On February 9, the Chiefs and the Eagles won’t be the only ones hoping to make it big on the day. Top brands and advertisers will be heavily invested in the Super Bowl LIX broadcast, having spent millions on ad space. With ad costs up by close to a million from last year for a 30-second spot, the NFL is bound to fill its coffers to the brim once it is all said and done at the Caesars Superdome. More than 120 million people are expected to tune in on Sunday and it is bound to be a win-all situation for the NFL and advertising agencies but not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

Given the attention and audience it attracts, the Super Bowl has become the holy grail for advertisers. Last year, an estimated audience of 123.7 million watched Patrick Mahomes lead the Chiefs to a second Super Bowl in two years after their win over the 49ers. While the Chiefs hoisted the Lombardi Trophy amid red and white confetti, Roger Goodell was seeing green. The 2024 game racked up estimated ad revenue of about $550 million for in-game ad placements. As the price of ad spots in this year’s Super Bowl has gone up to $8 million, expect the NFL to mint more money.

Over the years, Roger Goodell hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the NFL fans. Despite the league’s growing success as a commercial entity, Goodell has come under fire for some of his decisions. Whether it be his handling of the 2011 NFL player lockout or stances toward player health and safety as well as officiating changes, the league commissioner has often drawn the ire of fans. So, when the reports of the NFL’s estimated fortune from ad revenue for this year’s Super Bowl filtered in, over 30k Americans latched onto a Reddit post to show their approval for a Super Bowl boycott.

The Reddit post declared, “It costs $7 million for 30 seconds of ad space during the Super Bowl. If we don’t watch, they lose money. Hit them in the wallet, boycott the Super Bowl.” Some of the ads have reportedly cost close to $8 million as well. So, there is a high possibility that we can be looking at an amount close to or even over last year’s ad revenue and some fans are trying to ensure that NFL takes a hit.

This call for a boycott will take some New Orleans Saints fans back in time. In 2019, the Saints fans called for a boycott of the Super Bowl LIII after a controversial loss to the LA Rams in the NFC Championship game and the event came to be known as the “boycott bowl.” The Saints fans took over the streets of New Orleans, decked out in black and gold, and joined in a massive second-line procession through the French Quarter.

Well, we are not sure whether this particular call for a boycott will turn into an event of its own, but there is some discontent among the fans for certain reasons.

One why the fans may look to boycott the league is to hit Roger Goodell in the pocket. Since stepping into the Commissioner’s shoes in 2006, Roger Goodell has built a legacy as unforgettable as any Marvel antihero (minus the tragic backstory, plus a dash of billionaire swagger).

When it was reported that Goodell earned close to $64 million annually for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, it outraged the fans. This was at a time when the league was hit hard by the COVID pandemic and revenues were down across the board. Being an unpopular figure among the fans for his various decisions, this certainly didn’t go down well with a large section of them.

Then there is the Chiefs’ continued dominance that has put some people off. Mahomes and Co. are going for their third title in a row and have played in four of the last five Super Bowls winning on three occasions. Moreover, the game between the Chiefs and the Eagles is a Super Bowl rematch from two years ago. But perhaps the biggest reason for many fans to consider a boycott is the officiating controversy surrounding the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have been accused of favoritism from refs, especially in their divisional round win over the Texans and the AFC Championship game against the Bills. This could be another reason why fans might not want to tune in to the game. This at least holds true for many Bills fans. According to WIVB TV, many fans in the Buffalo area are choosing to not watch the game.

“It was an easy decision to make because of the Chiefs making it again and we got screwed over in that football game,” said Bills fan Kim Slowinski. “My husband and I are just going to watch movies. Something upbeat that we enjoy, and then we’ll look at the results of the games when it’s over.”

Moreover, WIVB News 4 has heard from fans in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, and Texas who all said they won’t be tuning in either. There is also a petition calling for all NFL viewers unhappy with the refereeing to boycott the Super Bowl and future games until changes are made. The petition has garnered over 4000 signatures so far.

