In recent years, NFL schedule release video season has become a chance for teams to get creative in a battle to stand out on social media.
Whereas the videos used to go viral because of their comedy and references, this year’s batch went viral because of one team’s blunder and another’s questionable call.
The Indianapolis Colts came away looking particularly sloppy after they pulled down their Minecraft-themed schedule announcement video. The video didn’t have the proper copyright permissions from Microsoft and also included an insensitive clip involving Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (though, to be fair, he was cool with it).
It’s worth noting that the Los Angeles Chargers also made a Minecraft-themed video, but they included the statement that the imagery was “used with permission from Microsoft.”
Meanwhile, the New England Patriots built their video around Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy. That was fascinating as he and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell have had a longstanding feud over the years. His appearance in an official NFL team video seemed to imply that the league and Barstool were back on good terms. At the very least, it raised questions the league wasn’t too thrilled to have to answer.
Front Office Sports’ Margaret Fleming reported Thursday that the NFL does not require teams to share their schedule-release videos for approval for posting. Given the situation surrounding the Colts and, to a lesser extent, the questions raised by the Patriots’ version, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio thinks the league would be wise to change that policy.
Given the various ways in which the NFL exercises active oversight with its teams (starting with the approval of every single player contract a team executes), why wouldn’t the league want to have the ability to give a thumb’s down to each of the various teams’ videos that flood social media the instant the schedule is released?
If someone from the league office had looked at the Colts’ video, the video never would have been posted without all t’s being crossed and i’s being dotted with Microsoft. And if someone from the league office had reviewed the Patriots’ video, which features 345 Park Avenue persona non grata Dave Portnoy, there would be no lingering questions as to whether the NFL has done an about-face on its 10-year shunning of Portnoy.
It does seem odd that the NFL wouldn’t at least want to take a cursory glance at these videos beforehand, especially given how pop culture-based and referential they have become. Most of these videos touch on intellectual properties that belong to someone else. If you can’t trust the teams to do their due diligence and get the proper sign-off, the league would want to protect itself (and its relationships with sponsors and potential advertisers).
Some might see Florio’s thoughts as an overreaction, but we have to imagine the NFL’s lawyers feel otherwise after the Colts’ snafu.