S__R BOWL 48: NFL Protects Big Game Name from Going the Way of Aspirin
Signs are popping up on bars and taverns all over town. BIG GRIDIRON PARTY SUNDAY or WATCH THE BIG GAME HERE. Occasionally a merchant will put one out reading SUPER BOWL XLVIII 2 PM and some people will come in and tell him to take it down.
This year, with New York and New Jersey hosting the game, the NFL is rigorously enforcing any commercial partnership without permissions and fees paid. They own “Super Bowl XLVIII” as a banner, sweatshirt, coffee cup, event and logo, and they fear it might get taken away from them and go into the public domain. If they let it out of their control, they won’t be able to charge. Just look what happened to aspirin.
Who are you rooting for? The team beginning with a B or the team beginning with an S?