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Tackling The Challenge: The NFL's Winning Strategy To Engage Gen-Z Fans
Gen-Z is redefining what it means to be a NFL football fan.
Getty ImagesThe most popular sport to watch and follow, according to Gallup.Com, is American football. Controversies that have plagued the sport include life-threatening injuries from concussions, negative images from some of the game's stars, cheating (such as "Deflategate" during the Super Bowl) and Colin Kapernick's public protest during the National Anthem. But, that hasn't stopped higher viewership and increased attendance at the live games.
The big question is whether American football will continue to reign as the most popular sport to watch. International football—also known as soccer—could give the NFL a run for its money in the U.S., but the NFL faces a shorter-term problem: the lack of interest from Gen-Z (people born between 1997 and 2012, or ages 12-27), a demographic that makes up almost 20% of the U.S. Population.
Just over halfway through the season (not including playoffs), the NFL is posting attendance and viewing numbers higher than last year. However, if not handled well, Gen-Z may pose a future problem for the sport. According to an article in RetailWire that compiled data and comments from several credible sources, the younger generation is not so gung-ho for football as older generations are.
In 2021, Emory Marketing and Analytics Center found that only 23% of Gen-Z described themselves as passionate sports fans, compared to 42% of Millennials. Furthermore, 27% of Gen-Z described themselves as "anti-sports."
In 2023, YouGov reported that 31% of global sports fans ages 18-24 watched live matches, compared with 75% of those 55 and older.
Theories surrounding Gen-Z's lack of enthusiasm and interest in watching sports vary. Emory's study claims "poor interest in sports due to the first digital-native generation suffering from isolation and historically low civic engagement due to hours spent online."
The Financial Times stated, "Explanations for these changing habits vary, from rising ticket and TV subscription costs, which have priced younger people out, to a preference for short-form content or a simple overload of other forms of entertainment that did not exist when older fans got their first taste of live sport."
These findings and opinions are valid, especially regarding the expense of enjoying a sport. According to SportsCasting, the average cost of walking through the turnstile of an NFL game is $131.82. (It's $254 in Detroit compared to $71 in Tampa Bay.) That's before a hot dog, a drink and a souvenir to remember the day. The price tag of going to a game may be outside of the reach of the typical 18+ Gen-Z.
I'm not convinced that Emory's claim of a "digital native generation" is as persuasive an argument as the cost of the game. Kids are exposed to high school sports. Their parents are a generation that embraces sports, and the college sports market is strong. Furthermore, according to a Talk Shoppe study, 70% of Gen-Z sports fans follow social media updates and posts from the teams they are interested in, significantly higher than older generations. So, there is interest, but in a different way.
Growing up in a world where smartphones, social media and streaming platforms reign supreme, Gen-Z is redefining what it means to be a fan. Their approach to college sports differs from anything we've seen before—more digital, interactive and player-focused.
So, what's the NFL's answer? Meet the customers where they are. Surveys regularly rank football as Gen-Z's favorite sport, so their perceived lack of interest in professional football is actually more about understanding how they enjoy the game.
Here are several solutions the NFL is trying to retain and grow the interest of Gen-Z fans:
· The NFL has been aggressively building its social media presence, with 26 of the 32 teams each having over 1 million TikTok followers. Videos of players sharing "off-the-field moments" get hundreds of thousands of views and go viral.
· According to Ad Age, the NFL recruited more than 50 influencers to "film social content" from the sidelines of the NFL's first week to better connect with Gen-Z, female and multicultural audiences.
· To attract even younger fans—Gen Alpha—the NFL aired last year's Super Bowl on Nickelodeon and used cartoon characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star as commentators.
This is a wonderful CX lesson in understanding your customer—or, in this case, a fan. We can all learn from how the NFL is ensuring it retains fans. They understand the demographic, meticulously studying the numbers, listening to the fan commentary, observing habits and taking aggressive action on this information to ensure that what is today's most popular sport in the U.S. Remains so. Tackling this challenge is more than just getting a fan to come to a game or watch TV. It's about understanding and winning the hearts and screens of a new group of fans, the digital-first generation known as Gen-Z.
