Commentary: The big business of football is fine, for now

Long Island Business News, Feb 9, 2007 by John Kiernan

President Calvin Coolidge was once quoted as saying "The business of America is business."

Last Sunday, the eyes of America were on Miami and the Super Bowl, and if anyone ever doubted that major league sports were a big business, the Super Bowl should dispel any doubts. After all of the commercials, product endorsements and sponsor parties, the game is almost an afterthought.

The National Football League has certainly made its championship game a national phenomenon, and the Super Bowl has become part of a weeklong event. The NFL has taken the Super Bowl and applied some of the greatest marketing strategies to make this more than just a game.

On Sunday morning, I asked one of my sons to run an errand for something his mother needed. He didn't refuse my request, but said, "Dad, it is Super Bowl Sunday, it's a national holiday." Nearly everyone I know, except my 87-year-old mother, was going to a Super Bowl party. Earlier on Sunday I went to our local deli and also to a higher-end food specialty store. Both proprietors told me the Super Bowl business was superb, and that it was difficult to keep up with demand.

Super Bowl pools are so prevalent that it is hard to find an office or a business that does not have one. People who do not watch an NFL game during the entire season, and in some cases do not even know the rules of the game, buy boxes in the office pool. The amount of money bet on the game probably exceeds wagers on the Kentucky Derby and the World Series combined.

In January 1967, I watched the first Super Bowl played by the NFL's Green Bay Packers against the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers won handily. The game was played in the Rose Bowl in the afternoon (Eastern Time) and a college band was the halftime entertainment. The entire program was concluded by 5 p.m. There were no pop music superstars on stage at halftime, and there were no "sponsors" for every aspect of the TV broadcast.

Last Sunday, Ford or Chevy trucks (I am not sure which one) sponsored the Super Bowl "kick-off show." This was after the pre- game show. We all watched the coin toss, which followed several interviews. However, the kick-off show didn't actually include the kick-off that started the game. In the end, it was really the "coin toss show," but that would have been much more difficult

to sell.

The NFL has been smart and successful for decades because it has understood the need to constantly grow and change. It knows how to appeal to its core audience of young and middle-aged men.

Of course, its greatest innovation was when it expanded the weekend by creating Monday Night Football in 1970. The Monday night game created a whole new cultural event. Monday night football literally created sports bars.

The NFL has been a leader in sports marketing, but you need a quality product to be successful even if you are a marketing genius. Over the years, the NFL has put a great product into the homes of millions of Americans. But some NFL players have had problems with their off-the-field conduct. This year, there were several serious incidents, including weapons charges and DWI arrests. One player was shot to death after a game in December. One player on the Bears facing gun possession charges needed court permission to travel to Florida for the game.

In the future, this could be the biggest challenge facing the NFL. It is important to its brand name to keep this situation under control.