Apple is among the Silicon Valley tech giants who have raised millions of dollars to support the upcoming Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in California, though the iPhone maker has apparently requested that its logo and name not be associated with any of the NFL's marketing materials.
Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. | Source: Levi's Stadium
Apple's role in the Super Bowl Host Committee was detailed in a new report on Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal, in which the committee's CEO, Keith Bruce, revealed that Apple did not want to actively publicize its participation. Still, behind the scenes, Apple has provided the host committee with products and equipment, and is publicly identified as a supporter.
Officials from Apple simply requested that the committee not mention the company in any promotions for the upcoming event. That's a different approach from other high-profile partners like Alphabet, Yahoo, Intel and more.
But behind the scenes, Apple has made it clear they believe hosting the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., will be a huge benefit to the local community. The company was among the first to pledge $2 million in cash and services to offset taxpayer dollars associated with bringing the NFL's championship game to the home of the San Francisco 49ers.
Official sponsors of the Super Bowl gain the right to use the NFL's Super Bowl logo on products. But Bruce told Yahoo Finance that he doesn't think Apple cares much about that ability.
"Their opinion is that the NFL should pay them for the right to use their mark," Bruce said. "Because their mark is more valuable than the NFL shield."
Apple helped foster the trend of "blockbuster" Super Bowl television commercials with its iconic "1984" Mac spot, but the company has been silent since 1999. Its final Super Bowl ad featured HAL 9000, the sentient supercomputer from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, taking jabs at the Windows Y2K bug.