Prince William, Passionate Soccer Fan, Is Now Embracing American Football, Too
Prince William is ready for some football!
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Prince of Wales, 42, attended an event hosted by the NFL Foundation UK, an organization focused on tackling challenges faced by young people in underserved communities across the country. The Foundation, which is celebrating its three-year anniversary, is the first international charitable arm of the National Football League (NFL) and targets areas of the U.K. With high levels of deprivation and low levels of physical activity.
The event Tuesday highlighted how the NFL Foundation UK is using flag football to help change lives, according to Prince William's office at Kensington Palace. NFL Flag — a fast-paced, inclusive and non-contact American football format — is a rapidly growing sport in the U.K., and will even make its debut in the Olympics in 2028, when the games head to Los Angeles.
Prince William attends an NFL Foundation event in London.Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace
At the royal engagement, William — a longtime and passionate sports fan — met with representatives from NFL UK and community partners from the Foundation to hear about the work the NFL is doing to help young people develop confidence and reach their potential through the power of sport. He then took part in flag football with young people from across the U.K., as well as NFL players including Louis Rees-Zammit, a Welsh athlete who plays for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, and Phoebe Schecter, GB Women's Flag Football team captain.
Following the flag football game, Prince William spoke to young people about how they have benefited from the support of the NFL Foundation UK.
"They're learning, they're having a good time, they're enjoying themselves," former Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora tells PEOPLE of the young people who have developed an interest in flag football. "Being able to see that and be a part of that, hopefully they're going to take the lessons from this onto the rest of their lives."
Jason Bell, who played cornerback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and New York Giants, tells PEOPLE, "We love this game. It's done so much for us. So when it's exposed to other people, that's very important."
"We understand what being on a team, working out with other people, what that does for young people, especially in hard times," he adds. "That's what the Foundation is supplying."
The league has been playing regular season games in London since 2007, and the sport of American football continues to grow in popularity. Games have been played at both the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium.
Prince William throws a pass.Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace
The NFL Foundation UK launched in 2021 as part of the NFL's international charitable endeavors, beginning with efforts in London and expanding to Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds through a partnership with the San Francisco 49ers and funding from Sport England.
The Foundation delivers flag football training and equipment to help young people from the ages of 12 to 20 "access positive pathways, using the power of sport to reach communities to help achieve positive outcomes for young people focused on education, employment, building inclusive communities and improving physical and mental wellbeing," Kensington Palace said in a statement.
As Prince William continues to get introduced to American football, he's been a fan of English football for a long time — a sport that is popularly known in the U.S. As soccer. The royal is president of the Football Association (the game's governing body in England), a passionate Aston Villa fan and often posts about the sport on social media. The royal has even successfully introduced eldest son Prince George, 11, to the sport, and cheering at matches has become a consistent father-son bonding activity for the two over the years.
The Prince of Wales with Prince George of Wales and Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow (right) in the stands during the Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham on April 8, 2023. Joe Giddens/PA Images via GettyAs recently as Oct. 2, the Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance at Aston Villa's game against German giants Bayern Munich at Villa Park, its home stadium in Birmingham. Prince William watched the match alongside friends Thomas van Straubenzee (who is one of Princess Charlotte's godparents), Harry Aubrey-Fletcher (who is one of Prince Louis' godparents) and Edward van Cutsem, another royal family friend.
Prince William cheered, pumped his fists and gave a double thumbs up while watching the game earlier this month. "I've lost my voice," he said after Aston Villa emerged victorious with a score of 1-0, according to the Daily Mail. "I can't quite believe it."
Prince William plays football in London.Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace
Prince William told the Telegraph in 2018 the origins of his Aston Villa fandom — and how it was born from a desire to root for the underdog. "A long time ago at school, I got into football big time," he said at the time. "I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United or Chelsea fans, and I didn't want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams."
