IBM Drops NFL Sponsorship after Disagreement

IBM Corp. has decided to end its information-technology sponsorship of the National Football League due to a difference of opinion on how the partnership should be handled.

“We determined that our respective views on how the NFL should manage the IT sponsorship were too different and we decided not to renew our agreement,” said Chris Andrews, a spokesman for IBM. “All discussions were amicable and we remain on very positive terms with the NFL, and there is no reason why we wouldn’t consider advertising on NFL games in the future.”

IBM, based in Armonk, N.Y., had served as the NFL’s technology sponsor since 2003, a deal that included consulting and data-center management. The decision to end the arrangement, which expired in March, followed months of negotiations, Andrews said. The NFL move doesn’t affect IBM’s other sponsorships, he said, without elaborating.

The company also is one of three sponsors of the Masters tournament held at Augusta National Golf Club, the subject of criticism over its male-only membership policy. In January, Ginni Rometty became the first female chief executive officer at IBM, which has declined to comment on future Masters’ sponsorship plans. The past four IBM CEOs have been invited to be Augusta National members, and the current CEOs of other Masters sponsors, Exxon Mobil and AT&T, are members.

IBM’s NFL sponsorship decision was initially reported by the Sports Business Journal.