During last Saturday’s Texans-Ravens NFL Playoff game on ESPN and ABC, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were wearing Nike jackets when pictured on camera. Many people probably didn’t think much of it, but some wondered whether or not it was part of a product placement or advertising campaign.
It turns out that it wasn’t. Per Sportico, the use of the Nike coats (seen above) was unplanned, and the company didn’t pay for the placement.
Nike didn’t pay ESPN for the privilege, nor were the jackets part of any relationship between the two companies, according to multiple people familiar with the process. Nike’s long-running partnership with the NFL was also not a factor. Instead, one of the sources said, ESPN’s production team needed jackets for a cold-weather game in Baltimore, so black jackets were purchased and the MNF logo was sewn onto the chest opposite to the Nike logo.
I don’t know why ESPN didn’t just sew the Monday Night Football logo over the top of the Nike logo, but it must not have been feasible.
This Sunday, the weather will be a bit warmer in Baltimore compared to the 24 degrees with 30 mph winds Buck and Aikman dealt with last Saturday. The high at kickoff is forecasted at 45 degrees, with a 41 percent chance of rain and 10 mph winds. The CBS broadcast crew of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will likely be fine in their standard CBS jackets.
[Sportico]