"I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments," he added.
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales speak with members of the Emergency Services during a visit to Southport Community Centre on Oct. 10, 2024 in Southport, England.Getty Images
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As Prince William has faced a difficult year — both his wife, Kate Middleton, and his father, King Charles, were diagnosed with cancer in 2024 — a close source previously told PEOPLE that his favorite team has lifted his spirits.
"He has been hugely buoyed by the results of Aston Villa," the source shared. "You shouldn't overlook the importance of soccer in these moments."
The NFL Executive And Former Advertising Man Who Helped To Sell Flag Football To The Olympics
Brett Gosper knows all about winning pitches. The Australian's advertising career began by being mentored by maven David Ogilvy, the Englishman widely regarded as the 'Father of Advertising', and would span three highly successful decades in the industry.
He worked in France, London, Germany and the United States, and by the time he moved into sports administration, he had authored slogans such as "Don't Crack Under Pressure" for luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer and headed up global advertising agency network McCann Erickson on both sides of the Atlantic.
The 65-year-old, now the NFL's head of Europe & Asia-Pacific, used the powers of persuasion he honed in advertising to full effect when he played an instrumental role in getting flag football — a non-tackling version of American football — into the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, putting what the NFL says is the world's fastest-growing sport on the biggest sporting stage of all.
"I was one of the parties inside of the NFL that was able to convince the powers within the NFL that it was a worthwhile cause, that it was going to be a great development play for the NFL," Gosper told The Athletic in the NFL's office in central London.
"The actual process of the bid, laying out our arguments, creating the content involved, galvanising the partnership between IFAF (International Federation of American Football) and the various elements within the NFL, I was part of that leadership team. It was very much a team approach. Everyone knew that it was an incredible cause, it would create a step change for the sport, and there was complete buy-in from the commissioner and owners — all the way through the system."
Brett Gosper was chief executive of World Rugby, the governing body of rugby union, before joining the NFL (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images for the AOC)Gosper has a lifelong affiliation with the Olympic Games. His father, Kevan, won a silver medal with Australia's 4x400m relay team in Melbourne in 1956 and was then a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1977 to 2013. He was twice the body's vice president and key to bringing the Games back to his homeland with Sydney hosting in 2000.
While in France in the 1980s, Gosper Jr led a double life. By day, he was an advertising executive. At nights and weekends, he was a semi-professional rugby union player for Racing Metro. The vivacious team — nicknamed Le Show-Bizz — played their home games at Stade Olympique de Colombes, the site of the 1924 Games, as immortalised in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.
And then, as CEO at World Rugby, rugby union's global governing body, Gosper witnessed first-hand the transformative effect the Olympics can have on a sport, as men's and women's rugby sevens, a shortened version of the traditional 15-a-side form of the game, made its first appearance at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
So, when Gosper joined the NFL as head of Europe and UK in 2021 after almost a decade with World Rugby — Asia-Pacific was added to his remit last year — his brief was to push American football's international boundaries. He put his skill set to immediate use, calling on his first-hand experiences with the Olympic movement.
"I probably was helpful in the sense that I'd been there, and I knew what the right touch points were. We were dealing also with an organising committee, we're dealing with the IOC, and you have to please both of those entities," Gosper said.
"An organising committee is looking for something which gives their Games a personality different to other Olympics. They're looking for something that will engage their local audience, particularly, which is why these additional sports were invented as a concept, giving the local organising committee a chance to engage their communities in a way that maybe the run-of-the-mill, let's call, Olympic sports won't always do. So in that sense, the experience I'd had before was helpful."
The NFL says flag football — a non-contact version of its sport where ball-carriers are deemed to have been tackled when one, or both, of two flags attached to their waist is pulled off by a defending player — has 20 million players in 100 countries. It opens the door for boys and girls to learn the game's fundamentals without getting into the more physical blocking and tackling aspects, and Gosper has no desire for it to be one-and-done at the U.S. Hosted 2028 Games.
