Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Teams troll NFL’s social media policy, celebration crackdown

Is the National Football League protecting its brand—or making it hard for players and fans to have fun?

The NFL recently issued heavy social media restrictions on teams and players, preventing them from sharing video highlights and GIFs during games.

Fans wondered how teams would respond—and we got a sense of how social media managers for the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns felt about it:

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NFL pressures refs to watch celebrations

Many are starting to accuse the NFL—an organization that has long been hyper protective of its brand—of becoming overly restrictive of players and teams.

Another recently reviewed rule prohibits on-field celebrations “if it’s choreographed, if it’s excessive, if it’s prolonged.”

Celebrations, the league says, can lead to retaliation from the other team.

Celebrations also cannot be directed at the opposing team, lest a taunting penalty be called.

Dean Blandino, the NFL’s senior vice president for officiating, told The New York Times it’s all setting a good example:

There are many, many kids out there that are N.F.L. fans, who are playing football and they see our athletes and they mimic what they do.

Younger viewership has not stopped the league from deeming Bud Light the official beer of its organization, however. Bud Light is also advertising this season with the slogan, “Beer with your team on it”—and offering consumers cans stamped with NFL team logos.

Many have also noted that the on-field product has suffered because of the restrictions on celebrations. An ESPN report found that taunting calls were up 220 percent and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties rose 56 percent.

The crackdown even inspired Cleveland Browns player Andrew Hawkins to troll the NFL after scoring a touchdown:

The Washington Post piled on this week with an editorial from sports writer Dan Steinberg titled, “The NFL is attempting to legislate joy out of its game. Maybe it should stop.”

It appears that football fans agree.

NFL ratings have plummeted this season. The sport is facing increased competition as more European soccer leagues now have American TV contracts and eSports are steadily gaining popularity.

Not letting teams and players post videos and GIFs to their social media accounts seems counterintuitive. If you’re looking to build an audience in today’s social media landscape, it’s silly to restrict who can see your content and when.

Make it easy for people to like you, and chances are, they will.

What do you think about the reaction to NFL’s crackdowns on content and celebrations, PR Daily readers?

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