Despite the team's many stumbles on the field over the several years, no other organization has seriously disputed the standing of the Dallas Cowboys as the unofficial "America's Team" of the National Football League — until now.

Based on the opinions of sports branding and marketing experts, licensed-merchandise sales, and other indicators, the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers are challenging to take away the Cowboys' hallowed standing as the favorite "second team" of football fans after their hometown squad. Or so says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a hometown paper of sorts in Wisconsin.

It isn't just the fact that the Packers remain undefeated this season, at 9-0, after Monday night's laugher over the Minnesota Vikings. Or that the team based in America's tiniest NFL hometown is being led by the mid-season favorite to win the league's MVP title, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Or that Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has become a household name through his endorsement deals with Nike Football, Suave and Muscle Milk.Continue reading...

On Nov. 11th, the world can say goodbye to the Florida Marlins. But don’t worry, baseball fans, moments later you can say hello to the Miami Marlins.

And then the team would like you to pass along your credit card number. In a brand shift, the baseball team will change its name to Miami Marlins and is now ready to sell freshly branded shirts, hats, and every other piece of gear you could possibly want.

Baseball teams aren’t known for holding back on what they’ll slap their logo on. Need a Boston Red Sox outdoor stepping stone? A Cincinnati Reds “Halloween Trick-or-Treat Ghostie Candy Bucket”? A toaster that puts the Philadelphia Phillies logo right on the bread?Continue reading...

NASCAR is not only a powerhouse brand, it has forged alliances with many of the world's most recognizable brands to create a co-branded halo. Brands involved in this most American form of motorsport include Budweiser, Crown Royal, Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, and UPS. NASCAR has even slapped its name on branded carwashes in the Chicago area.

Their cars and racing suits decorated in decals both large and small, NASCAR drivers are loyal advertisers for their sponsors as well. Winning drivers routinely thank their sponsors in victory lane when giving interviews, and cars are often known by the main sponsor as well as the driver and number.Continue reading...

Nike illustrates its "Never Stop Running" tagline with a new campaign featuring Alice, whose family and friends can't distract her from her run. At first you might think it's a new feature of Nike+ (stay in touch with your social network while you run!) but it's more about not letting them distract you from your goals.

The spot's description: "When your shoes are ultra-comfortable, it means longer runs. Like, 'a marathon is just the warm-up' longer runs. Which brings us to Alice. Who puts on the LunarGlide+ 3 Shields and meets her family while, well, running."

Is it a worthy follow-on to the "Just Do It" tagline, or an ode to selfishness?Continue reading...

In an era when communications is increasingly electronic, a printed item has prevailed as both a chronicler of history and a valued piece of memorabilia.

It is the World Series program which, since 1903, has been sold at every World Series. While programs were just 10 cents during the first ten years of World Series history, a program at this year's World Series, which begins tonight when the Texas Rangers face off against the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis, will set fans back $15.

Still, it's a good bet the programs will be snapped up because they are "one of the most important licensed products we make," says Howard Smith the senior vice president for licensing at Major League Baseball. Ira Mayer, the editor of The Licensing Letter, adds, "It's physical and tangible, and everything else is here and gone."

Speaking with the New York Times, Smith would not reveal the number of programs sold each year, but he did say that the first game of the 2005 World Series was held at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, with a capacity of around 41,000 — and more programs were sold than there were people in the stadium.Continue reading...

After a city jumps through all the hoops, and builds all the needed arenas and deals with all the crazy hassles of putting on an Olympics and everyone has finally left town, there is always the question of was all the trouble even worth it? Are all those plans made years ago actually playing out the way they were supposed to?

Well, for the organizers of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (where every needed arena is being built from scratch), if nothing else, it looks like they are going to make out pretty well financially, thanks to a boatload of domestic sponsorships. The Associated Press has it that the organizers have already raised $1.2 billion in domestic sponsorships — a new Olympic record! — and “hope to secure deals worth another $200 million and finish with a post-games surplus of more than $300 million.” Not too shabby, right?Continue reading...

For the past four seasons, a variety of NFL teams have made their way to London to take part in the International Series as a way of expanding the brand to a more international audience.

This has been going on since the 1980s, when Channel 4 started showing NFL games on the telly. The NFL had a number of preseason games in London at the end of that decade and at the start of the 1990s.Continue reading...

Throughout the early summer, there was a bad feeling going around for fans of the NFL. It was looking like the league, team owners, and players wouldn’t be able to figure out a new collective bargaining agreement in time for the season to start. So NFL players remained locked out and fans remained frustrated.

But then things came together right at the end there and, after 18 weeks and four days, everybody was back to work readying for opening weekend, which ushered in glorious victories, dismal defeats, and heroic personal stories. The NFL brand may have shined so brightly for its target audience partially because it was nearly pulled from their grasp.

Meanwhile, fans of the NBA, which is mired in its own lockout (talks continue today), are facing their own potential disappointment of watching an NBA season potentially disappear as billionaires and millionaires argue while everyday Americans financially suffer.Continue reading...