Videos of three NFL quarterbacks sharing personal time with their significant others on the field at training camp have gone viral in the last week: Justin Herbert with fiancée Madison Beer, Joe Burrow with rumored girlfriend Olivia Ponton, and Jaxson Dart with girlfriend Marissa Ayers.
Sports Twitter has questioned the rapid succession of tender training-camp content, noting that player partners have not previously had such a visible role in preseason activities.
These moments, it turns out, are at least partly coordinated. The viral canoodling-at-camp videos are part of a larger content campaign, a source close to the NFL told Front Office Sports.
It clearly fits the NFL’s recent efforts to reach women and girls, and is part of the league’s “helmets-off” marketing effort.
“On the league and club level, we’ve engaged our players’ families and loved ones for years,” Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s SVP of social and influencer marketing, told FOS. “Whether it’s Training Camp, weekly practice or a major event like the Super Bowl, we look for authentic opportunities to highlight our players and the people who are part of their journey … The content is authentic, genuine and relatable, and that’s resonated strongly with women and young fans, who are key growth audiences for the NFL.”
