Crowdfunding and the Super Bowl
The NFL Super Bowl is one of the world’s most popular events. Various crowdfunding campaigns have attempted to latch on to this popular support, but few have reached the connection.
The 48th version of the Super Bowl will see the Seattle Seahawks take on the Denver Broncos. While TV network CBS has made a comparison between the two cities, including a cameo from US Open footbag champion Ken Somolinos at the 2 minute mark, the battle will begin on the field this evening at 6:30 p.m. in the United States (8:30 in Chile).
While much has been made of the cold weather battle, it may be a battle for fans in the stands to keep warm during the marathon match. Ticket prices have risen extensively since the first Super Bowl was played out in front of fans paying US$12 a ticket, with parking spaces being sold on Ebay at a premium.
One campaign that did reach the target was related to Seattle’s famous fan the “Seahulk“. Tim Froemke, a former bodybuilder, transforms into his character with a professional paint job ahead of each match. Artist Dutch Bihary set a target of $1,995 on Kickstarter to cover the costs of an in and out stay, with the campaign reaching $2,166 during the five-day funding period.
The highest reward was for backers giving over $850, with one taker for the prize which included:
1- Your names written on SeaHulk’s back and a photo. 2- An invitation for (2) two to hang out with us while we paint the SeaHulk for one of next seasons home (Seattle) games. 3- (2) FACE & ARM painting, by Dutch of ContoursFX, for the game after painting the SeaHulk as in #1 above. 4- (1) One autographed and numbered in the order of pledges received, limited edition run, never before seen, FULL-COLOR artwork of the SeaHulk, artwork by Dutch. Awesome for SeaHulk fans! 5- (5) 2-1/4″ Buttons of the SeaHulk and Dutch his body painter.
Other superbowl related crowdfunding campaigns have not been so successful. The “Kentucky for Kentucky” campaign, despite finding 576 backers for over $100,000 of pledges, fell well short of the $3.5 million target on their Kickstarter campaign to advertise the state through the Super Bowl.
AdBlock looked for a Super Bowl ad to ironically advertise their anti-ad software, but fell well short of the target. 2013 saw 49ers fan Jackson Harris III look to his fellow Americans to support his journey to the Superbowl. His indiegogo flexible funding campaign raised only $20 of the $4,000 target.
Former New England Patriots defensive end Rodney Bailey tried his hand at the crowdfunding game, but didn’t receive any bites for his book project on A Kickin Crowd. Gail Codgill, a former Detroit man, is currently pushing towards $35,000 goal for stem cell treatment. The GoFundMe campaign has now reached over $20,000 after 18 months.
What could prove interesting in the future of NFL and other franchise sporting teams is the equity crowdfunding models encouraged by the JOBS act. While the Green Bay Packers took the lead early on for community based funding for teams, the possibilities are huge for the worldwide power of crowdfunding.
About the Author
Daniel Boyle Founder of @sportslashlife. Australian living in Chile. Freestyle footbag player and passionate sports fan.
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