The NFL's "Non-Crisis Crisis"

Super Bowl LVI was certainly entertaining, and not the least of which because of the halftime show. It was a pretty good spectacle and a nice tribute to LA.

But one of the things that drew some controversy was the rapper Eminem, who took a knee at the end of his performance. There’s speculation on social media that the gesture was a reference to former San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick doing that during games.

From my standpoint, it was “Much Ado About Nothing,” but let's talk about this from a Crisis PR perspective. Let's say that, in fact, Eminem was making a reference to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem. Don't think for a moment that the league isn't going to use this to their advantage.

This event is a classic example of how to make a “Non-Crisis Crisis” situation. This is where the NFL puts out a statement saying, “Don't do this,” and the performance artists do it anyway. It creates an entirely new news cycle, for which the league can sell advertisements and add marketing value by essentially creating an asset out of something that at the first Super Bowl 56 years ago was considered an afterthought.

The halftime show was not a product of any sort back then. Give credit to the NFL. They have created assets — lucrative, revenue-generating, profitable assets — out of nothing. Halftime shows, the NFL draft, the Combine, and other stuff really hold no bearing on the actual game. The league has created these wonderful entertaining packages.

Here's the lesson. Sometimes creating a bit of controversy in the right context and in the right venue may actually be to your advantage. If you're not skilled at threading that needle, don't try it. There are way too many pitfalls.