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Bose signs NFL deal blocking official Beats appearances on camera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ttsx5squWg

High end headphone manufacturer Bose has secured a deal with the National Football League in which it will be the sole headphone worn during official interviews and on screen appearances, according to Re/Code:

The professional athlete still can hear whatever he wants, but Kaepernick and other NFL players must remove their Beats headphones around the television cameras. Bose secured a league sponsorship deal that effectively allows it to elbow Beats — and any other rival headphone manufacturer — off the playing field. Under terms of its agreement with the league, the NFL confirmed, Bose received a broad set of rights that entitle it to prevent players (or coaches) from wearing any other manufacturer’s headphones during televised interviews.

Apple/Beats gave the following statement:

“Over the last few years athletes have written Beats into their DNA as part of the pre-game ritual. 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.”

I’ll admit I think Bose products on the whole are better than their Beats counterparts, but just like the World Cup before it, it seems shady to make NFL athletes replace gear that gets them ready for games with another brand. It seems against sport.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_i3Lcjli84

What if Nike sponsored the NFL, could they force athletes to only wear Nike shoes? (Maybe they do, I don’t know).

Update: The NFL wrote in to clarify:

…wanted to make sure you were aware that 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. 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HESJgpYYUyM

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Comments

  1. BMWTwisty - 9 years ago

    “It’s good ta’ be da’ King!”

  2. rettun1 - 9 years ago

    They must have paid a lot of money for that, seems kinda silly. I bet they’ll be giving out pairs to people before interviews, “oh you can’t wear those, wear these instead!”

    Also, Apples statement didnt seem to condemn the decision. They only said that people like beats, and music has an effect on game performance

  3. hmurchison - 9 years ago

    Plantation NFL. I guess whips are next. Bose is now banned in my home.

    • thejuanald - 9 years ago

      Did you read the update? You’re an idiot. Beats are awful anyway.

      • hmurchison - 9 years ago

        Whats with the Ad Hominem? It’s a poor policy that interferes with endorsements. Your personal opinion of Beats is irrelevant.

      • thejuanald - 9 years ago

        You said you’re banning Bose because of their ad policy. I stated that it wasn’t their policy, but the nfl’s. Do you ban everything sponsored by the nfl?

    • theruehl - 9 years ago

      Yea not really. This is a contractual matter and these interviews are completed within the course of their employment, employment mind you which nets them millions upon millions of dollars a year.

      Unless you’re self employed, your employer dictates what you can and cannot wear and bring to work. To an extent,this is no different.

      The plantation workers you spoke of had no choice re their employment, these fellas can leave the NFL and utilise the Bachelor of Arts degree they may or may not have worked so hard for.

  4. Magnolo Bugarin - 9 years ago

    The NFL should be stripped of it’s tax free exempt status immediately. It is not a non profit!
    Secondly Bose should instead focus on building a product athletes would want to use.

    • Hold on a second. The fucking NFL is registered as a non-profit? Wow, incredible if true.

      • iJonni - 9 years ago

        They are. So was MLB & NBA. And so is FIFA. Mlb and nba gave it up. Nfl refuses saying that the leagues mission is separate from that of the individual teams. This the league is non profit. Which just means they have to justify every dollar spent. Non profit is garbage when the Ceo makes 5M/year.

        Also how is this legal? Bose/NFL can restrict what you use to listen to? Will they restrict suits to only being made by Givenchy next? Nfl and their licensing agreements are crazy

      • rettun1 - 9 years ago

        I’m sure the NFL likes to promote fantasy football ;)

  5. I think you confused the word “end” (in “high end”) with “priced” (in “high priced”). There’s nothing “high end” about anything from Bose. They have always been and always will be the laughing stock of anyone with a discerning ear and more sense than money. Mind you, I’m not saying Beats are high end here – they most definitely aren’t.

    • Bose and Beats are high end headphones. not as high end as some headphones offered by Seinheiser, Grado, Audio-Technica, Audeze, Ultrasone or HifiMan.

      They’re pretty Much what Mercedez and BMW are to luxury and performance cars. They may not be the Rolls Royce, Ferraris, Bugattis, or Paganis of the car industry. but they are accessible luxury and performance, and even though you can find cars that out-perform, or out-feature them for less money they are still better than most.

      Bose and Beats are safe headphones they will sound better than, most of the junk people have been using, such as headphones that came with their phone, or headphones they got when taking a plane.

      Don’t get me wrong I understand the hate. If sound quality is all that matters to you then Bose and Beats are far from the best bang for the buck. But if Brand name and style matter, than both companies fit the bill of decent sounding headphones that look good, that most non audio-gear aficionados consider consider good audio companies.

  6. Howie Isaacks - 9 years ago

    This is stupid and fascist. So the players and fans can’t choose what products to buy and have with them while they’re at a game? For the most part, Bose makes great products, but if they’re so afraid of Beats and other brands that they will resort to tactics like this, maybe they’re not worth spending the extra money.

    • piotr (@chwalekpiotr) - 9 years ago

      TILL PLAYERS ARE ON THAT SILLY MONEY THEY ARE CORPO SLAVES NOW.AND NO,THEY CANT WEAR WHATEVER THEY WANT,They cant even say whatever they want.Money,money money.If Apple would sponsor them it would be same way,so where is that cry from?

    • thejuanald - 9 years ago

      Did you read the update? It has nothing to do with Bose. It’s nfl policy and always has been.

      • Howie Isaacks - 9 years ago

        OK, well piss on the NFL then.

      • Gregory Wright - 9 years ago

        Its not personal Howie, its strictly business.

      • thejuanald - 9 years ago

        As long as you’re hating on the right people.

  7. Eddie Parks - 9 years ago

    Bose are better, in my opinion.

  8. standardpull - 9 years ago

    I don’t have a problem with this. The NFL is a huge TV show used exclusively to sell products and advertising. The NFL sells product placement to advertisers, both as TV commercials and through dozens of other mechanisms. That’s how they make their money.

    The NFL is a very, very popular reality TV game show. Anyone that thinks otherwise is fooled by their rhetoric of it being about “sport”. Instead, the TV game show rules have been honed over time to be optimized to attract viewers.

    Bose wants in. So do other advertisers. That’s fine by me.

  9. Ario (@ArioYazdan) - 9 years ago

    Both brands sound horrible

  10. I find it completely fcuking amazing that even headphones have their idiotic fanboys.

  11. thinkman12345 - 9 years ago

    Bose used to be a name that denoted quality — which has been missing, big time, in the last few years. So now they are making money the 21st century way…… suing the competition at every turn. Too bad they don’t invest their money and time into producing products that will knock you out.

  12. scumbolt2014 - 9 years ago

    Wadda Bose-job

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