The Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars are playing in London this afternoon.
There is no advertising on NFL uniforms.
For comparison, the NBA introduced shirt advertising in 2017, initially as a three-year experiment. The NHL followed in 2022 and Major League Baseball in 2023. But the NFL still hasn't.
And this is a league whose games accounted for 84 of America's 100 most-watched television broadcasts in 2025.
That's potentially a very valuable commercial opportunity to leave untouched.
It's unlikely the billionaire owners of the NFL's 32 franchises simply haven't thought of it.
Perhaps they're concerned about the impact on their existing brands and commercial relationships. Or perhaps there's value in seeing how the other leagues fare before following their lead.
After all, the opportunity to sell that space remains available. And every year brings more evidence about the benefits and consequences of doing so.
Thirty of the world's 50 most valuable sporting franchises belong to the NFL.
What looks from the outside like inaction may be something rather different.
Perhaps these enormously successful businesses are prioritising long-term value, accumulating understanding before committing to an opportunity, and learning how to maximise its returns without compromising what they already have.
Something to consider as we race to introduce AI into our businesses.
