NFLPA Community MVP

While most fandom is birthed through the on-field feats of athletes, it’s those moments away from the game – after the football helmets come off—that humanizes players and, in turn, allow fans to best engage with them.

That spirit drove the mission of this past season’s NFLPA Community MVP campaign. By moving beyond just shining a deserving light on the good that players had done, it discovered new ways to integrate the personal touch of charitable outreach with the virtual engagement opportunities that now exist in the “new normal.”

For instance, through the NFLPA Community Day service event, the animated Community MVP cover spreads that were initially released on social media literally came to life for students, who not only received actual copies of the magazine but were also able to engage with players featured on those same pages through a memorable field day experience.

Behind the Community MVP program's innovative storytelling and creative philanthropic efforts, players and fans alike benefit as they work together to further causes that are important to them.

Objective

What began as a series of weekly tweets highlighting the many ways that players give back has evolved over the past decade into a season-long philanthropic campaign across multiple platforms. The NFLPA Community MVP initiative features substantial donations to athletes’ various causes, new opportunities for player charitable outreach and engaging content that provides fans with a fresh sense of how each honoree has personally impacted those in need.

Each week during the NFL regular season, the NFLPA recognized one player for giving back to his community by providing a $10,000 donation to his foundation or charity of choice and shared a digital commemorative magazine cover spread illustrating his off-the-field work (created by supporting partner HEARTLENT Group).

With these 18 MVPs making a difference in various pockets of the country, what better way to culminate this year’s campaign than by bringing some of these same players to one place—the Super Bowl host city—all with the same mission: Give their youngest fans in that community an experience they will never forget.

Strategy & Execution

The NFLPA partnered with HEARTLENT Group to create magazine covers commemorating the contributions that earned each player Community MVP honors. The spread featured a player portrait on the cover, humanizing them through an animation feature that opened the magazine to display more pictures of the athletes working to help others.

Fans were able to support their favorite players and causes through a virtual ballot promoted across the NFLPA’s digital channels by voting for which of the 18 Community MVPs would serve as the five finalists for the prestigious NFLPA Alan Page Community Award.

Finally, the NFLPA hosted its first Community Day during Super Bowl week in Phoenix. Thirteen players participated in a field day at a local elementary school featuring food, fun activities and music. All students received a gift bag filled with a commemorative magazine featuring all 18 Community MVP cover spreads, special-edition Community MVP trading cards and three diversity-based books.

The Title 1 school also received a $5,000 donation from the NFLPA to aid the development of this young group of fans. And in partnership with Uninterrupted, 20 students earned a trip to the media company’s pop-up shop activation later that week for free haircuts, games and food.