NFL Partners With H&M for Branded Apparel in International Markets

By Joseph Myers

As the NFL heads to divisional round play this weekend, the eight surviving teams obviously have a ton to play for, but the league and the athletes’ respective employers are already looking for ways to strengthen their product. Through a partnership with H&M, the title contenders and the 24 franchises now on figurative sidelines will see their brands boosted through branded apparel and accessories collections that will appear in international markets.

The NFL has penned a new partnership with H&M in a deal brokered by IMG.

The tie-up will see a new line of NFL-branded products sold in more than 20 countries outside of the US, including China, Japan and the UK #NFL #SportsBiz https://t.co/Zgh5YsVOXF

— SportsPro (@SportsPro) January 9, 2020

Americans certainly enjoy their share of pigskin action, as football is this country’s most popular sport. It is no slouch globally, too, and that esteem became evident this past season when the NFL staged four games in London and one in Mexico City. As SportBusiness notes, 20 countries are going to be large-scale recipients of the H&M apparel and accessories, with the United Kingdom and Mexico being obvious choices to tap as commercial targets. The line will include styles for men, women and children.

As for what any of the apparel items will actually be, we presume there are going to be some pretty stylish threads to nab, and it will be interesting to see if the NFL and H&M do extensive examinations of the international locations to see which teams might hold extra clout among that particular fanbase. It could end up that these markets are just so giddy to expand their knowledge of American goods that they will take to all 32 teams. That could be great economic news for teams who cannot field consistent winners but have solid branding, like the Miami Dolphins.

Maybe buyers will even enjoy sporting Washington Redskins gear, though we highly doubt that.