DraftKings has expanded its reach in the NFL, completing “wide-ranging sponsorships” with a dozen teams on Friday.
The teams are…?
The initial announcement was available via the Minnesota Vikings’ website. The announcement said deals were done with the Vikings and 11 other teams.
“Offering the best user experience is always our number one goal at DraftKings and partnering with 12 football teams of this caliber ensures that we will have the best games and offerings for the DraftKings community,” said DraftKings CEO Jason Robins in the announcement.
The identity of the other 11 teams was revealed by Sports Business Journal’s Eric Fisher on Twitter.
As we noted previously, some of these deals built upon existing relationships. Per Fisher, those teams are:
- New England Patriots
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Atlanta Falcons
The five other teams that have new deals:
- New York Giants
- Carolina Panthers
- Miami Dolphins
- Oakland Raiders
- Tennessee Titans
Which teams are not inked to a deal?
With 32 teams in the NFL, that means there are few that are not aligned with a DFS site. FanDuel has deals locked up with 16 of the NFL’s franchises.
The four teams that are not sponsored by a site include:
- New Orleans Saints
- Arizona Cardinals
- Seattle Seahawks
- San Francisco 49ers
The reason why the first three teams on that list are not aligned with FanDuel or DraftKings is because neither site operates in the states those teams call home, because of legal reasons. There is no immediately apparent reason for San Francisco to be unable or unwilling to sign a DFS deal.
More details on the deals
The release also gave vague details about the sponsorships, which generally fall in line with deals between DFS sites and professional teams that have taken place in the past. From the release:
The company will also offer exclusive fantasy games and money-can’t buy experiences to fans in these markets, in addition to premium in-stadium branding and online extensions on each teams’ digital platform.
The new Vikings stadium that is under construction features a “fantasy lounge,” and it seems likely that will be a DraftKings-branded venue. There are DraftKings lounges at the Cowboys’, Patriots’ and Chiefs’ stadiums.
Photo by Kevind810 used under license CC BY-SA 3.0
