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Will Your Favorite Vodka Sponsor Your Favorite Football Team?

Colman Andrews

Published: May 30, 2019 12:12 pm

Last Updated: January 6, 2020 4:14 am

The Smirnoff Saints? The Johnnie Walker Jets? Maybe not, but it’s about to become easier for all 32 NFL teams to form sponsorship alliances with wine and spirits companies, and for players to appear in ads for beer.

According to an email sent Tuesday by the National Football League to team presidents and other executives and leaked to the market research firm Morning Consult, the NFL is easing its previous restrictions on the use of player likenesses and team associations in beer, wine, and liquor advertising.

Overturning its previous rules, the NFL will now permit active players to be associated with beer brands, as long as the ads don’t imply that they’re actually endorsing the products. In addition, if a brand wants to use more than one player’s likeness, they have to use a minimum of six.

Sponsors must also utilize licensed Associated Press images of the athletes in uniform, and sign a sponsorship deal with the player’s team. So who will probably take advantage of the rule change? At least some of America’s biggest beer brands.

Unlike their beer counterparts, wine and spirits brands will still be barred from using active players in their ads, but will now be allowed to be described as a team’s official product. They will also be able to use team logos on their packaging and other materials, with some restrictions.

Athletes who appear in ads will receive a share of the fees paid. Will the players with the most Super Bowl rings command the highest prices?

The other major sports leagues — the NBA and MLB — have no prohibitions against the appearance of active players in beer advertising, though the practice has been rare.