NFL reels in a record $1.8 billion in sponsorship…
1 min read
Getty Images
Sponsorship deals literally generate money for nothing. Nothing beyond letting a name be tied to a product.
For the NFL, allowing others to invoke Big Shield has generated more money than ever. Via CNBC, the league brought in more than $1.8 billion in sponsorship revenue in the 2021 season.
The bulk of it comes from the ongoing spike in gambling money, with a goofy (but lucrative) “tri-exclusive” (i.e., not exclusive at all) partnership with DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesers, along with so-called “secondary deals” with BetMGM, WynnBet, FoxBet, and PointsBet.
Most of the money comes from Microsoft, which pays roughly $100 million per year to push its non-iPad product. The gambling deals come in second, with the league’s beer-and-booze sponsorships landing third.
Still to come? Agreements with wine and champagne companies and the crypto pyramid schemers.
It currently works out to more than $56 million per team. Which is a nice chunk of change, for doing absolutely nothing at all.
