NFL and the Economy; Even the Big Dog is Feeling the Pinch
The Q Beat
The economic woes are even effecting the NFL and The Q Beat has drummed up some examples of how…
The Jets will join the Giants and several other teams in 
wearing sponsored patches on the sleeves of their practice jerseys this summer, a revenue-producing strategy the NFL approved in March.
Both teams will display patches advertising the sponsors of their practice facilities - Atlantic Health for the Jets and Timex for the Giants. The patches are not allowed to be larger than 3 x 4 inches. The NFL does not permit advertising on game jerseys.
In Washington the Redskins are taking some interesting steps to try to ensure ticket sales. The Redskins and the Virginia Lottery unveiled the “$50,000,000 Redskins Mania” scratch ticket on Monday in a press conference at Redskins Park.
The scratch ticket is part of a new partnership between the Redskins and the Virginia Lottery.
Fans can purchase the Redskins Mania scratch ticket at nearly 5,000 Virginia Lottery retail outlets beginning Aug. 3, coinciding with the start of NFL football season.
Fans can also purchase tickets during Redskins Training Camp from Aug. 3-8 at Redskins Park.
A portion of the profits from the Redskins Mania tickets will go to Virginia public schools.
“We are thrilled to offer this unique game experience to lottery players,” Virginia Lottery executive director Paula I. Otto said. “In addition, we look forward to reaching some new potential customers through the power of the Redskins brand.
“This game is a win-win for the Virginia Lottery and the Washington Redskins, as we expect this ticket to generate millions in profits for public schools.”
Added Redskins chief operating officer Mitch Gershman: “This is an exciting partnership that allows Redskins fans the unique opportunity to win once-in-a-lifetime Redskins experiences, game tickets and other team-related prizes for the first time ever.
“We’re proud to be able to contribute to the creation of new revenue for Virginia’s public schools through a fun ticket like Redskins Mania.”
The scratch ticket, one of the first to be launched by a state lottery and an NFL team, offers football and lottery fans alike the chance to instantly win from $20 to $1 million by scratching to win.
Redskins Mania tickets are $20 and the cash prizes offered are similar to other Virginia Lottery tickets at that price point.
The odds of winning $1 million are 1 in 1,305,600. The odds of winning any cash prize are 1 in 2.78.
Odds of winning the Redskins second-chance prizes are based on the number of entries.
There are many more examples of how the ecomony is hitting the Big Dog NFL. Just you wait and see… We are not too far off having advertisements on the front of NFL jerseys.
Q June 26 2009
