Browns Given Rights To Branding NFL In Home Country Of One Of Their Own

The NFL announced on Monday that the Browns will be the first team granted marketing rights in Nigeria as part of their Global Markets Program aimed at growing football outside of the United States.

Growing the game remains at the forefront of the initiatives the NFL is constantly prioritizing and now the Browns are set to help those efforts.

On Monday, as part of the league's Global Markets Program, the Browns were granted exclusive marketing rights in the country of Nigeria. They are the first team in what is a three-year-old program to select Nigeria and they'll now be tasked with expanding the NFL's brand there through fan engagement and commercialization opportunities.

Cleveland happens to have a natural connection to Nigeria with it being the home country of star tight end David Njoku, who was born in New Jersey after his parents immigrated from the African nation. Via the Browns X account, Njoku had a message for his homeland.

“I want to welcome Nigeria to the NFL Global Markets program,” Njoku said. “This is humongous for us, dawg. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s a blessing for Nigeria and for the Browns, so I’m very excited to welcome the homeland. This is just a start. So let’s keep going. Let’s do this.”

Njoku gets his nickname "chief" from his Nigerian background, as his father was a chief in his familial village. That same honor was bestowed upon Njoku in 2022 during one of his many return trips to the village, Umuozu, in recognition of the his continued humanitarian efforts. Several years later he'll be a leading voice in growing the game of football in his home country.

David Njoku

Kevin Sabitus/GettyImages

"We are excited to be awarded the Nigerian market to further expand the Dawg Pound to
Nigeria," said executive vice president JW Johnson. "The game of American football continues to grow across the globe and Nigeria is an important market to be in with the increasing number of players across our league that take great pride in their Nigerian heritage. The Browns look forward to continuing to grow the game in Nigeria through the Global Marketing Program while learning from and connecting with the Nigerian community to cultivate more opportunities.”

The Browns were one of four new teams to be added to the program this year, along with the Lions (Austria, Canada, Germany and Switzerland), the Colts (Austria and Germany), and the Giants (Germany). More than two thirds of the league have been assigned at least one global market to cultivate at this point.

"The momentum of the Global Markets Program underscores the strong commitment of NFL clubs to growing the game and their passionate fan bases around the world. Clubs are seeing the value and opportunity in new markets and aligning with the league to accelerate that growth together,” said Peter O'Reilly, executive vice president, club business, major events & international at the NFL. “We can’t wait to see the ongoing impact of the program on fandom and global growth in this season and in years ahead, both in new and existing markets and via new clubs joining and active clubs deepening their strategic commitments.”

NFL clubs can apply for rights to international markets by submitting proposals to the International Committee for review each spring. Clubs are awarded rights for at least a five-year term through the program, and during this period can pursue activities in that international market that are consistent with what they can do in their home market.

The NFL provided shared the following updated list of participating clubs and global markets.

The 2024 NFL Global Markets Program by market:  
*indicates new program addition for 2024  

Argentina Miami Dolphins* 
Austria: Detroit Lions*, Indianapolis Colts*, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks*, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Australia: Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles 
Brazil: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots* 
Canada: Detroit Lions*, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks 
China: Los Angeles Rams 
Colombia Miami Dolphins* 
France: New Orleans Saints 
Germany: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions*, Indianapolis Colts*, Kansas City Chiefs, New England: Patriots, New York Giants*, Pittsburgh Steelers*, Seattle Seahawks*, Tampa Bay Buccaneers  
Ghana: Philadelphia Eagles 
Ireland: Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets*, Pittsburgh Steelers (Island of Ireland)
Japan Los Angeles Rams*
Mexico: Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins*, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers  
New Zealand: Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles 
Nigeria: Cleveland Browns*
Spain: Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins
South Korea: Los Angeles Rams*
Switzerland: Detroit Lions*, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks*, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
United Kingdom: Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers