cities far and wide, and prompt lots and lots of talk, all without really losing a beat and with few fans saying I really want to watch more games.
The idea of spring football comes down to an essential question that is often missed…do we want to have more of a product or does the consumer need to have it. Are the extra events the NFL has created filling the void that was perceived to be for spring football? The numbers and the partners don’t lie, every non event the NFL has becomes a bigger than imagined event, not even including OTA’s, a much needed break, and then training camp.
This is not to say it would be great if the pro spring football leagues succeed. People need jobs, there has been some great innovation and some amazing talent, but is it sustainable as a business, and this is big business with big costs.
And another question? Would Flag football, not on a pro level but as a participation sport, fill the need for competition, especially on the high school and event the college level? We have looked at that before.
It would be great for the UFL and the CFL, each with their own models, to sustain and grow and bring in dollars and opportunities. That takes time. But in the meantime, every time the NFL puts out a shingle and creates a stage, fans show up, brands engage and people watch. The nongame season is great for activation and building anticipation.
Is it enough? The market will bear out, but when you ask casual fans what they watch and follow, the NFL is the year-round default, even when kickoff is months away.
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