The Cleveland Browns, who in March were granted international marketing rights for the country through the NFL’s Global Marketing program, made a practical choice in choosing Nigeria as their partner nation.
The Browns have cited the presence of Nigerian players in their team, and the large following they have in Lagos, as key reasons for their decision to prioritize the market.
They have already got to work on utilizing their opportunity to engage the market, with former Big Brother Naija contestant Ozo Chukwu announcing Jamari Thrash as the Browns’ fifth round draft pick – the 156th overall – from Lagos.
They have also signed Nigerian-born offensive tackle Roy Mbaeteka, who came through the NFL IPP Program and has been on the practice squads of the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.
“There were several reasons why Nigeria was our target market for expanding our rights outside of Ohio,” Brent Rossi, the Browns’ senior vice president of marketing and media, told ESPN.
“First, we wanted to identify a market that had an authentic connection with the Cleveland Browns. Nigeria made a ton of sense based on the various Browns players who have strong connections to the country, most notably, David Njoku, who is a chief in Nigeria.
“We also looked at our fanbase outside of our core market and found that Nigeria and Lagos, specifically, are top 5 markets for us when it comes to followers on our social media channels. We also wanted to be first to market and there were no other NFL teams who had rights to Nigeria.
“Last, just the sheer size of the market and Nigeria being the largest country in Africa and the 6th largest in the world, was a decisive factor.”
Njoku, a tight end who has been with the Browns since he was drafted in 2017, formally became a chief in March, in recognition of his humanitarian efforts, following in his father’s footsteps.
