Menu
People and Pop Culture

Plugged In: Sean Sansiveri, NFLPA

Sean Sansiveri was recently named NFL Players Association vice president of business and legal affairs and will manage a number of initiatives for Players Inc., the marketing and licensing arm of the NFLPA. Prior to his new post, Sansiveri worked for the union as staff counsel overseeing the NFLPA’s health and safety initiatives. He has a background in labor and business, having worked for the AFL-CIO and in various practice areas, including commercial law and intellectual property law for Saul Ewing.

We are looking for strategic ways to expand our licensing through emerging technologies or places we are not otherwise represented. And it’s all about identifying categories and industries to think differently about engaging with NFL players — mainly on consumer products.


Photo by: KEVIN A. KOSKI / NFLPA
On a growing business: One of the biggest trends we are seeing year-over-year is an increased sponsor-brand appetite for using players. I mean, this past year, our partner-player activation, associating players with brands, is up significantly. … We had well over 1,000 different player deals this year.

New product areas: We have identified specific growth areas for Players Inc. including made-to-order apparel, 3-D printing, virtual reality, social gaming, healthy consumables and various ways to capitalize on mobile technology. So, just by way of example, virtual reality technology allows brands and properties to offer unique engagement opportunities with both fans and players.

On sensor technology: One of the trends we are watching outside of not just NFL football, but across all athletics, deals most directly with the intersection between health and safety and the use of sensor technology.

Challenges for players: There has been this notion of using statistic predictive modeling to build a winning team for years, but now we are seeing the same kind of data science being used in professional athletics in the name of improving player performance and health and safety. This kind of data collection or use of technology presents some major challenges for the participating player wearing the technology. This would include things like, Why is the data being collected? Who is getting access to it? Does the player actually have informed consent, and what kind of longitudinal use is happening? For example, is the team keeping track of the data year after year to see a decline in player performance, and is that being used to make a player decision? There are a lot of protections that need to be put in place.

— Liz Mullen

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2015/03/30/People-and-Pop-Culture/Plugged-In.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2015/03/30/People-and-Pop-Culture/Plugged-In.aspx

CLOSE