DraftKings, one of the fastest growing startups in Boston, and the largest U.S.-based daily fantasy sports site, recently announced an official partnership with the Patriots. The deal means more than merely the basic structure of it (that DraftKings signage and ads will appear prominently in Gillette Stadium, and all over Patriots properties, as well as fantasy tips on the New England website). It means that fans will have the chance to win prizes for things that they can’t purchase, or get anywhere else.
BostInno spoke with DraftKings CMO and co-founder Paul Liberman about the formal agreement to what has been an informal partnership for some time. Specifically, Liberman was excited about what DraftKings can offer Patriots fans.
“We’ve been able to give some of our customers VIP access to the games, and things that they couldn’t otherwise buy, which I think is pretty cool,” Liberman said. “Whether it’s meeting players or going on the field. We had one (DraftKings) player that was responsible for lifting the field goal net.”
Yes, a fan got to be the field goal net-lifter. That’s the type of unique prize that’s possible only through DraftKings. Granted, this has been possible for longer than just the recently agreed-to partnership, given that the Patriots aren’t simply flipping a switch. They’ve been adamant in supporting DraftKings for a while.
“They’re smart over there,” Liberman said about the Patriots. “I think they realize that fantasy sports has been what’s made the NFL grow recently. The growth in daily fantasy has been just astounding.”
That the partnership is official only means a growth in possibilities for not merely DraftKings and the Patriots, but the fans who love them both. It falls in line with what DraftKings believes in its loyal tie to Boston.
“We wanted to take a firm grasp of the Boston market, because it’s our hometown market,” Liberman said about the new deal. “We’re really proud to be a Boston-based company, especially sports-wise. Boston’s such a huge sports town.”
And the future of the partnership looks promising.
“We’re continuously looking for new ways to work with them to figure out how we can become more integrated.” And while that’s partly a reference to DraftKings marketing, it’s also a reference to more prizes for fans. After all, Liberman explained that the DraftKings team has entire meetings where the goal is to brainstorm cool prizes for their customers. The DraftKings-fan experience will only get better now that Boston’s top daily fantasy site is partnering with the Patriots.
Image via DraftKings
