Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
A victory by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 would be beneficial to Basketball Hall of Famer Pat Riley’s financial portfolio.
Per Front Office Sports, since Riley has had variations of the term “three-peat” trademarked for years, the NFL reached an agreement with his camp to use the phrase on various merchandise if the Chiefs are able to win their third straight Super Bowl by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Riley originally filed to trademark the term “three-peat” in 1989 when he was head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and they were pursuing their third consecutive championship.
He filed for a new trademark in May 2014 to use “3-peat” on any jewelry and sports memorabilia when the Miami Heat, who has been team president for since 1995, were going for their third straight title.
Per the United States Patent and Trademark Database (h/t NPR’s Joe Hernandez), Riley’s company, Riles & Company Inc., own at least six trademarks for variations of the “three-peat” phrase.
Riley told Darren Rovell, then working for ESPN, in 2005 that he made around $300,000 from the first Chicago Bulls three-peat. He also cashed in on the second Bulls three-peat, the New York Yankees’ run of three straight World Series titles from 1998 to 2000 and the Lakers’ three consecutive titles from 1999 to 2001.
“It’s sort of been an interesting phenomenon,” Riley told Rovell at the time. “I found out that if I were ever an entrepreneurial man, I could have made some [money] in my life.”
Sports business reporter Joe Pompliano noted Riley could make more than $1 million if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs can become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles with a victory over the Eagles.
If you’re a superstitious Chiefs fan, this is bad news because Riley’s teams have failed both times in their quest to win three consecutive championships. The Lakers were swept by the Detroit Pistons in the 1989 NBA Finals. The Heat not only lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, but LeBron James subsequently left as a free agent to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Even if the Chiefs are unable to beat Philadelphia, the good news is there’s very little chance Patrick Mahomes will be going anywhere in the offseason. Although with Luka Dončić just getting traded, you can never say never about anything.
In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was busy spending time in Orlando for his Pro Bowl nod to celebrate a stro
Not long after league commissioner Roger Goodell applauded Tom Brady for his efforts to balance his FOX broadcasting role with his stake in the Las Vegas Raider
The words "End Racism" will not be featured in the back of end zones during Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.Ins
Interest in the NFL’s All-Star festivities at the Pro Bowl continues to wane. This year’s Pro Bowl (or Pro Bowl Games, as they are now officially call