Although the NFL has "achieved unprecedented
popularity," the league "is not complacent, which seems to
set it apart from other" professional sports leagues,
according to Roger Rubin of THESTREET.com. League research
"indicates" that its fan base remains with one age group
that "won't be around forever," and that "strides can be
made" in the under-25 male and female demos. The NFL is
looking to launch promos and events to maintain their
current base that will "pay dividends in the near and
distant future." NFL Dir of Corporate Communications Chris
Widmaier: "Things are good in 1999, but we want to be sure
things are at least as good in 2009 and 2019." Rubin wrote
that young people are "probably the [NFL's] biggest
concern." The NFL started a girls-only division of
Gatorade's "Punt, Pass & Kick" in '95, and by '96, 125,000
girls had participated in the competition, and the "number
is now closer" to 160,000. The "advent of all-girls
divisions" also increased participation in the Nike-
sponsored "NFL Flag." In the Bronx, the NFL and Ford Motor
Co. are running a "prototype" for a skills-development
program called "NFL Junior Player Development," which aims
at "boosting participation." The program, which is geared
to 12-to-14 year-olds who have never played the game, has a
$100M budget over the next eight years, and the league and
Ford provide a facility, uniforms, pads and coaches to all
150 participants. Furthermore, the NFL "is also focusing
new attention on immigrants" (THESTREET.com, 4/11).
