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• The Money Game
  Despite the NFL's problems, the league remains the premier advertising and marketing platform for companies that target men. An official sponsorship lets companies use all NFL and team logos in their marketing and promotions, and get value from being seen on television during games (in sideline Gatorade dunks, for example). Rival companies that lose out on an official deal cleverly formulate counterstrategies to associate themselves with NFL teams and players. Here are the marketing muscle matchups in four popular advertising categories.

At a time when 2 million more women watched the Super Bowl than the Oscars, and when the April release of the 2007 NFL schedule warranted live coverage and analysis on ESPN, a few knuckleheads can't dim football's appeal. Weekend tailgates, backyard barbecues, and the $269 DirectTV "Sunday Ticket" package help make every game a mini event. The universal appeal of stylized violence crosses red and blue state lines, from northeastern cities to Texas towns.

Southwest's Allmann admits that there is a theoretical tipping point at which the NFL's popularity wanes, but he doesn't see it yet. (Apparently, the arrest of 10 Cincinnati Bengals within 14 months isn't it.) Carl Banks, the former All-Pro linebacker who hosts a football radio show on Sirius and is president of sports licensing for team-outerwear maker G-III Apparel, is more cautious. "NFL fans have a deep emotional attachment," he says, "but if they feel betrayed, they will find something else to do." Yet even this naysayer knows the power of entertainment. "Right now, I think the only thing that could hurt the NFL is an inability to provide a quality product."

For now, that's the NBA's problem.

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