For the last couple of seasons, CBS has been — with the exception of Thanksgiving night — the NFL’s sole dance partner on Thursday nights. But starting next season, CBS will have to get used to the idea of the league spending time romancing another “friend” — NBC. [More]
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New York Attorney General Calls For Caps On Ticket Resale Prices, Outlawing Of Scalper Bots
By 1.28.16
When you go to buy tickets for a popular concert or sporting event, you likely know that you’ll ultimately have to make your purchase from a ticket reseller who will mark up the price to try maximize their profit. But the New York state attorney general is calling on the state legislature to put new rules into place that would protect consumers from scalpers who swoop in and buy up every ticket before they are available to actual fans. [More]
Wells Fargo Mocks Minnesota Vikings’ “Photo Bomb” Lawsuit
By 1.11.16
A few weeks back, the Minnesota Vikings sued Wells Fargo, accusing the bank of trying “photo bomb” the team’s new stadium. Wells has since fired back, calling the whole thing “far-fetched.” [More]
Minnesota Vikings Sue Wells Fargo For Attempting To “Photo Bomb” New Stadium
By 12.23.15
When you build a new multibillion-dollar stadium for an NFL franchise, you probably want to make sure that advertisers are paying for their name on or in the building, not just near it. And you probably want to ensure that those advertisers who do pay for their name on the building aren’t being overshadowed by the neighbors. Which is why the Minnesota Vikings are suing Wells Fargo. [More]
Court Ruling On Rock Band’s Name Could Bolster “Redskins” Trademark
By 12.23.15
In 2014, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled the trademark for the NFL’s Washington Redskins, deeming the term offensive and therefore not eligible for trademark. In July 2015, a federal court sided with the USPTO and ordered the agency to cancel the team’s trademark. But a ruling this week by an appeals court in Washington, D.C., adds a new wrinkle to this complicated and controversial issue. [More]
Uber Now Offering Last-Minute NFL Tickets, Rides To Games — In Jacksonville
By 11.17.15
Earlier this fall, Uber began a two-month, Saturdays-only test allowing passenger to watch college football games while on the move in Nashville, Detroit, Atlanta and Houston. Now the company is one-upping itself by providing last-minute tickets to riders wanting to see a professional football game — as long as they live in Jacksonville and want to see the currently 3-6 Jaguars. [More]
DraftKings & FanDuel Are Exempt From Online Gambling Laws Because Pro Sports Wanted It That Way
By 11.16.15
Daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel are basically everywhere lately. Not only are the ads for both companies a constant during every sports broadcast of any kind, but also there’s constantly news about FBI investigations, states trying to shut them down, or even John Oliver roasts. [More]
New Bud Light Deal Means Active NFL Players Can Be Used To Shill For Beer
By 11.6.15
Bud Light has been an official beer-like drink of the National Football League for a few seasons now, and ads for Bud Light have long featured retired athletes, but the league had barred the use of any active players in beer commercials. That’s about to change thanks to a multi-year deal between the NFL and the popular beverage brand. [More]
Buffalo Wild Wings Blames Sluggish Sales On NFL Season’s Late Start
By 10.29.15
Did you notice something different about the first week of September this year — perhaps a noticeable lack of wing sauce covering your fingers? Sports eatery Buffalo Wild Wings wasn’t able to score as much in the third quarter, blaming its lack of customers on the late start to the NFL season. [More]
NFL Receives Permission To Use Drones For Filming, Just Not Actual Games
By 9.23.15
Films, documentaries and television segments featuring footage of professional football practice facilities and stadiums could soon be coming courtesy of an unmanned aircraft, as the NFL received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to use drones for some – very restricted – filming purposes. [More]
What’s It Like To Be An NFL Owner? Ask The Green Bay Packers Shareholders
By 9.10.15
“Please rise, remove your hats, your cheeseheads, and join us in singing our National Anthem.”
There is only one place those words make complete sense. Yes, even on a hot, bright summer day in July, when any pate covered in orange foam material had to be sweating more profusely than a Vikings fan in a purple jersey in a stadium full of green and gold: Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, WI. It’s the home of the Green Bay Packers. [More]
Here’s How Much Your Local Sports Bar Is Paying For NFL Sunday Ticket
By 8.14.15
If you think $252-$354/year is a lot to pay for DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket, well… you’re right. But it’s also just a fraction of what even the smallest sports bar will pay to carry the exclusive add-on package. [More]
NFL Sunday Ticket Now Available To College Students At A Discount
By 8.10.15
College students often live far from where they grew up, meaning they can’t usually watch their hometown NFL team play on Sunday afternoons. DirecTV and its new parent AT&T are hoping to reach these young football fans by offering a discounted rate for online access to NFL Sunday Ticket. [More]
Bar Sues NFL & DirecTV, Alleging NFL Sunday Ticket Is Illegal Monopoly
By 7.16.15
NFL Sunday Ticket — a pricey add-on sports package that offers live access to every out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL game — is exclusively available through DirecTV, and will remain that way for years to come. But some bar owners allege that the satellite company’s deal with the NFL creates an illegal monopoly. [More]
John Oliver’s Rousing Speech Rallies American Sports Fans To Stop Wasting Public Money On Stadiums
By 7.13.15
In spite of the fact that new sports venues often cost upwards of billions of dollars to construct, many American teams play in stadiums and arenas that are less than 25 years old. Heck, once the Atlanta Braves move into their new park, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park will be the most senior venue in the NL East — and that only opened in 2004. Whether it’s through municipal bonds, tax breaks, or free real estate, a lot of the money to pay for these venues ultimately comes out of taxpayers’ pockets. [More]
Federal Court Cancels Registration Of Redskins Trademarks
By 7.8.15
A year after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office deemed the term “Redskin” offensive, and therefore not eligible for a trademark, the Washington NFL team has been dealt another blow in its attempt to protect its brand. This morning, a federal court agreed with the USPTO and ordered the agency to cancel the team’s trademark. [More]
Hyundai Replaces General Motors As Official Automotive Sponsor Of The NFL
By 6.29.15
Sure, sometimes breaking up might be hard to do, but it always helps when you’ve got another suitor lined up to take your former flame’s place. Such is the arrangement for the National Football League, which announced today that it’s ending its relationship with General Motors and hooking up with Hyundai. [More]
Why Cord-Cutters Aren’t Getting The Holy Grail TV Of Streaming Services Just Yet
By 5.14.15
As a growing number of consumers drop — or never sign up for — traditional pay-TV services, it’s easy to point to Netflix as a big reason. And yet, Netflix and similar services don’t actually replace the TV experience, especially when it comes to sports. Newer offerings, like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, replicate the live TV watching experience, but falter compared to traditional pay-TV when it comes to things like DVR functionality. What’s stopping the big players from offering an all-in-one online service now? [More]
