As the end of the year approaches, the NFL season begins, and is it a good time to look at the niche marketing potential of football and a missed opportunity by the NFL…?

I remember when I started in affiliate marketing, one of the first big successes I had was with the NFL team. I found that people were searching for team-specific products in high numbers, and it was possible to market to only those people and provide them with what they wanted.

For example, I found a site that sold replica helmets that had an affiliate program.
I joined and set up links to specific products, maybe a Dallas Cowboy helmet.
Then I used pay-per-click advertising, so the ad only showed to people who typed ‘Dallas cowboy helmet’ into Google.

This is classic niche marketing, I didn’t even have my own website, and the model can be followed today, just like in many other niches.

However, what I find a bit surprising is that in all the years I’ve been following football from here in Britain, I don’t see much change in jersey or helmet designs.

If you look at football in Great Britain, teams have 3 different new jerseys every season, which is nothing but making fans buy more.
Of course, so as not to seem outdated, sales justify doing it and so next year and next year go by.

The basic traditions of the jersey remain the same, but there are notable differences.

Why doesn’t the NFL do this?
With a soccer jersey costing around $100, that’s a lot of money for clubs.

In the NFL the difference is that the teams are an NFL franchise, and it is the NFL that has the rights.

That still doesn’t explain why the NFL doesn’t.

Then of course you also have the helmets.
I think it’s a blatant NFL mistake, a drop in the end zone.

I will continue to make money with niches like NFL merchandise, but every time I see the jerseys I would love to see something new.