NFL Fan Experience: Back to Football Photo Day

Guest Post by Chris Stathos

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Today is not my scheduled day to write for the MSBA blog, but I’m calling an audible and sharing an awesome experience that I had the privilege to be apart of last week.

The NFL, in addition to our official cap partners at New Era, held a Back To Football Photo Day featuring fans from all over the country. Literally, 32 fans modeled their favorite team’s gear for photos and video interviews which will be featured in future NFL and New Era ad campaigns in the teams’ respective markets.

After a long day of shooting, we gathered the fans for a group picture. What they did not know, however, was that the Commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, would be joining them for the shot.

As an executive from the NFL was announcing our special guest, one or two fans caught a glimpse of the “Commish” and screamed like pre-teens at a Justin Bieber concert. I mean, you would have thought there was a Hollywood celebrity in the room the way the fans and their guests swarmed the Commissioner like TMZ paparazzi.

Once everything calmed down and the group picture was finally taken, the Commissioner took questions from the fans, two of which I’ll share with you. The very first question? “Can you announce me like a player at the NFL Draft?” asked the Tennessee Titans winner. Commissioner Goodell gladly obliged. “With the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans select…” The fans roared as if we were right there in Radio City Music Hall, and the newly drafted fan gave the Commissioner the traditional “bro hug.”

The last question came from the Carolina Panthers winner, a huge Tim Tebow fan. “Can you make a team sign him?” she begged. I think we found out the answer, as less than an hour later, SportsCenter first began reporting that Tebow would be signed by the New England Patriots. There’s a reason Roger Goodell is the most powerful man in sports.