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Spanning tees, crewnecks, and sweatshirts, the Disney | Champion NFL Collection will ultimately represent all 32 NFL teams. The first eight team-character matchups feature fan-favorite characters from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Disney<\/p>\n
From Walt Disney\u2019s animated cartoons of characters participating in various games to the 1996 acquisition of ABC (which owned ESPN at the time), The Walt Disney Company has a storied history with sports. While live broadcasts have been a cornerstone of Disney\u2019s sports strategy,<\/a> the company is deepening its dive into sports fandom with a new partnership with the National Football League (NFL). Disney, the NFL, Champion and Fanatics are pairing all 32 NFL teams with Disney characters in a new apparel collection, as part of Disney and ESPN\u2019s \u201cYear of the Super Bowl\u201d initiative. <\/p>\n \u201cAt their core, both NFL and Disney are built on passionate communities that bring people together across generations. This collaboration creates a natural entry point for fans to express multiple interests at once, whether they\u2019re representing their favorite team, their favorite Disney characters or both,\u201d Paul Gitter, executive vice president of global commercialization for Disney Consumer Products, told me.<\/p>\n The apparel launch is centered around the Disney Fan Draft, a live reimagining of the NFL Draft hosted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and sports journalist and broadcaster Taylor Rooks. Each team is paired with a Disney, Marvel, Star Wars or Pixar character that represents the culture of each NFL team. For example, the Buffalo Bills have been matched with Disney\u2019s Beast from Beauty and the Beast, while the New England Patriots\u2019 Fan Draft pick is Marvel\u2019s Captain America.<\/p>\n \u201cIn today\u2019s culture, style is an expression of fandom,\u201d said NFL senior vice president of consumer products and licensing Casey Collins. \u201cBringing together the powerful branding of NFL teams and Disney characters reflects our commitment to living at the intersection of sports and fashion. We are excited to take this collection to market.\u201d<\/p>\n Creating An Overlapping Ecosystem For Fans<\/p>\n Spanning tees, crewnecks, and sweatshirts, the Disney | Champion NFL Collection will ultimately represent all 32 NFL teams. The first eight team-character matchups feature fan-favorite characters from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Disney <\/p>\n \u201cSports are a powerful way to connect with fans through forums that are already part of their daily lives. Fandoms increasingly overlap across entertainment, sports and lifestyle, which gives us new opportunities for consumers to engage with Disney in ways that feel relevant, authentic and culturally connected,\u201d says Gitter.<\/p>\n According to Sportico<\/a>, each NFL team received about $433 million in 2024 from media, sponsorships, and merchandising through the league\u2019s national revenue share program. Additionally, FinanceBuzz <\/a>found the league-wide average spend on merchandise per fan is about $144.<\/p>\n Even more so, the entry of a pop culture phenomenon like Disney<\/a> into the sports arena is a big deal. This creates an easy gateway for sports-curious Disney fans to enter the field, ring, grid, or court without needing too much background knowledge about the sport. These new fans are often more interested in the lifestyle and cultural moments of an event rather than points or standings. Still, some casual supporters end up converting into lifelong sport enthusiasts.<\/p>\n