How American Express became an MVP in professional sports

American Express and the National Football League recently kicked off a new multi-year partnership naming Amex the NFL’s Official Payments Partner, beginning with the 2026 season. Our NFL ties go all the way back to 1965, and when it comes to the wider field of professional sports, we’ve been in the game even longer.

In this latest installment of Ira the Archivist, our resident expert on Amex’s history is on hand to tell us more.

“Football, golf and tennis became hugely popular starting in the 1960s, especially with the advent of TV bringing the action into people’s living rooms,” said Ira. “Sports fit the sweet spot of what Amex was all about — access and service — and that’s still true today.”

When did we initially partner with the NFL?

The connection dates back to the 1960s, when pro football was just expanding its audience through TV. We sponsored showings of an NFL film called “How to Watch Pro Football” for U.S. military personnel serving overseas.

We also advertised our brand during NFL games, including the radio broadcast of the first Super Bowl in 1967. Soon after that, we sponsored our first TV series, “NFL Action,” during which we aired commercials highlighting our travel services and travelers cheques — the biggest parts of our business at the time.

One of the most interesting pieces in our archives is a football playbook from 1973 that we offered to Card Members at a discount. It was a binder full of coaches’ offensive and defensive plays, based on actual ones NFL teams used, released at the same time as an NFL Films feature that we sponsored called “NFL Playbook.” This program went in-depth on game strategy and was shown during halftimes.

Was the playbook intended as a souvenir for serious fans?

I believe it was meant to be more than just a memento. The binder in the archives had been well-used. In the same year we offered it, we ran an ad to encourage parents to get their children involved in football. That message and the playbook suggest that we wanted to offer real access and behind-the-scenes insights, and to engage the next generation.

Amex’s history with sports goes back even further. What’s the oldest bit of sports-related history in the archives?

I found documents that show that in the 1920s, when we were offering international shipping services, we shipped race cars to France for one of the marquee competitions. Also around that time, our travel business started to sponsor major international sports events. We recognized there were large fan bases around the world, and we wanted to reach them with opportunities to plan trips to attend events.

What were our other early sports partnerships?

The first ones were connected to golf and tennis, which were popular with our Card Members. Starting in 1958, we co-sponsored a major golf tournament telecast for four consecutive years. In 1963, we held a contest with a coveted grand prize for serious golf fans — a trip to Paris to play a famous course with a legendary champion.

In 1971, we sponsored a tournament in Europe that paired amateur golfers with pros. That legacy continues today with The American Express tournament in California.

Our early tennis sponsorships also started in the 1970s with tennis clinics for children and a tournament for up-and-coming pros and amateurs that culminated with a championship in Flushing, New York. Amex sponsored the US Open tennis tournament for the first time in 1994.

In more recent years, how has Amex continued to bring the action to fans?

Our branded portable radios stand out in my mind. We started offering these to Card Members attending the US Open Tennis Championships in the mid-2000s. People could hear the commentary being broadcast while they watched live action on the courts. These have remained incredibly popular to this day.

In 2004, we found a very novel way to promote our first partnership with Wimbledon as the official card of The Championships: a floating tennis court! We put the court on a barge and sent it down the Thames, with two champions playing an exhibition match. Fans could watch along the river.

We expanded into English football in 2011, when we entered a partnership with Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club. This Premier League team’s home ground is the American Express Stadium, widely known as “The Amex.”

As an archivist, how do you decide in the moment what’s important to preserve for the future?

I focus on innovative ways we engage and deepen relationships with our Card Members through experiences. I’ll save press releases, internal memos, presentations and photos that capture those moments.

Newer partnerships such as Formula 1®, F1 Academy™ and recent extensions with the NBA and WNBA are good examples. Across 15 Formula 1® races last year, Amex curated lounges and immersive fan experiences such as getting the chance to design their own F1® car. At NBA All-Star and WNBA All-Star, Card Members could test their basketball knowledge and skills, enjoy experiences with NBA and WNBA players, and more.

Those are moments I like to capture because they show the continuity as well as the evolution of our brand.