NFL And Enthusiast Gaming Partner To Launch Tuesday Night Gaming

Many gamers geek out if they happen to find themselves in an online match with an athlete or celebrity. The NFL and Enthusiast Gaming are looking to establish a platform to create that experience on a weekly basis.

Per a press release provided to Forbes, a multi-year partnership between the two entities will connect NFL players from the past and present with gaming influencers from some of the most well-established gaming communities.

“The NFL is excited to collaborate with Enthusiast Gaming on this first-of-its-kind content series for the League,” said Joe Ruggiero, SVP of Consumer Products at the NFL. “NFL Tuesday Night Gaming will be a unique addition to our weekly schedule that embraces the broader gaming community through an entertaining mix of NFL stars and video gaming culture.”

NFL TNG debuts September 13 at 6:30 PM ET, and it will stream live on YouTube in the United States and Canada every Tuesday during the 2022-2023 NFL regular season.

According to the press release, the programming will feature “a rotating roster of 12 NFL players or legends and 6 gaming creators competing across three game titles each week in an exciting new format.”

After every week of the season, the teams will be ranked. The four best teams will enter a single-elimination playoff with one team crowned as the inaugural NFL TNG champion.

There will also be an All-Star Game at the end of the TNG season, which will be a part of Super Bowl week. Fans will vote on which NFL players and content creators they want to see in action. The winner will get a cash prize to donate to their charity of choice.

During the season, there will be three bye weeks. During one of them, the NFL players and content creators will compete in NFL Family Game Night which is designed to suit families and younger fans.

“No one has brought together the gaming community any sports league for a program of this scale before,” said Bill Kara, President of Enthusiast Gaming. “NFL Tuesday Night Gaming is a new and exciting content platform for brands and agencies to connect with younger audiences through bespoke custom content and talent integrations, including owned moments, featured segments, social activations, and more. We are honored to have been chosen by the NFL to collaborate on this unique and important initiative that will help expand the NFL’s reach to gaming audiences.”

Some NFL players past and present also offered comments on the new initiative.

“I’m excited to be a part of this new endeavor between Enthusiast Gaming and the NFL,” said Austin Ekeler, Running Back for Los Angeles Chargers. “As a lifelong gamer myself, it’s great to see that the NFL is giving players more opportunities to help explore passions outside of football. I can’t wait to be on the stream on September 20th.”

I also spoke with Buffalo Bills legend and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Andre Reed.

He expressed an appreciation for the growth of gaming since he was a player in the 1990s. He also mentioned being happy to be a part of what he hopes will be a successful football-gaming project.