After a series of petitioners challenged the United States Supreme Court ruling on a ban of the social media platform TikTok, the court upheld its decision this past Friday, citing “The challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.” However, there is still some hope for those against the ban.
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The current White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, in a statement on Friday, noted that the current administration “recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.” With both the Supreme Court and the current administration having made their stances clear, the burden of intervention now falls on none other than President-elect, Donald J. Trump.
As a result, the likes of numerous leagues and teams, particularly the NFL, must now await Trump’s decision before making any future business choices regarding the social media platform. Should the app be banned in the United States, the NFL will have the option to terminate its sponsorship deal with TikTok due to the specific language in their contract.
Additionally, it is worth noting that the NFL felt the need to put this provision in place, as the overall legality and existence of TikTok have been at the center of political debates within U.S. chambers for multiple years now.
However, with more than 15 million followers on the platform, in addition to the fact that an extension was signed between the two parties less than six months ago, it is unlikely that NFL executives are hoping for the ban to be implemented. In fact, the official NFL account, in addition to its affiliates, has continued to post on the platform despite the announcement of the ban.
Considering that the NFL is the world’s richest league, and that TikTok is the world’s largest social media platform, it is likely that both parties were more than pleased to hear that the president-elect is already bearing a potential executive order in mind.
Posting more than 1.1 billion likes across all of its content, the NFL’s presence on TikTok has certainly helped it maintain and grow its social relevancy. Brent Lawton, the NFL’s Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Investments, asserted that “TikTok offers a unique platform to showcase the culture, energy, and passion that make the NFL special.” Given the current popularity of the comical “NFL TikTok edits” across various social media platforms, it’s hard to argue with him.
Notably, TikTok has ongoing deals not just with the NFL, but also with the MLS and NHL. Regardless of your personal or political stance on the matter, the influence that TikTok has garnished within the United States is undeniable. To remove it now would only create a massive hole in revenue for not only the NFL, but also advertisers, content creators, musicians, political pundits, and more.
