American Football
Features
XFL confident its second act will prove a success and avoid same fate as AAF
With the revamped XFL football league kicking off in February, Bob Williams takes a look at the measures Vince McMahon's latest project is taking in order to prosper.
New Orleans uses Sugar Bowl to bring College Football Playoff title game to city
College football's showpiece event is often a loss-making venture for its hosts but the generosity of the Sugar Bowl has brought this year's game to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Jim Rooney remembers his father’s outsized NFL legacy in new book
SportBusiness' US Editor Eric Fisher speaks to the son of the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney about his legacy and the current state of the Rooney Rule and the NFL at large.
San Francisco 49ers continue concessions revolution with unlimited food and drink menu
Bob Williams looks at how the San Francisco 49ers looking to create a better game-day experience for their fans, starting with the concessions stand.
NFL stadiums are key testing ground for 5G mobile rollout in US
Expansive size and density of some of US' largest sports facilities provide a fertile environment to experiment with next-generation mobile technology. Story by Rick Snider.
2020 NFL Draft to include players arriving to Bellagio fountains stage by boat
The 2020 NFL Draft in Las Vegas is scheduled to include a stage on the water in front of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino fountains, with players being brought to the dais by boat for an official red carpet e…
FanCode acquires NFL streaming rights in India
Indian online sports platform FanCode has acquired streaming rights for the NFL in a multi-season deal with the American football league
Super Bowl tickets pacing at record levels on resale market
Pent-up demand from both Kansas City, San Francisco helping fuel interest
NFL conference title games take unexpected ratings dip
Collective audience is smallest since 2009, bucking season-long audience improvement for league
Nashville looking to utilise NFL Draft to become 2026 World Cup host venue
Music at heart of experience as tourism chiefs try to set stage for bigger events
Tennessee capital one of 17 US cities vying to make final cut for Fifa showpiece
Pittsburgh Steelers steal a march on rivals in international social media battle
The Pittsburgh Steelers have long maintained a sizeable global following. Ryan Huzjak, their vice-president of sales and marketing, tells SportBusiness how they are now using social media to engage with, grow, and monetise that audience.
Comeback or a temporary correction? NFL domestic TV audiences recover in 2018-19
After consecutive years of falling television ratings, NFL domestic television audiences increased by five per cent in the recently concluded 2018-19 season.
49ers draw on SAP partnership to improve fan experience in real time
The ‘Executive Huddle’ – the SAP-powered venue-management platform at Levi’s Stadium – has put the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers at the forefront of fan experience management and shows how far partnerships between tech companies and rights-holders can go beyond sponsorship.
AMB Group utilising Super Bowl LIII to join rotation of NFL’s showpiece game
Securing ‘big global events’ is a primary aim of Mercedes-Benz Stadium ownership
Hosting a semi-final of 2026 Fifa World Cup also in sights of $1.5bn
Atlanta’s unified Host Committee model offers template for other US host cities
Core group organising three major events in as many years at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Super Bowl LIII staff have taken key learnings from 2018 college football title game at venue
LA Rams use Super Bowl run to showcase $5bn stadium complex
Team using moment in spotlight to help fund construction of transformative new venue
Key stakeholders will be invited to Atlanta; meetings with potential partners also arranged
Alliance of American Football bets on player data to fill NFL off-season void
Wearable devices will enable biometric data to be used in-game and in real time for wagering
App has been created that will allow gamblers to simultaneously watch a game and bet on it
Bonus structu
London is just the start of the NFL’s plans for global domination
Mark Waller, executive vice-president, international and events at the NFL, hopes for a London-based franchise by 2022
Jaguars’ leap into London boosts ‘local’ revenues and offers long-term growth platform
The Jaguars have played an annual fixture in London since 2013, with the city now accounting for 11 per cent of their “local” revenues.
Atlanta Falcons’ concession-pricing trades small revenue dip for major goodwill gains
NFL franchise slashed the price of food and drink at their new Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Revenue decline less than anticipated; fan response greater
Philadelphia Eagles opt for long-term stability, creating bespoke commercial partnerships
The Philadelphia Eagles’ Ari Roitman explains the long-term thinking behind his stability-first commercial strategy, and discusses how the team still managed to take maximum advantage of their unexpected Super Bowl victory.
US Digest | Tiger effect lifts PGA Championship TV ratings
Welcome to the US Digest, rounding up the big news and developments coming out of the world’s biggest sports market
US sports tweak rules and presentation to keep audiences hooked
US major leagues are tweaking their rules to make sure fans stay tuned in as concerns build about distracted audiences. Data is playing a critical role, with leading rights-holders employing sophisticated, data-led decision-making to make the changes.
US Digest | NBA strikes deal with MGM to provide data to gamblers
Welcome to the US Digest, rounding up the big news and developments coming out of the world’s biggest sports market
All upside for NFL from ‘win-win’ Nike-Fanatics deal
The NFL will get a healthy increase in combined sponsorship and licensed merchandise revenue from its three-way agreement with sporting goods brand Nike and the online sports retailer Fanatics, industry…
US Digest | Lakers reap immediate rewards of the LeBron effect
Welcome to the first edition of SportBusiness Group’s US Digest, rounding up the big news and developments coming out of the world’s biggest sports market
US Digest | FIFA World Cup ratings recovering from rough start
In this week's US sports industry round-up: FIFA World Cup ratings recovering from rough start | Rhode Island legalizes sports gaming | NASCAR looking at changing sponsorship model