Maybe the Minnesota Vikings are feeling generous after a 2-0 start, but the NFL team is reportedly going to allow Wells Fargo to keep the two rooftop signs the bank allegedly erected to “photobomb” the Vikes’ new stadium — even though a court already ordered Wells to remove the signs. [More]
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Oakland Raiders File Trademark Applications For “Las Vegas Raiders”
By 8.25.16
Even though the Oakland Raiders have not yet received the NFL’s blessing to relocate (again), the team appears to be protecting a potential Las Vegas future from potential trademark raiders. [More]
Denver Broncos Take Back Naming Rights Contract For Their Stadium
By 8.3.16
Sports Authority is dead. The store merchandise is mostly gone, and the iMacs and foosball tables have been cleared out of the former headquarters building. There’s one important thing left, though: the naming rights to the arena where the Denver Broncos play. The remaining years on the retailer’s contract were for sale as part of the intellectual property auction, and there were no takers. Even after two deadline extensions, no one was interested, so the stadium authority and the team have taken the rights back. [More]
NFL Network, RedZone Return To Dish Network After Prolonged Dispute
By 8.3.16
After a few months in the dark, Dish customers will get NFL Network and NFL RedZone back in their channel lineup in time to watch their favorite teams toss around the ol’ pig skin come football season. [More]
Expect Fewer Obnoxious DraftKings & FanDuel Ads This Football Season
By 8.1.16
Last fall, daily fantasy sports seemed to come out of nowhere, with the industry’s two biggest players — DraftKings and FanDuel — also suddenly emerging as two of the biggest spenders on TV advertising. Constant commercials, sponsored segments on sports shows; even the final season of FXX’s The League had a bizarre, shoehorned-in season-long DraftKings subplot. All these ads brought DFS gamers to the two sites, but they also attracted the attention of state regulators, resulting in Nevada and New York being added to the list of states where DFS is not (for the moment) allowed. Now the two sites say they plan to rein in their ad spending and make ads that don’t play up the aspects that make DFS look a lot like gambling to some people. [More]
NFL Network, RedZone Joining PlayStation Vue Lineup
By 7.26.16
Conventional wisdom still says that sports are the key to cable: people will stream their comedies and dramas, but will pay for their sports coverage, because Americans sure love their sports. So it is unsurprising, then, that over-the-top cable-alternative streaming services are lining up to add more sports channels to their programming, including PlayStation Vue. [More]
NFL Literally Studying Whether It Should Move The Goalposts
By 7.19.16
Should it be harder to score an extra point or field goal in NFL games? If so, what’s the best way to go about changing the process — should the space between the goal posts be narrower? To tackle that questions, the NFL is using special new footballs equipped with computer chips to collect data about each kick. [More]
NFL Agrees To Make Its Pre-Teen Fantasy Football Contests Less Like Gambling
By 7.13.16
Earlier this year, consumer advocates called on the NFL to put an end to its NFL Rush Fantasy competitions, which are only for pre-teens, but which offer significant prizes, ranging from video game consoles to trips to the Pro Bowl. While the NFL is apparently going to continue offering the kiddie fantasy football game, these groups say the league is making changes to address some of their concerns. [More]
Wells Fargo Must Remove Signs Built To “Photo Bomb” New Minnesota Vikings Stadium
By 6.24.16
Our brief regional nightmare is over, after a federal court ordered Wells Fargo to take down two rooftop signs erected to cash in on the impending media coverage of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium in Minneapolis. [More]
Twitter Looking Into Rash Of High-Profile Hackings
By 6.7.16
Days after the king of the modern internet — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg — found several of his social media accounts in the hands of hackers, similar attacks have befallen the NFL and other high-profile Twitter accounts, leading the social network to investigate. [More]
Congressional Report: NFL Tried To Influence Government Research On Head Injuries
By 5.23.16
Even though the National Football League currently paints itself as a player-friendly organization that puts safety above the base thrill of seeing a dude repeatedly getting his bell rung, the league has a long history of not only ignoring the issue but actively seeking to smother scientific research linking the sport to devastating longterm brain damage. A newly released Congressional investigation appears to confirm earlier news reports claiming that the NFL isn’t done trying to insert itself into research that could have an impact on the country’s most popular team sport. [More]
Washington Redskins Also Petition Supreme Court To Hear Trademark Appeal
By 4.26.16
Last week, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office petitioned the Supreme Court to chime in on a case involving the trademark application for a rock band with a racially charged name. Any SCOTUS ruling in that case would have an impact on the similar ongoing dispute over the trademark for the NFL’s Washington Redskins, but rather than hope for a favorable result with that petition, the football team has filed one of its own. [More]
Trademark Office Takes Dispute Over “Scandalous” Trademarks To Supreme Court
By 4.25.16
While the law prohibits the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from registering “immoral, deceptive, or scandalous” or disparaging trademarks, a federal appeals court recently ruled that this law is too restrictive and unconstitutional. Now the USPTO is asking the nation’s highest court to chime in on an issue that could impact countless rejected or cancelled trademarks, including that of the Washington Redskins. [More]
Judge Tells Minnesota Vikings & Wells Fargo To Settle Stadium “Photo Bombing” Spat
By 4.8.16
It’s the first week of baseball season, and pro hockey and basketball teams are making their final pushes for the playoffs, so the last thing on many sports fans’ minds is football. Perhaps that’s why the judge in the “photo bombing” spat between the Minnesota Vikings and Wells Fargo is telling the two parties to stop wasting everyone’s time and just work something out. [More]
Thursday Night Football Is Coming Live To A Twitter Near You This Fall
By 4.5.16
It’s no secret that the NFL has been looking for streaming partners for its Thursday night games. A month ago, the rumor mill said that Facebook was looking to be the victor on that field. But today the news has broken about what streaming service will be getting the games, and it’s not Facebook — nor is it Amazon, Netflix, or any big streaming suspect you might suspect. It’s Twitter. Yes, that Twitter. [More]
NFL In Talks With Facebook, Other Tech Giants For Thursday Night Football Streaming Rights
By 3.9.16
Instead of having to divide your attention between side-eyeing your third cousin’s 30,000th essential oils post and watching the big game, you could pay attention to both simultaneously. [More]
Groups Ask NFL To Shut Down Its Pre-Teen Fantasy Football Program
By 2.24.16
While daily fantasy sports [DFS] sites like FanDuel and DraftKings are in the spotlight over whether or not they violate state anti-gambling laws, those sites are intended only for adults. But the NFL also runs a fantasy football site that is targeted directly at youngsters, which some consumer advocates say is just prepping these kids for a life of wagering money on sports. [More]
NFL Refuses To Purchase The Only Known Tape Of First Super Bowl
By 2.3.16
Around 4pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 15, 1967, the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers squared off against the American Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs in the first ever Super Bowl. Some 50 million people watched the game, simulcast on both NBC and CBS, but neither network retained their footage of the historic event — and the one guy that does have a tape of the game isn’t allowed to sell it. [More]
