NFL Still MVP in the Sponsorship Game

Seven months after the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl for the second time in four years, the new NFL season has finally arrived. On Thursday night, the reigning champions host the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Kickoff game, ringing in the 18-week regular season consisting of 272 games – 17 for each of the league’s 32 teams.

And while this is by far the shortest season among major U.S. sports leagues – the MLB, NHL and NBA all play well over 1,000 regular season games – the NFL remains the largest and most popular one, and consequently the one attracting the most sponsorship dollars. According to IEG data cited by Sportico, sponsorship revenue for the NFL and its teams grew to $1.88 billion in the 2022-23 season, leaving every other league in the dust.

“The NFL is the perfect example of doing more with less. Its sponsorship revenue tops all U.S. sports leagues with fewer games, limited branding and minimal broadcast-visible signage,” Peter Laatz, Global Managing Director at IEG said in a statement. Interestingly, nearly half of the league’s total sponsorship revenue goes directly to the NFL, indicating how strong of a brand the NFL is itself.