San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and a large contingent of fellow NFL players (that includes notable personality, Richard Sherman) are at a crossroads. No, it has nothing to do with wins and losses in the strictest football sense. It's everything to do with their choice of headphones. Yes, in 2014, freaking headphones are suddenly a lightning-rod issue for football players. And in the industry, this is a heavyweight fight: Bose vs. Beats. The Dr. Dre company, now owned by Apple (who probably helped fund the music mogul's purchase of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen's moated mansion in Los Angeles when they bought Beats) are being forcibly kicked to the curb by the league. And the latest rumor is that Apple is responding to Bose in kind.
Here's the Apple/Beats vs. Bose breakdown:
Beats headphones made a major dent in the athlete product placement market for headphones last year with the very successful commercial campaign seen above. They achieved a near-monopoly in the "celebrities wearing cool headphones" game.
Apple buys Beats for a reported $3 billion, blowing everyone's mind, and making Dr. Dre a much wealthier individual.
The NFL ends its partnership with Motorola for headphones (which are seen on camera during game broadcasts), and strikes a deal with Bose. No exact terms are given for the deal, but it presumably outstrips the previous Motorola deal of $40 million per season.
Players continue to rock their Beats headphones, and the NFL responds. Last week they fined Kaepernick $10,000 for wearing pink Beats headphones (in an apparent nod to Breast Cancer Awareness Month) during a press conference following a game:
#49ers QB Colin Kaepernick still rocking Beats by Dre headphones after beating #KCChiefs pic.twitter.com/A5Hh4uVaWn
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) October 6, 2014
Bose is apparently trying to eradicate Beats usage among NFL players by sending them free headphones. It reveals just how expensive product placement can be:
Every #Panthers player will return from this morning's meetings to find headphones from @Bose in their locker. pic.twitter.com/vHmRSDLhug
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 10, 2014
Now, Apple is rumored to be beginning a process that would remove all Bose products from their "retail environment." Though the listed reason was that it's due to their ownership with Beats, the timing of the move (coming months after first purchasing the headphone company) makes it seem like a direct response to the NFL's draconian measures in protecting their official headphone brand.
This happens as Beats and Bose battle in various court proceedings. The rivalry is only escalating with Apple's ownership, and also the presence of the NFL (seen by many as a limitless cash cow for product placement).
A similar situation has occurred with tablet usage in the NFL. Microsoft spent $400 million getting exclusive rights to have teams use their "Surface," but it hasn't stopped NFL announcers from consistently calling them iPads (even if they've improved). Apple's "outsider" status has actually served to give a lot of attention in the short term, as they make notable headlines for getting illegitimate product placement (through the aforementioned dubious announcing, and moments like Kaepernick's press conference, coupled with the ensuing scandals).
It's a fascinating, if slightly depressing subplot. The NFL is so defensive of its brand, and its numerous sponsors, that it is now fining players for the choice of their headphones in a post game interview. The thought of someone explaining this to Vince Lombardi a few decades ago induces instantaneous laughter, yet that's the modern, business-like nature of professional football.
Featured image via Wiki Commons
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