What the NFL owns
The NFL and its 32 clubs own the team names, logos, uniform designs, the NFL shield, and marks including "Super Bowl" and "Super Sunday." NFL Properties LLC litigates to protect the marks. Separately, NFL FLAG leagues must name RCX, the NFL, its clubs, NFL Ventures, the NFL Foundation and NFL Properties as additional insureds Sourced.
The league has sent cease-and-desist letters over "Super Bowl" viewing parties that charged a few dollars at the door, and it opposed a trademark application for "Superb Owl." Cute variants do not help Sourced.
What an NFL FLAG league actually gets
An official NFL FLAG league does not receive a license to reproduce team marks. What it gets is the right to buy and distribute the official jerseys, which carry the team branding Sourced.
The RCX organizer manual is explicit: NFL team logos may not be used on marketing materials of any kind; the NFL shield may not be separated from the FLAG word mark; the NFL FLAG logo may go on apparel only with RCX permission; and every league is told to create its own unique name and logo Sourced. The launch steps are in how to start an NFL FLAG league.
Ready to launch? Flag50 runs registration, your league website and live scoring for independent and affiliated leagues.
Book a 20-minute call →What you may and may not do
| Activity | Independent league | Official NFL FLAG league |
|---|---|---|
| NFL team names and logos on game jerseys | No | Yes, via the official RCX jersey kit only |
| NFL team logos on your website, flyers, social, banners, trophies | No | No |
| "NFL" in your league name; NFL shield in your logo | No | No (use the supplied NFL FLAG lockup as provided) |
| Calling your championship the "Super Bowl" or a variant of it | No | No |
| Naming teams after NFL clubs with no logos (for example, "Chargers" in generic colors) | High risk; the city-plus-nickname pairing implies affiliation. Use original names | Team identity comes with the jersey; follow the manual |
| Generic team colors with original names and mascots | Yes | Yes |
| Saying "we follow NFL FLAG rules" | Only as a factual statement with no implication of affiliation; safer to say "5v5 rules" | Yes, in the form RCX permits |
| College logos, mascots, or script marks | No | No |
College names, logos and mascots
Universities license their names, logos, mascots, colors and seals through agencies. The largest is CLC (Learfield Licensing), formed from the merger of IMG College Licensing and Learfield Licensing Partners. Vendors apply to the agency, submit artwork for approval through an agency portal, and pay royalties (one university publishes a 12 percent rate) Sourced.
Those licenses go to product makers, not to teams that want to adopt a school's identity. A youth league cannot license the right to be "the Gators." Universities have enforced this against high schools repeatedly: Florida (through CLC) forced a Louisiana high school to phase out its gator head and script, and the University of Missouri (through CLC) made a Texas high school phase out a tiger logo Sourced. If a college's lawyers will write to a public high school, they will write to you.
Trademark versus copyright, in plain language
A trademark is a brand identifier used in commerce: a name, logo, slogan, or distinctive uniform design. It exists to prevent consumer confusion and lasts as long as it is used and maintained.
Copyright protects original creative works automatically on creation: logo artwork, photos, videos, broadcast footage, your rulebook, your website copy. A team logo is usually protected by both.