It will be interesting to see if these boycott calls affect how things pan out for the NFL and its Super Bowl partners. There are over 80 ad spots divided among 51 brands, with some spots going for a record $8 million this year, the highest-ever price. The broadcast will feature more than 51 minutes of advertising time.

Super Bowl ads have grown in price and value over the years and have become a staple for the occasion. Commercial air time during the NFL Championship in 2023 was also about $7 million for 30 seconds, a 55% jump from 2019.

Super Bowl Boycott 2025
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According to the site superbowl-ads.com, a 30-second spot on CBS during the first Super Bowl cost just $42,500. By 1973, the Super Bowl ads went for an average of $88,000. Over the next two decades, this amount climbed steadily. In 1980, the 30-second iconic Coca-Cola ad featuring Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Joe Greene cost $222,000.

By the 1990s the rate had gone up to $850,000 and by the turn of the millennium ad slots had jumped to $1.6 million. A 30-second spot was just under $3 million in 2009 and just five years later, it was $4 million.

The Super Bowl ad juggernaut has only grown over the years and it doesn’t look likely it will slow down, but if there was a well-thought-out and large-scale digital boycott?

Imagine if the NFL were a blockbuster franchise and Goodell the box office mogul: skipping the movie isn’t just a loss of entertainment—it’s a direct hit to the profit margins. But let’s be real—Super Bowl Sunday is about the ads. This year’s lineup? A mashup of nostalgia and “Wait, why is that celeb here?!”

Hellmann resurrected When Harry Met Sally’s iconic diner scene with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Cue Ryan’s fake… ahem… enthusiasm, followed by Sydney Sweeney popping in like, “Hey, I’m here for the mayo?” Adweek’s Alison Weissbrot called it “fan-adored,” while experts side-eyed Sweeney’s cameo harder than The Office’s Michael Scott at a Diwali party.

Uber Eats tossed Matthew McConaughey, Martha Stewart, and Charli XCX into a blender. Stewart makes a Caesar salad while McConaughey drawls, “Alright, alright, alright?” Sure, why not? Stella Artois paired David Beckham and Matt Damon as ”twin brothers”—a plot twist M. Night Shyamalan would envy. And Dunkin’? Ben Affleck and Jeremy Strong basically reenacted Succession over iced coffee. “It’s the Super Bowl playbook,” shrugged ad guru Magda Tomaszewski. “Nostalgia, celebs, animals. Rinse, repeat.” Will Chiefs get the 3-Peat?

While 30K+ Americans might be hitting pause on their remote controls to send a message to the NFL’s fat wallet, the league’s powerhouse, Goodell, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Here’s where the plot thickens like a well-aged NFL drama…

Roger Goodell’s retirement stance

When Commissioner Goodell signed a new contract eight years ago, former NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart declared it would be his final deal. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. And if Lockhart’s crystal ball is anything to go by, the next chapter might not feature a retirement either.

With two years left on his deal, insiders—including ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr.—are tossing out lines that are as definitive as they are unapologetic: “What I’ve heard is that he isn’t going anywhere. Maybe that’s not surprising when you consider how much money he’s making and how good everything is going. . . . He’s enjoying the job. The business is almost on autopilot. I would be surprised if Roger retires after the conclusion of his current contract.” Goodell isn’t just riding a wave; he’s surfing a tsunami of revenue and owner approval.

Setting a sky-high target of $25B in annual revenues by 2027, he’s only looking forward. As the NFL’s financial juggernaut keeps chugging along, so does its strategic play to extract every last cent from the Super Bowl spectacle. The exorbitant ad rates have sparked a digital rebellion among viewers, with calls to boycott the event as a statement against the extravagance of corporate spending.

Beyond the controversies over ad dollars, the Super Bowl remains the cultural event of the year, pulling in not just football fanatics but also music lovers and pop culture aficionados. Are you excited for the Super Bowl? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.