As I write this, we’re less than a week out from the Super Bowl. As such, I’m gonna use this time today to learn you up on the 3 most profitable letters in the entire existence of human beans.
Ready for it?
(Make sure you’re sitting because this will make you jump out of your seat faster than a man freed from a straightjacket…
…well, just kidding, I’m sure you can already guess it… I practically gave the answer away in the first sentence…)
The NFL.
Those are the 3 most profitable letters in human existence.
Hate football? Don’t believe my baseless claims?
Well, checky:
The NFL—and by extension the “shield” which acts as the logo to their brand—obviously makes many young athletes extremely wealthy.
But wait, there’s more!
NFL announcers get paid even fatter sums of cheddar cheese than the players actually playing the game. In fact, after Tom Brady retired, he immediately accepted a $375 million dollar deal to work with Fox Sports. (Brady only earned about $300 million throughout the course of his 23-year career.)
But wait, there’s more!
The Super Bowl boasts astronomical viewership. Nearly 100 million viewers tune in each year to watch the Super Bowl. 30 second spots during the commercials of said Super Bowl run for $7 million dollars a pop. (That’s $233,333.33 a second!)
Better yet?
Since each NFL game is treated as its own “show,” the NFL not only ranks as the #1 most watched TV show year after year, but it actually owns spots #1 through #50 according to Neilson’s ratings system.
But wait, there’s more!
A few years ago, politics erupted throughout the NFL. Some players kneeled to show their respect for those of us who get abused by the system. This sparked outrage on both sides of the political spectrum. Some of the cringiest boomer types vowed to never watch a single football game again.
Of course, they did watch more football. Ratings continue to climb higher and higher and higher. Making the NFL one of the few things invincible to political annihilation.
But wait, there’s more!
Some NFL players have committed some of the most egregious acts of violence you can imagine. From decking females with haymakers (on camera) to doing much more nefarious things… Not only do many of these players still play, but fans still watch and root them on.
But wait, there’s more!
Will Smith and his movie on CTE threatened to end football for good. While rules have changed to better support players’ health, it’s still being watched more than ever.
But wait, there’s more!
The NFL cracked the demographic code too. Everyone—well, everyone in America at least—watches football. In fact, watching football is one of the few times you’ll see a Boomer, Gen Xer, Millennial, and Zoomer bond with each other. Towards the end of the season, Nickelodeon, which is a children’s TV network, even hosts games where players get digitally slimed when they score a touchdown or make a big play.
But wait, there’s more!
Remember how I said “well, everyone in America at least watches football?” Well, that wasn’t quite accurate either. The NFL has been consciously expanding overseas to bring even more of the world together to watch this game.
But wait, there’s more!
Sports gambling is slowly becoming more and more legalized across America. This “forces” people to tune into—and be sucked into—games to see if they win their bet (even if the games are complete snooze fests).
But wait, there’s more!
Despite your average, run-of-the-mill guru claiming “they don’t watch sports because they’d rather compete themselves,” many people make a lot of money from the act of watching sports. Whether they play the game themselves, create content for the game, host sports media shows, coach the game, own the team, and on and on and on and on.
It’s a massive business, and perhaps one of the best case studies in branding you ever will get.
Now, admittedly, I’m not much of a “brand expert.” It’s not that I don’t think branding is important, it’s more of the fact that self-proclaimed brand experts don’t know a lick about persuasion and convincing someone to part with their doll-hairs in exchange for your products and services. (In fact, one of my clients would argue I am a brand expert because the way I write emails have landed him on some perfect product-market fit podcasts, but that’s a story for another day.)
These so-called “brand experts” are the type of folk who will fap to the “funny” Super Bowl commercials, which usually ain’t even funny, and then proceed to never even think about buying a product from said commercial because the commercial failed at it’s #1 job — moving them to the top of their mind and persuading them that their life would be better with their product.
Anyway, why do I bring all this up?
Well, if you wanna study a master brand—perhaps the greatest brand to ever grace this green Earth—study the NFL. Study how many ways there are to engage with said brand. Study how they command TV. In fact, sports in general, and the NFL in particular, are one of the few reasons cable television itself makes any money with new streaming services popping out of the woodwork each and every week.
And if you need someone to help you craft emails that not only build your brand, but also generate cashola for you right here and meow, book a call, and let’s chat.
John