Over the years, professional sports have evolved from simple entertainment to a major marketing outlet. No matter what sport you watch, product endorsements and sponsorships are everywhere.
The NFL recently fined 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick $10,000 for wearing Beats by Dr. Dre headphones during a postgame press conference. The NFL has an exclusive contract with headphone company Bose, and any other brand of headphones with competing logos are banned during NFL sanctioned events, including practices, games, and press conferences. Kaepernick, a paid endorser for Beats headphones, got out of paying the fine by covering the Beats logo with a strip of tape, therefore, not breaking the NFL’s contractual obligation to Bose. But this isn’t an isolated incident. The NFL or any other sports league should not be able to put restrictions on what brands athletes can and cannot use or endorse. Athletes should be free to use and promote whatever products they want, even during NFL sanctioned events.
In the instance of Kaepernick, the NFL used its contact with Bose to monopolize advertising within professional football. If an NFL player used a brand outside of an NFL sponsor, they would be fined and expected to immediately cease use of the opposing brand. The NFL and other leagues should not be allowed to contractually determine what brands athletes’ are allowed to use in order to increase sponsorship for the league itself. By not allowing players to use certain brands during NFL related events, the NFL has taken away opportunities for sponsorships that would allow athletes to both promote themselves and earn money for their use of products.
Sports have become a vital part of the advertising world, and many athletes have come to rely on the extra money that sponsorships bring in. Not all athletes have million dollar contracts, and sponsorships often help cover the costs of training, equipment and medical expenses for sport-related injuries. For example, in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, a rule, known as Rule 40, was passed banning all athletes from mentioning any brand on social media besides Adidas, the official sponsor of the London Olympics. Breaking Rule 40 would result in financial penalties or disqualification from the Olympic Games. Many nonprofessional athletes had relied on sponsorship money to cover the expense of training for the Olympics, and the ban on production promotion made many athletes struggle to find enough money. Without the support of a sponsorship, some athletes can’t afford to train or pay for entry fees for various competitions. Advertising and sponsorships are the backbone of the sports industry.
A majority of athletes are paid to use specific products while in public and at sporting events. Whether it’s equipment, sports drinks or clothing, companies have discovered that getting popular athletes and sport figures to use their products is a way to boost sales. For example, if a kid sees his favorite basketball player wearing a certain brand of shoe, that kid is more likely to want the same brand of shoe to emulate that athlete. Nike used popular NBA athlete, Michael Jordan, in one of its shoe advertisement campaigns with the Air Jordan series of basketball shoes. The advertisements used to feature Jordan playing basketball in a pair of Air Jordans and highlighted that the shoes had a big impact in his performance. Although Air Jordans, or any Nike shoes, aren’t proven to be better than another brand, people have been buying Air Jordans for years because they are the brand that Jordan used, and they want to be just like him.
Athletes should be free to accept or deny any sponsorships or paid endorsements for products. Every other public figure has a choice whether or not they want to promote a product, so the same choice should be extended to athletes. Unless there are specific contractual obligations to the league, there is no reason that athletes should be barred from using or promoting a certain brand at any point, regardless of league affiliation. Sports leagues, such as the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, all have the opportunity to sign contracts with whatever brand they want. If leagues are allowed to have sponsorship deals, then players should be allowed to have them as well. There is no reason that a league should be the only beneficiary of advertising in sports when the players are doing all of the work by displaying and using the products.
Athlete sponsorship and product promotions should be all about freedom of choice; if athletes decide that a product is good enough to be associated with their names, then they should be able use and promote that product as much as they want. Sports may be primarily a form of entertainment, but it is still important that we respect the athlete’s personal choice regarding product promotion and their choice to do business. The sports industry thrives off of sponsorship deals, and if we want to keep the sports industry alive, then we need to let athletes freely promote products.
