Former Buc's QB Brad Johnson (right) on set for the debut of Team Lammi's "Tampa Bay Huddle" show. Team Lammi
Milwaukee-based sports media company Team Lammi is betting that NFL fans’ appetite for local content -- and sponsors appetite to associate with it -- can turn a 26-year-old Green Bay success story into a national network.
The company launched “Tampa Bay Huddle” on Sept. 28, with former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson as host, and is preparing to launch “Baltimore Under the Helmet” later this month. The new markets join Team Lammi’s existing NFL programming in K.C., Buffalo and Denver, along with its long-running Wisconsin operation, “Inside the Huddle.”
The expansion is part of a broader plan that Team Lammi founder Brian Lammi believes can reach 10 markets by 2028, covering nearly one-third of the NFL’s teams. By 2030, Lammi hopes the company will be in half of the league’s markets and 11 of the top 18 Nielsen DMAs. Shows are broadcasted live and aired on local networks and the agency’s “Inside the Huddle” streaming platforms.
The strategy is built on the premise that national NFL coverage cannot replicate the connection created by programming focused exclusively on a local team and its players.
“Our success with over 475 episodes and counting in Green Bay means that the show has had more episodes than MAS\*H, Game of Thrones, Seinfeld, Modern Family and most shows in TV history,” Lammi said.
Team Lammi’s flagship “Inside the Huddle” has spent over two decades building an audience around the Packers. Lammi said the company is seeing similar support in Buffalo, K.C. and Denver, while Tampa and Baltimore offer attractive combinations of strong sports fan bases and corporate support.
The shows are designed to be more than television programs. Team Lammi produces content across TV, radio, digital and social platforms, while most tapings are held on location and are free for fans to attend.
Each 30-minute show focuses on a single local NFL team and typically features a current player or former fan favorite as guest. Fans can submit questions, adding another layer of engagement, and the format gives players an opportunity to discuss their lives away from football.
**The Blueprint**
Local businesses have begun to see the shows as opportunities for marketing and hospitality. As Team Lammi adds markets, Lammi spies an opportunity to sell sponsorships across multiple shows, creating packages for local, regional and national advertisers.
“We are excited about scaling on the revenue side as partners can now sponsor multiple local markets in one relationship,” Lammi said.
The company does not necessarily expect its costs to decline materially as it expands. Instead, the value of scale comes from applying lessons learned in one market to another, including how to engage fan groups, demonstrate value to media partners and build sponsor relationships.
For Team Lammi, the next markets will be chosen selectively. Lammi identified two primary criteria: a successful NFL team with strong fan support and existing connections with media, players or sponsors.
The long-term opportunity, he said, is to create a network that maintains a local identity while providing national scale.
“There is less local media than ever before, and we believe there is a unique opportunity to feature compelling NFL player stories that will resonate locally,” Lammi said.
Team Lammi has produced more than 1,100 locally focused episodes across its various programs, featuring players and personalities including Pat McAfee, Nate Burleson, Bart Starr, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love, Davante Adams and Champ Bailey. That history has also made the shows something of a development platform for talent, including broadcasters and personalities who have then moved into national media.
Lammi sees that local-first approach remaining at the center of the company’s strategy.
“We see ourselves as a proud local producer, with a growing national network of quality shows,” he said.