If the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and win an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl, they can reportedly now use "three-peat" language to celebrate it.
Miami Heat team president and legendary NBA coach Pat Riley has owned the trademark to "three-peat" and various other versions of it since 1988, when his then-Los Angeles Lakers had won two NBA titles in a row. Front Office Sports reported Tuesday that the NFL has struck a deal with Riley to be able to license the phrasing should the Chiefs win on Sunday.
Pat Riley successfully trademarked the phrase “three-peat” when he and the Lakers were trying to win their third-straight NBA title in 1989.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 4, 2025
The NFL has just struck a deal with Riles & Co. to use the phrase on merchandise if the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIX. pic.twitter.com/DMyrCWRSyR
How much will the deal cost? The terms haven't been revealed, but Finance Monthly reported Riley received $600,000 from the Chicago Bulls in 1998, when they completed their second three-peat. Adjusted for inflation, that's over $1.16 million as of December 2024.
The NFL clearly has that type of money to spend, and Riley has said he donates most of the trademark money to charity anyway. So it seems like a small price to pay, proverbially if not in practice.
Either way, it sounds like the Chiefs will be able to wield the term "three-peat" freely. Now all they have to do is make NFL history on Sunday.
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