What you sell in Vegas...

FF >> seven years and the NFL is still unhappy, again. Seems Kia’s Super Bowl spot touches on a few things the league rather not have associated with the fan-friendly festive family sport of football. Like... gambling and showgirls in Vegas. According to the league:

“Ads may NOT contain any gambling references—audio or video—or any gambling imagery. So by way of example, an ad for Las Vegas tourism with pictures of slot machines, dice, cards, or a wide shot of Vegas strip and casinos would NOT be OK.”

Gray area much?

Even though the two casino names were visible in the spot, it wasn’t an ad *exclusively* for Vegas tourism. Context matters because that spot on any other day is fine. The rule is archaic though, and any connection of b-roll with the NFL, let alone players, is tangential at best. These were costume characters. People aren’t going to Vegas for just The Neon Museum. The league for its part says it didn’t see the ad ahead of time. For real? Ad blogs saw the damn thing a week before.

While NFL players can’t publicly promote anything to do with gambling, they’re not barred from casinos for recreational purposes:

“The League has a longstanding policy against any advertising or promotional activities by players, clubs, coaches or other management personnel that can reasonably be perceived as constituting affiliation with or endorsement of gambling or gambling-related activities. All club employees, including coaches and players, are prohibited from being associated with such activities through endorsements, commercials, ads, or public appearances. . . . Promotional appearances by players, coaches, or other club personnel involving casinos, sports books, gambling cruises, or similar activities are not permitted.”

Guess the league’s recent lottery promotion is okay though.

Look, if they’re concerned with appearances in the least, then the league either bans all its players and coaches from any type of gambling—or it updates to a more realistic policy that reflects how the game is marketed now.

(Via Miamiadschool.)