Football fandom never stops. Neither should brands.
For years, marketers viewed football as a seasonal event. A series of tentpole moments culminating on game day. But today's reality looks very different.
Modern football fandom is a 24/7, 365-day cultural ecosystem fueled by streaming, creators, social media, commerce and technology. Fans aren't simply tuning in to watch the game. They're interacting with highlights, following creators, hosting watch parties, streaming content across devices, and purchasing products that deepen their connection to both the collegiate and professional game.
Football fandom also stretches beyond the season. College football fans stay connected through recruiting, the transfer portal and their favorite players going into the professional game. And for NFL fans, the draft, off-season trades and pre-season games keep them locked in well beyond fall and winter.
So, if fandom never turns off, why should marketing?
The new stadium is everywhere, and technology is the enabler.
Football may be played in stadiums, but fandom happens elsewhere. It happens on connected TVs and social platforms where fans connect, transforming living rooms into game-day destinations. It happens on mobile devices where they follow breaking news, stream games across multiple screens, manage fantasy teams, consume creator content, and engage with fellow fans in real time. It happens on connected TVs, and social platforms where fans stay connected throughout the week.
The line between consumer technology and sports entertainment continues to blur as the modern fan experience becomes increasingly communal, local and digital.
Best Buy customers are:
1.6X more likely to spend on products that enhance the sports experience1
71% rely on mobile phones to keep up with sports
60% subscribe to a sports streaming service2
For advertisers, this presents an opportunity that goes beyond traditional sports sponsorships. Winning requires showing up where fandom lives every day, not just where games are played, creating a valuable intersection where media, commerce, and technology converge. As fans invest more in enhancing how they watch, stream and experience football, brands gain more opportunities to be relevant in moments that matter.
Football's reach is massive. Fan engagement is even bigger.
More than half of U.S. adults identify football as America's sport, making it one of the country's largest passion points. Within Best Buy's customer ecosystem alone, more than 34 million customers are identified as football fans.
53% of U.S. adults identify football as America's sport
34M+ Best Buy customers identified as football fans
The significance isn't just scale. It's that football fans represent one of today's most engaged consumer audiences, creating an always-on environment where brands can influence discovery, consideration and purchase intent long before kickoff.
Football fans are high-value consumers.
The most compelling insight may be that football fandom extends far beyond entertainment.
Football fans are influential buyers across multiple categories, particularly those connected to lifestyle, convenience and connected living. Best Buy football fans over-index in categories including home theater, smart home, mobile technology, wearables, computing and appliances.
These aren't just sports enthusiasts. They are consumers actively investing in products that improve how they live, connect, entertain and experience the moments they care about.
The future of football marketing is full funnel.
Historically, brands approached football marketing through awareness.
Today's opportunity is significantly larger.
As the Official Home Entertainment Retailer of the NFL, Best Buy has expanded its role in the football ecosystem through merchandise, streaming partnerships, connected devices, and media experiences. The addition of Fanatics merchandise and YouTube TV, including NFL Sunday Ticket access, as well as a partnership with Dude Perfect, reflect how today's fan journey spans commerce and content simultaneously.
What makes this especially powerful is the ability to connect those passion moments across the full funnel.
From Connected TV and social media to sponsored products, search, onsite experiences, dedicated landing pages, and in-store engagement, brands can move beyond simply reaching football fans and begin influencing action.
The brands that win will think bigger than game day.
Football has evolved from a sports property into a cultural behavior. Fans no longer engage with the sport only during games. They engage through technology, entertainment, creators, shopping and community year-round.
That creates a new mandate for marketers. Success won't come from showing up during the biggest moments. It will come from understanding how fandom shapes everyday behaviors and finding authentic ways to participate in those moments.
The future of football marketing belongs to brands that recognize a simple truth: game day lasts all year. The best part—Best Buy Ads is uniquely positioned to combine your brand with the ever-growing intersection of sports culture and tech culture.
From college football Saturdays, to NFL Sundays (and Mondays, Thursdays and sometimes Saturdays), Best Buy has the tech, the trust, the expertise and the solutions to connect fans to the game they love, while Best Buy Ads has the media solutions to help brands and agencies win with this hard-hitting audience.
1: Compared to the General Population
2: College America Now 2025; Consumer Media 2025 Report; Sports Followers, S1, Gen Pop Spark Report 2. Collage Group Surveys, 2024-2025 and Bureau of Labor Statistics
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