NFL's reach holds sponsors

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http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-nfl-sponsors-20140925-story.html



NFL's reach holds sponsors
Shan Li
9.24.2014

Corporate sponsors headed for the stadium exits after the racist rant by former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Five months later, domestic violence scandals have rocked the National Football League, but major advertisers have opted merely to scold the organization for not doing more to curb bad player behavior.

Although the issues and sports are different, the main distinctions are scale and need, experts say. The NFL represents a gigantic marketing opportunity that corporations would be loath to give up.

"I don't foresee any real defections or loss of sponsors," said Robert Boland, a professor of sports business at New York University. "The NFL has such a giant viewership. If you are already there, you are paying the extreme top dollar and you are a product that needs that platform."

The NFL rakes in nearly $10 billion in annual revenue; last year, 205 million viewers watched league games on television, according to Nielsen.