Two weeks ago, the NFL issued a strict reminder to its teams that they are only permitted to use official NFL footage on their social media accounts. Teams cannot make their own GIFs or videos, unless they’re willing to pay fines that begin at $25,000. This week, the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles got creative with the restrictions.
Here are the Browns, reenacting a touchdown with plastic figurines:
And the Eagles, using the same technique for an interception:
The NFL told Sports Illustrated that the decision to enforce the social media policy now is not linked to the league’s falling television ratings, but the timing of the announcement makes that rather suspect. At any rate, if the hope is to increase interest among fans, forcing them to watch electric football GIFs rather than football does not seem the most efficient way to do so.