| Website Design and the NFL | | | | awards. Yes, there is more. What award |
| | | | ceremony would be complete without the Most |
| The NFL is all about competition and the | | | | Improved Website award? Who more fitting then |
| internet is no different. Who cares how they | | | | the perennial up and comer on the field but |
| are doing on the field, the real question is | | | | the Who, by the way are, one of 5 teams |
| how good is you team's website? Did you know | | | | whose domain name is not their full team name |
| that there is an NFL Internet Network Awards | | | | or mascot name. Fourteen team use their |
| given each year? The Internet Super Bowl if | | | | mascot name(i.e. panthers.com, redskins.com) |
| you will. Well, this year's Best Website goes | | | | and 13 teams use their full team name(i.e. |
| to the Win or lose on the field they have | | | | neworleanssaints.com, baltimoreravens.com). |
| already won the online Super Bowl. | | | | Can't they even spend enough to buy their |
| | | | team name? That might explain why they are in |
| But wait it doesn't stop there. Next, is the | | | | the bottom 2 in website traffic. The other 4 |
| winning the Best Content award, the take Best | | | | teams also rank at the bottom in traffic. |
| Website Design, and the walk off with Best | | | | |
| Multimedia Website. Cleaning up with 3 of the | | | | And which website, you ask, ranks the highest |
| top 4 awards the NFC East is clearly | | | | with the most traffic? That distinction goes |
| dominating NFL Internet Network. | | | | to the followed closely by the |
| | | | |
| In a bid to break up the NFC East dominance | | | | Getting back to the best website, the |
| the NFL Internet Working Group announced in | | | | PhiladelphiaEagles.com, their website is |
| early October a plan to centralize ad | | | | designed and built by AmericanEagle.com, |
| purchases across all 32 team's websites. Each | | | | which leads all Website Designers having |
| team would still be able to run ads on their | | | | built websites for 6 of the 32 NFL teams. |
| own, but would have to give space to the | | | | comes in second with their website Management |
| league. The NFL Internet Working group is | | | | system powering 5 team websites. |
| charged with crafting a hybrid approach to | | | | |
| the Internet by not going all the way down | | | | Most teams use outside Website Design and Web |
| the road to complete league control but | | | | Hosting firms to build and host their |
| moving away from the current, decentralized | | | | websites while 4 appear to do it in house. A |
| system. Currently, the only centralization is | | | | handful use Marketing agencies instead of a |
| the NFL Internet Network Toolbar across the | | | | traditional Website Design company. It is |
| top of each team's websites. | | | | amazing how many different paths the |
| | | | different teams take to implement and |
| But wait I digress. I never finish the | | | | maintain their websites. |