Sebastian MartinezImages like these, of NFL players sporting Beats by Dre headphones are now a thing of the past, after the league decided to ban players from using them.
That decision comes as part of a new deal with Bose, which was originally agreed to back in August and stipulated Bose's headphones would be the official headphones of the league.
Beats Electronics has worked extensively to get athletes wearing its product, featuring stars like Colin Kaepernick in its advertising, and sponsoring numerous others. (Video via Beats by Dre)
Rolling Stone reports the deal will prevent players from using the headphones specifically while they're on camera, as that is vital publicity for Bose, which lags behind Beats in the market.
The magazine points to an article on Re/code which found Beats by Dre dominates the premium headphone market — headphones costing $100 or more — with 61 percent of the market share, compared to Bose's 22.
It's worth noting, Beats doesn't only have the visibility of multiple high-profile athletes backing its product, it now also has tech juggernaut Apple as its owner.
Apple acquired Beats Electronics back in May for a whopping $3 billion, citing the company's headphones and music streaming service as reasons for the acquisition.
However just months later, TechCrunch reported Beats as a brand would be shut down — a report Apple denied. TechCrunch later updated its story to say Beats would be gradually rolled into iTunes instead.
Another important thing to note is this isn't the first time a major sporting body has decided to ban Beats.
FIFA tried to ban the headphones ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but prominent players, including Mario Balotelli and Neymar defied that ban and visibly wore the headphones.
The NFL ban reportedly goes into effect immediately.
This video includes images from Getty Images and music from Kevin MacLeod / CC BY 3.0.
