Dive Brief:

• Despite multiple domestic abuse scandals, the NFL exited 2014 with a 7.8% increase in sponsorship revenue, for a total of $1.15 billion, according to new research from IEG.
• The NFL was able to pull in three new sponsors for the 2014 season—Dannon, TD Ameritrade, and Nationwide Insurance—helping to beat the total sports sponsorship spending average of a 4.9% increase. 
• Certain NFL teams and players involved in the domestic violence and child abuse cases—including Baltimore's Ray Rice and Minnesota's Adrian Peterson—lost sponsors, but the league suffered little overall. 

Dive Insight: 

IEG's findings may come as a bit of a surprise for anyone following the headlines surrounding the scandals in the NFL. The increase in sponsorship spending goes to show that media portrayal may not always offer a true representation of a brand's public image. And many sponsors may not be too concerned with the NFL's image problem, as the league is still pulling in huge viewer numbers.