Flag football is a non-contact version of the sport (Ian Maule/Getty Images)"We feel that it's definitely an Olympic sport, that it's a long-term Olympic sport. We think that certainly our inclusion will be good for the Olympics for all sorts of reasons and we think the Olympics will be good for us," he said. "It's obviously a great development play, even apart from the school curricular aspect of it, governments chasing medals and pouring more money into the game at the elite level, but also at the grassroots level to develop the game.
"But also the spotlight you get during that period reaches countries that your sport doesn't usually reach. Naturally, the Olympics opens people's minds to new sports they've never really engaged with before. And so that's the advantage again."
"We're very keen to become a core Olympic sport over time. That takes time. Certainly if you do two in a row, you're in a very good place. It's not legislated exactly what point you become a core sport. But I'd say if you did three Olympics in a row, you could call yourself a core Olympic sport and be seen as part of the landscape going forward. Definitely Brisbane (the Australian city hosting the 2032 Games) is an important step for us," Gosper added.
The Prince of Wales visited an NFL Foundation flag football event in London last month (Kin Cheung – WPA Pool/Getty Images)Since the pandemic, the NFL has increased its presence in new territories.
In 2022, Germany was added to the international rotation for staging NFL matches that already included the UK and Mexico, and will host its fourth regular-season game on Sunday in Munich's Allianz Arena. South America was next in September, with Sao Paulo staging a game on the 2024 season's opening weekend. As with the Olympics, Gosper knows the importance of maintaining a presence.
"If you go into a market, you have to keep working that market. You can't do one game and out, because all of what you've done to create that interest is going to disappear," he explained.
"They (the international games) are a bit like mini-Super Bowls in those markets — that one week of total activity in the game is much anticipated. So at the back end, people are already looking forward to next year. Definitely we'll be back in that market for next year."
Also in 2025, Spain will make its debut with Madrid's 81,000-capacity Bernabeu stadium hosting one of up to eight games being played outside the U.S. That season.
"It's good when you land in a stadium that you also have a partnership with a football club, and we've experienced that at Tottenham (where two games are played each season). We experienced that at Bayern (Munich), and we've experienced that in Real (Madrid), where you have access already to a huge fanbase that are interested in what's going on in their world."
Munich's Allianz Arena hosted an NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 (Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)While talk of a UK-based NFL team has quieted down ("I know there's been speculation always about a franchise in London and so on. That certainly doesn't seem to be on the agenda or imminent in any way," Gosper says), Dublin has emerged as a potential host city for the league. "It''s very possible," Gosper said, adding that France is a "market of interest" too.
Looking ahead, 2025 promises to be another groundbreaking year for the NFL and Gosper.
"As we step up our inventories, now ownerships voted to move that up to eight games a year from 2025 onwards, there's probably more demand than there is inventory, even with those eight games," Gosper said. "There's high interest to host an NFL game. I think cities and countries know the inbound excitement it brings, the inbound economy. It brings the connection it makes with the world's largest economy, culturally and economically. So all of those things are positive for cities.
"Also, you've got quite a high spending inbound group, whether it be teams, supporters and so on… And we've seen that in London, more recently, in Germany, of course, in Mexico over the years, that these games are a pleasure for cities to host and they also shine a spotlight on those cities.
"When we talk about our games, they have more of an impact in the United States than The Open (golf) or Wimbledon (tennis) or a Premier League (soccer) game by multiple times — our ratings for an NFL game. Which obviously displays a city in a country as well directly. It has great shop-window value. So the NFL is quite unique in that sense, because of its high ratings in the States."
"What we are doing is increasingly building that 9.30 am ET kick-off time (mid-afternoon in the UK). And I think as we increase our inventory in Europe, building that as a valuable time slot on Sunday morning on the east coast in the States is an important part of what we're doing. Seeing that inventory increase in that window is going to be valuable to fans in the States as a great time to watch football."
(Top photos: Getty Images; AP Images for the NFL; design: Eamonn Dalton)
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