Rooting for the Home Team

There’s a new marketing concept in NFL land – for those of us with no interest in the cold, rain and snow that punctuates weekend football.

Introducing Homegating.

Let’s face it. Families have been entertaining with their televised football before the marketers turned the phrase. But now, in an austere economy the NFL can to sell you the blankets, mini BBQs and coolers to keep you right in your home and your own driveway if you can’t afford the restaurants, sports bars or tailgating that goes with season tickets and PSLs.

Formalizing hanging out on your couch with a gourmet (or down home) flare, NFL.com promotes gameday parties at home, ripe with recipes, contests, products and lifestyle suggestions for both men and women. 

While a fast search on Google also finds a slew of articles that speak to this phenomenon: hearty recipes (primarily Mexican foods), ways to keep the kids happy (create a mini cheerleading camp!) and a lot of information that was probably driven by publicity generated by the Wholly Guacamole company who seem to have designated “Homegating party” as a trademark phrase in their press releases.

In addition, Advertising Age takes this concept even further, noting the impact the NFL has on women and quoting the fact that 79 million women represents 49 percent of the league’s fan base. This audience is not just targeted for the party planning, but the clothes and accessories that can be adorned with your favorite team too.

So suddenly, it’s not about being “just a fan” or a “ football widow/er” for the 16 weeks of season play – it’s a full-on participant partnership to make NFL headquarters at your home and in your life. 

Sort of like what would happen if Sports Illustrated met Good Housekeeping with a little Vogue thrown in too.