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Headline NFL Players Sports Business

DraftKings and NFL Players Inc. Strike Deal

DraftKings Logo via draftkings.com
Draft Kings Logo via draftkings.com

Are you enjoying the daily fantasy football advertisements this season? There could be even more now with a licensing agreement being announced between NFL Players Inc. (NFLPA’s marketing and licensing arm) and DraftKings. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]The agreement allows for NFL players to participate in DraftKings advertisements[/inlinetweet], including print, social media, digital and mobile.

New England Patriots’ star Tight End Rob Gronkowski has already been announced as a featured endorser for the fantasy sports mogul. Several high profile players are expected to follow as DraftKings and the NFLPA’s Player Services coordinate together.

“The NFL season is one of the important times of the year for DraftKings and the DFS industry, so to be able to feature NFL players as part of our marketing efforts adds a level of excitement and connectivity to the game that is a huge win for us and our community,” said Jeremy Elbaum, DraftKings vice president of business development, according to Forbes. “The NFLPA represents some of the most celebrated athletes in the world and we’re looking forward to collaborating with them throughout the season.”

The NFL is embracing the daily fantasy football services. According to research firm IEG, 28 of 32 NFL teams have some form of partnership with DraftKings or FanDuel, worth about $6 million to $7 million to the teams. As an example, the Jacksonville Jaguars have created a space called “FanDuelVille” at their stadium that encourages fans to participate in daily fantasy during game day.

According to iSpot.tv, DraftKings spent a whopping $17.8 million on advertisements during the NFL’s opening weekend, more than any other company. The rising powerhouse successfully raised $300 million in funding this past July from investors such as Fox Sports, MLB, NHL and MLS. DraftKings is valued at more than $1 billion, according to Bloomberg.

The NFLPA has not yet commented on the monetary details of the deal.