Super (Data) Bowl: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs dominate TV ad spots this season
As the Patrick Mahomes 'GOAT NFL playoff QB' debate rages on, he has already clinched one title this season:
The three-time Super Bowl MVP appeared in six campaigns during the past NFL season and hundreds of cumulative ad spots, per data from iSpot, tops on a list of nearly 100 current and former NFL players, along with a handful of other stars from sports, who were featured in TV ad campaigns throughout the season.
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Data note: iSpot tracked more than 3,400 NFL game broadcast ad spots over the regular season and playoffs. The data only includes traditional broadcast spots during NFL broadcasts and excludes any streaming-specific ads.
Mahomes' spots include several brands that have made him near-ubiquitous when fans are watching football on TV over the past season, including State Farm, T-Mobile and Head & Shoulders shampoo. Three others include adidas, Dick's Sporting Goods and Doritos, which has made Mahomes the center of its Super Bowl pregame ad campaign.
Given that data about Mahomes, it won't be surprising that the NFL team with the most accumulated TV ad spots was the Kansas City Chiefs.
In fact, Mahomes — by himself — was in more TV ad spots than all the other players and coaches on the Chiefs combined.
Three former players come in directly behind Mahomes: Peyton Manning, J.J. Watt and Rob Gronkowski. The Kelce brothers — Travis, the Chiefs star tight end and beau to Taylor Swift, and Jason, the recently retired other half of the siblings' wildly popular "New Heights" podcast — slot into fourth and fifth place, each repping four brands.
Typically, a player's success or team's success in the previous season would have a big impact on their ubiquity on TV ads the next season. But — as with their superlative performances winning back-to-back Super Bowl championships and going for an unprecedented third title in a row — the Chiefs' advertising exposure during NFL games is off the charts.
Keep up with The Athletic's complete coverage of Super Bowl LIX here.
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; photo: Michael Owens / Getty Images)
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