Audio company Bose now has an endorsement deal with the NFL, which is not so good news for Beats By Dre.
Now that Bose has secured their deal with the league, the players cannot flaunt their beloved Beats By Dre headphones, on camera that is. Recode.net reports that under the terms of their agreement, Bose has the right to ban the players and coaches from wearing any other manufacturer’s headphones during televised interviews on game day,during practice or training camp. That means the days of players having their Beats By Dre’s hugging their neck comfortably as they chat with reporters during pre or post game interview or walk into the locker room are no more.
The NFL released a statement showing that they are standing behind the agreement.
“The NFL has longstanding policies that prohibit branded exposure on-field or during interviews unless authorized by the league. These policies date back to the early 1990s and continue today,” an NFL spokesperson said in a statement. “They are the NFL’s policies – not one of the league’s sponsors, Bose in this case. Bose is not involved in the enforcement of our policies. This is true for others on-field.”
Beats By Dre also released a statement saying:
Beats issued a statement saying that its headphones have become part of the pre-game preparations for professional athletes like Kaepernick.
“Over the last few years athletes have written Beats into their DNA as part of the pre-game ritual,”said a Beats spokesperson. “Music can have a significant positive effect on an athlete’s focus and mental preparedness and has become as important to performance as any other piece of equipment.”