The NFL’s New Playbook: Winning Women With Pop-Culture Marketing

The NFL has always dominated Sundays. But lately, it’s figured out something just as important: how to stay relevant on Mondays through Saturdays too. Instead of just pushing highlights & stats, teams are leaning into personality-driven, pop-culture-savvy marketing that actually speaks to women. Think TikTok trends, “hunky rookie karaoke,” or Travis Kelce showing up in GQ. These moments aren’t accidents; they’re strategy. & they’re paying off.

TikTok Trends as a Bridge (aka Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?)

One of the easiest ways to catch women’s attention? Show up in the cultural conversations they’re already having. Teams have jumped on viral prompts like asking players, “Conrad or Jeremiah?” from The Summer I Turned Pretty. Half the fun is watching the players not know what’s going on, & the other half is watching them try to pick anyway.

It’s light, funny, & way more relatable than a dry Q&A. These TikToks give women a reason to hit “follow,” even if they don’t know the difference between a nickel defense & a zone blitz.

Hunky Rookie Karaoke

Training camp used to feel like a grind no one outside the facility saw. Now? It’s content central. When rookie Colston Loveland grabbed the mic for karaoke, the internet noticed. Suddenly, he wasn’t just “that new tight end,” he was “the cute rookie who can sing.”

It’s low stakes, it’s fun, & it’s flirty in the way that makes group chats go, “Okay, but who is THIS?” That’s exactly how casual viewers turn into fans of players first, then teams.

Travis Kelce Goes Lifestyle

Travis Kelce is basically the blueprint. The GQ covers, the fashion spreads, the podcast, all of it makes him more than just a tight end. He’s a cultural personality. For women who don’t live & breathe football, this is the gateway. You might first click for the fashion or the relationship gossip, but you stay long enough to learn about his game-day impact.

This is what lifestyle storytelling does: it makes the NFL feel like more than a sport; it makes it feel like a brand you can vibe with.

The Stats Back It Up

• Women are nearly half the NFL audience. Nielsen data shows that women made up 47.5% of the Super Bowl LVIII viewership, a record high.

• Gen Z & millennial women are leaning in. Morning Consult found their favorability toward the NFL jumped from 53% in July 2023 to 64% in December 2023, the highest level recorded.

• The “Swift Effect” is real. Taylor Swift’s presence added almost $1 billion in brand value to the league & spiked viewership whenever she showed up. Kelce's jersey sales even jumped 400% after her first Chiefs game appearance.

• Halftime helps too. Women have consistently made up at least 40% of Super Bowl viewers historically. Bringing in easy-on-the-eyes music stars like Usher for halftime makes the event even more appealing because it’s not just about the game, it’s about the show.

Why This Approach Works

• It’s a low-friction entry point. You don’t need to know football to laugh at a karaoke clip or pick between TV crushes.

• It humanizes the roster. Players stop being faceless names on jerseys & start being personalities you want to root for.

• It rides the right algorithms. Women are already driving TikTok & Instagram trends. NFL content that plays in that space gets pulled straight into their feeds.

• It translates into real gains. More women tuning in, higher favorability, more merch sales, the business case is undeniable.

Doing It Right vs. Doing It Wrong

-Do:

• Blend highlights with human moments.

• Use women-led trends authentically.

• Put women behind the camera & in creative roles.

-Don’t:

• Patronize; women don’t need the game “dumbed down.”

• Over-script; half the fun is players being themselves.

• Treat this like a gimmick; back it up with inclusive hiring & brand consistency.

A Simple Content Formula Teams Can Steal

Hook: Pick a trend women already love (girl dinner, Bridgerton vs. Emily in Paris).

Action: Let players react naturally.

Bridge: Tie it to football (“That guy just scored last night, too”).

Loop: Take women’s comments & make them the setup for the next video.

Bottom Line

Women aren’t a side market; they’re half the market. The teams that win with women aren’t slapping pink on merch & calling it a day. They’re speaking our language. Whether it’s karaoke, TikTok trends, or Travis in GQ, these touchpoints make the NFL feel like part of women’s culture, not separate from it.

The game might hook us on Sunday, but it’s the off-field content that keeps us around all week.

-Malorie Ragsdale, MBA.

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