Latest news with #TheNationalFootballLeague
Hypebeast
8 hours ago
- Business
- Hypebeast
NFL Explores Foreign Team Ownership, Says Ex-Commanders President
Summary TheNational Football League (NFL)is reportedly on the cusp of opening its doors to foreign investment in team ownership, according to Jason Wright, the former president of theWashington Commanders. Speaking on a sports business panel last week at Gabelli Funds' annual Media & Sports Symposium in New York, Wrightstatedthat his 'experience in NFL circles suggests the league is close to opening itself up to foreign investment.' While sovereign wealth funds from regions like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have already taken significant stakes in global sports like soccer, golf, and auto racing, major U.S. leagues have historically resisted such direct foreign ownership. However, with the NFL's continued business surge and its ambition for international expansion, Wright sees the diversification of its money pool as an 'inevitability.' Wright explained that the NFL, being a 'slower mover,' will likely 'test the waters' initially through large-scale 'partnership deals with companies and brands that we know foreign governments are behind and supporting.' He suggested that once these significant sponsorships, such as naming rights deals at the team level or marquee league partnerships, start emerging, it will signal a direct investment from foreign entities is on the horizon. These discussions, he revealed, 'have been happening in the background.' Wright, who served as the first Black president of an NFL franchise from 2020 to 2024, emphasized that smaller leagues might see sovereign investment more directly first due to greater need, but the NFL's move is a matter of when, not if. This shift could significantly impact the financial landscape of the league, potentially unlocking new capital for team operations and further international growth.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs awarded marketing rights to Spain and United Kingdom
The National Football League announced today that the Kansas City Chiefs have been awarded marketing and commercialization rights for the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain as part of the NFL's Global Markets Program. These three new markets add to the Chiefs existing rights in Mexico, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, bringing the team's total to seven, among the highest in the NFL. 'We are incredibly excited to bring Chiefs football to fans in the UK, Ireland and Spain,' Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. 'As the game grows globally, more and more fans from around the world are becoming a part of Chiefs Kingdom. Kansas City has certainly made a name for itself in the global sports landscape, and we are proud to showcase our town and our team on the international stage.'
The Hill
05-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Bottom Line: NFL and MLB sign PhronesisDC
The National Football League and Major League Baseball both drafted PhronesisDC to lobby on issues related to tax policy as Republicans prepare to pass a follow up to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Brendan Dunn, former policy adviser and counsel to then-Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), will work on the accounts. Elliott Investment Management, the investment firm founded by Republican megadonor Paul Singer, also hired PhronesisDC to lobby on tax policy. In addition to Dunn, the lobbyists on the account are Brett Quick, former staff director of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on National Security, International Trade and Finance, and Riley Stamper, a former legislative staff assistant to Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.). Marriott International hired Miller & Chevalier Chartered to lobby on issues related to tax accounting for loyalty programs. Marc Gerson, former majority tax counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, will work on the account. The Walt Disney Company hired Ballard Partners to lobby on issues related to the media industry. One of the lobbyists on the account is Patrick Kilcur, who joined the firm in December from the Motion Picture Association, which includes Walt Disney Studios among its member companies. Ballard Partners also registered to lobby on inter-agency coordination for the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028. Daniel McFaul, who was previously chief of staff to former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), will work on the account. The medical device company Boston Scientific Corporation hired Alston & Bird to lobby on health care reimbursement, tax and trade issues. One of the lobbyists on the account is Jane Lucas, who was previously a White House special assistant for President Trump during his first term and spent a decade working with Senate Republican Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). Another Trump White House Alum, Benjamin Howard, is part of The Duberstein Group team hired by the Metropolitan Opera Association. The firm will provide advocacy, funding and policy support for the Met Opera's arts and cultural initiatives, according to the registration.
The Hill
04-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
NFL to scrap ‘End Racism' messaging on field for Super Bowl
The National Football League (NFL) is replacing the 'End Racism' message on the back of a Super Bowl endzone this year with a new phrase: 'Choose Love.' This Sunday will mark the first Super Bowl since 2020 without an endzone field stencil displaying, 'End Racism.' The other endzone will display the message, 'It Takes All of Us,' which is used for all games, according to NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy. McCarthy described the NFL's choice this year as 'appropriate,' given the recent tragedy the country has suffered. 'The Super Bowl is often a snapshot in time and the NFL is in a unique position to capture and lift the imagination of the country,' McCarthy said in an emailed statement. ''Choose Love' is appropriate to use as our country has endured in recent weeks wild fires in southern California, the terrorist attack here in New Orleans, the plane and helicopter crash near our nation's capital and the plane crash in Philadelphia,' he continued in the statement. The NFL started field stencils in 2020 as part of its 'Inspire Change' campaign. Teams generally select their own messages to display in their respective endzones, but the League selects the message for the Super Bowl, McCarthy said. McCarthy noted that teams have displayed a range of messages on the field so far this year, including 'End Racism,' Stop Hate,' 'Vote' and 'Choose Love.' During the championship games a couple of weeks ago, McCarthy added, the Chiefs displayed 'Choose Love' and the Eagles displayed 'End Racism.' The decision for a new endzone message, first reported by The Athletic, comes as President Trump has launched a series of efforts to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the federal government. Several corporate conglomerates have taken a cue from the president and ended their own DEI initiatives, including those at Target, Walmart, McDonald's and Tractor Supply Co. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, however, said on Monday that the NFL has no plans to end its DEI policies, saying those initiatives make the sport better. 'We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League, and we're going to continue those efforts because we've not only convinced ourselves, I think we've proven to ourselves that it does make the NFL better,' Goodell told reporters Monday. 'We're not in this because it's a trend to get into it or a trend to get out of it. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent into the National Football League both on and off the field,' he added during his state of the league address.
