While they haven’t pulled out, advertisers have tried to use their leverage of the NFL to get them and their teams to change certain policies. The Anheuser-Busch statement on Adrian Peterson likely nudged the league and the Vikings along in getting Adrian Peterson off their active roster for what will likely be a permanent stay. The influence of advertisers over a sport can be a double-edged sword, but you can’t say it’s a bad thing that these companies are speaking out against a domestic violence problem that the league clearly needs to expunge.

Here’s an interesting twist to that angle: some sponsors are asking that their products and their commercials not be played during Ravens and Vikings games, according to the Hollywood Reporter:

Several NFL sponsors also are asking questions. Multiple media buyers tell THR that clients have requested their ads not appear during games featuring the Ravens or Minnesota Vikings, the team of suspended running backAdrian Peterson(due in a Texas court Oct. 8 on a child abuse charge for whipping his 4-year-old son). CBS, which kicked off its $275 million Thursday Night Football package Sept. 11 with strong ratings for a Ravens game, had one sponsor ask to be removed from the broadcast and another request its ads shift, likely away from a discussion of the violence issue during CBS Sports’ pregame report. CBS declined to identify the sponsors.

That said, there is fat chance of the sponsors pulling out in totality:

So far, no advertiser has defected entirely from football. “The NFL is too important to most advertisers to pull out,” says one buyer. Still, the erosion of confidence is palpable, with major sponsors including Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo and McDonald’s releasing strong rebukes. Radisson Hotels has suspended its Vikings sponsorship. And Procter & Gamble pulled out of an October breast cancer initiative that would have had players wearing pink mouth guards. “That implied threat of financial repercussions is extraordinary,” says Storm.

This policy leaves me a little more uneasy: so you’re just going to pull ads from whichever NFL team isn’t behaving well this week? If something happens with an Oakland Raider next week, will they immediately go on the pull list? Why isn’t Washington’s football team, who’s very name is offensive to many people, on this list?

We’ll see where the relationship between the NFL and its copious advertising dollars goes from here, but if we want actual change, there’s going to have to be a legitimate threat to them being taken away for good.

About Steve Lepore

Steve Lepore is a writer for Bloguin and a correspondent for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.

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