NFL: Giving fans an experience they can't get anywhere else

The NFL is advertising Game Center, its in-game social application, on network television

For the 2009 season, NFL.com debuted Game Center, a highly social, highly interactive in-game fan experience. For each game fans not only can follow the game's progress using the real time Drive Chart, but also have the opportunity to comment on the game and rate player and coaching performance. The end result: the NFL is using the Web in innovative ways to turn casual followers into passionate fans.

Fan War Room increased average time on site by 153%

During the 2009 Draft Weekend, the League let each of its fans become GM-for-a-day. The Fan War Rooms site gave each team’s fans a chance to tout their own draft candidates and, of course, to tear down everyone else's. The site was an enormous success, generating 230,000 comments during draft season – 90,000 during the 48-hour draft weekend – and resulting in an average of 45 minutes spent on the site, a 153% increase over the previous year. Six months later the War Rooms were still abuzz, with another 60,000 fan interactions generated after the draft.

"We are excited to offer our fans another way to interact with each other and the NFL. We think Pluck can deepen the online experience for our fans."
- Hans Schroeder, VP of Digital Media and General Manager of NFL.com

Few organizations can match the passion of National Football League fans. Every week, millions visit sports sites to defend and promote their favorite teams and fantasy football personnel. Naturally, the NFL wants to be the hub of fan activity on the Web, and of course the League is in a position to give fans something they can’t get anywhere else.

Laura Goldberg, NFL Online General Manager, says "[Fans] want to be able to interact with personnel and players and that conversation is happening all around the Web. The idea of engaging with social media is to broaden that conversation."