Beer and NFL football have gone together for generations, and that link is not accidental. Brewers paid for league rights, team deals, and high-profile TV spots. Over time, those deals changed who could call itself the NFL’s official beer and who could advertise during football’s biggest game.
Where Beer and Football First Connected
Miller Lite Made Retired NFL Stars Ad Favorites
Miller Lite’s “Tastes Great, Less Filling” campaign became a major hit in the 1970s. It featured retired sports stars, including former NFL players Dick Butkus and Bubba Smith. The two became a familiar comic pair after their playing days. Their ads showed how beer brands could borrow a player’s football fame without using an active NFL star as a direct beer endorser.
The Packers and Miller Go Back to the 1940s
Green Bay’s beer ties reach farther back than Miller Lite. The Packers say MillerCoors had sponsored the team since the 1940s. In 1950, Miller Brewing Company president Frederick C. Miller even served as a voluntary assistant on the Packers’ coaching staff. Miller Lite later became an official Packers beer sponsor, adding a modern brand to a much older brewery relationship.
League Rights Became Big Business
Anheuser-Busch Locked Up Super Bowl Alcohol Ads
Starting with the 1989 Super Bowl, Anheuser-Busch held exclusive rights in the game’s alcohol ad category. Rival brewers could not buy competing national alcohol spots during the broadcast. The deal lasted for decades and showed how much value a brewer could gain from keeping competitors out of one huge TV event.
Coors Light Made the NFL Beer Deal Exclusive
Before Coors Light, Anheuser-Busch and Miller both held NFL beer sponsorships. In March 2002, Coors replaced them as the NFL’s official exclusive beer sponsor. One brewer now held the league-level beer rights instead of sharing the category.
Bud Light Took the League Rights Back
Coors Light’s run ended after the 2010 season. MillerCoors said it could not reach a deal with the NFL over the value of the sponsorship. Bud Light then became the NFL’s official and exclusive beer sponsor for the 2011 season. Anheuser-Busch also kept separate team deals and a large ad presence around NFL games.
The Partnership Was Extended Through 2026-27
In December 2021, the NFL and Anheuser-Busch agreed to another five-year deal. The renewal carried the partnership through the 2026-27 season. The companies did not release the contract price. CNBC later reported that Anheuser-Busch was paying the NFL more than $250 million a year for beer and hard seltzer rights.
Spirits Got Their Own NFL Sponsor
The NFL added a new alcohol category in June 2021 when it named Diageo its first official spirits sponsor. The deal gave brands such as Crown Royal, Captain Morgan and Smirnoff league-level marketing rights. Anheuser-Busch still held the beer and hard seltzer rights.
The Old Rules Started to Open Up
Super Bowl Alcohol Exclusivity Ended After 34 Years
Anheuser-Busch gave up its exclusive Super Bowl alcohol ad rights after a 34-year run. Starting with Super Bowl LVII in 2023, rival alcohol companies could once again buy national spots in the broadcast. Molson Coors returned with a national Super Bowl ad while Anheuser-Busch continued to advertise its own brands.
Active Players Entered Ads Without Direct Beer Endorsements
The NFL loosened its alcohol ad rules in 2019. Team sponsors could use licensed images of active players under set limits, but the ads could not imply a direct product endorsement. If more than one player appeared, the ad had to include at least six players.
Patrick Mahomes later used a different approach with Coors Light. He promoted a flashlight in 2022 and the “Coors Light Bear” in 2023 instead of directly endorsing the beer itself.
Why the Rights Matter
The real prize in these deals is access, not just a logo beside a beer brand. League rights, team deals, and Super Bowl ads each put a company closer to fans in a different way. That is why beer marketing around the NFL keeps changing even when the drink does not. The scarce asset is the chance to be part of the football moment before a rival gets there.