Can You Use "Super Bowl" or Other Event Names in Your Marketing?

Can you legally use "Super Bowl" in your ads or promotions?

In most commercial situations, no. "Super Bowl" is a registered trademark of the National Football League, and using it to promote a sale, party, product, or giveaway can imply an official sponsorship that doesn't exist. That's exactly the kind of consumer confusion trademark law is designed to prevent, and the NFL sends cease-and-desist letters to businesses of every size every January.

There is a narrow concept called nominative fair use — referring to a trademark to describe the real thing, such as a news outlet reporting on the game. But promotional and advertising use that trades on the event's fame usually falls outside that safe harbor. Because the line is fact-specific, most businesses simply avoid the branded term altogether rather than gamble on a fair-use argument.

Why do brands like the NFL enforce event names so aggressively?

They enforce aggressively because trademark rights can weaken if the owner lets others use the mark freely. Consistent policing protects both the value of official sponsorships — which companies pay millions for — and the mark itself against becoming generic. Letting a local pizzeria run "Super Bowl Specials" unchecked would erode the exclusivity sponsors are paying for.

The same logic drives protection of "Olympic" (which carries extra federal protection under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act), "World Cup," "March Madness," and "The Masters." This is Brand Protection at scale, and it mirrors the chain every business relies on: Secure Mark USA connects Trademark Registration through the USPTO to enforceable Intellectual Property rights. The difference is only budget — the legal principle protecting the NFL is the same one that can protect your business name.

What can your business say instead — and how do you protect your own event name?

Use generic, unprotected language: "the big game," "championship Sunday," "the finals," "football weekend," or "game day." These phrases capture the moment without borrowing anyone's trademark, which is why national advertisers who aren't official sponsors use them too. If you want to tie a promotion to a real event, focus on the experience ("Game Day Wings — Half Off") rather than the protected name.

More importantly, if you run your own recurring event, festival, tournament, or branded promotion, protect that name before someone else does. Event and entertainment services are typically filed in Class 41, and registering gives you the same enforcement power the big leagues use. A quick clearance search tells you whether your event name is available, and filing secures it nationwide.

Key takeaways

• "Super Bowl" is an NFL trademark (entertainment services, Class 41); using it in ads can imply false sponsorship and trigger enforcement.
• Nominative fair use rarely covers promotional advertising that trades on an event's fame.
• Safe alternatives include "the big game," "championship Sunday," and "game day."
• "Olympic," "World Cup," "March Madness," and "The Masters" are protected just as strictly.
• Protect your own event name by filing in the correct class — Secure Mark USA files from $99 plus the $350-per-class USPTO fee.

Frequently asked questions