[jazzman7]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/4/6907355/nfl-bose-sponsorship-deal-bans-beats-headphones
 
Interesting that Bose would use their product placement deal with the NFL to tell players and sideline folks what headphones they can use during broadcasts. 

 

[Head Injury]

Not all that interesting. It seems like common sense to want to advertise your brand to the exclusion of others if you're paying to be a sponsor. That's sort of the point of spending all that money. What did you expect them to do?
 
I am surprised they were able to dictate what players can wear after the game, too. I wonder how much they're paying for this.

 

[jazzman7]

  Not all that interesting. It seems like common sense to want to advertise your brand to the exclusion of others if you're paying to be a sponsor. That's sort of the point of spending all that money. What did you expect them to do?
 
I am surprised they were able to dictate what players can wear after the game, too. I wonder how much they're paying for this.

I'm curious how much Bose paid, too.  Motorola was reported to have paid 40 million during their 13-year run of headset sponsorship, and that was obviously some time ago.
 
On the advertising of the brand on camera:  I wonder if Bose gave every person on camera headphones.  Then it totally makes sense to do what they are doing. 
 
By the way, what about the announcers who regularly use Sennheisers?  I see HD-25s and HMD-26s on their heads all the time. 

 

[Head Injury]

By the way, what about the announcers who regularly use Sennheisers?  I see HD-25s and HMD-26s on their heads all the time. 

Not sure, I won't pretend to know much about sports. Are these announcers employed by the NFL or by local news stations, ESPN, etc.? The Bose thing would probably only apply to the NFL.
 
Now if Bose starts sponsoring ESPN too you can say goodbye to Sennheiser

 

[Jhe888]

The NFL bans all logos on NFL broadcasts, except the ones it approves, so they can tell a sponsor like Bose that they get an exclusive when they buy advertising (which is what providing those headphones is). They don't want players or others undermining their efforts to sell advertising. There is nothing wrong with that at all. They have gone to a lot of effort to make selling advertising on NFL broadcasts very lucrative and they want to protect it.
 
I don't know that this would extend to the TV announcers. It could, if the contract between the broadcasters and the NFL required it. Since the announcers are not using exclusively Bose, I think it is fair to assume that the NFL's deal with the broadcasters does not cover that.

 

[JK1]

Headphone deals with the NFL?????
 
I would be much more impressed by headphone deals with famous orchestras  and famous musicians of classical music, especially if they are required to promise to never  use headphones of a different brand while the sponsorship agreement is in place.

 

[superjawes]

The NFL bans all logos on NFL broadcasts, except the ones it approves, so they can tell a sponsor like Bose that they get an exclusive when they buy advertising (which is what providing those headphones is). They don't want players or others undermining their efforts to sell advertising. There is nothing wrong with that at all. They have gone to a lot of effort to make selling advertising on NFL broadcasts very lucrative and they want to protect it.

This does make sense to me. I can see why Bose and the NFL would want to avoid "free" advertising for someone else in general.

However...if it is equipment without a team logo and is not related to the game, is it really fair to penalize players? Bose's sponsorship is for headsets, which, in my mind, covers communications and not necessarily music.

Jerseys? Yes, lock them to a brand for uniformity. Shoes? Yes, lock them to a brand for uniformity. Other apparel? That makes sense, too. NFL and team logos will be on the gear, so it's fair to expect some sort of control over the brand image(s). Music headphones? Those aren't related to the game, and if they aren't branded with NFL/team logos, I don't see a reason why the NFL would ban them at all times (the ban includes practice sessions and in the locker rooms).

And on top of this, players are free to seek their own sponsorships. A ban like this sounds like overreach (since it goes beyond the field), hurting the players' abilities to secure their own sponsorships.

Basically, if the NFL only covered the ban on the field, I could understand and be okay with it. But extending it as far out as they are is wrong, and they might end up getting burned by it.

Side note, I think it's kind of great the Colin Kaepernick got fined for wearing Breast Cancer Awareness headphones. Almost forces the League to send mixed messages, doesn't it?

I don't know that this would extend to the TV announcers. It could, if the contract between the broadcasters and the NFL required it. Since the announcers are not using exclusively Bose, I think it is fair to assume that the NFL's deal with the broadcasters does not cover that.

The NFL is powerful, but TV announcers work for companies that are just as powerful--if not more (CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC). I doubt the NFL will try to tell those companies what they can and can't use...

 

[wigglepuff]

wow talk about monopoly, kinda like the NBA where Nike is the only allowed brand.