NFL unveils Year of the Horse Zodiac Art Football

The National Football League officially unveiled the Year of the Horse Zodiac Art Football in San Francisco, celebrating the upcoming Super Bowl LX while marking the arrival of the Chinese New Year of the Horse.

As one of the world’s most influential sporting events, the Super Bowl often coincides with the Chinese New Year. Since launching its first zodiac-themed art football in 2024 for the Year of the Dragon, the NFL has continued this creative initiative as an annual tradition. Each year, ahead of the Super Bowl, the league introduces a Chinese zodiac–inspired art football, bringing elements of Eastern culture onto one of the world’s biggest sporting stages.

For the Year of the Horse edition, the NFL collaborated with renowned Chinese embroidery master Ms. Ding Lan Ying, a celebrated inheritor of China’s intangible cultural heritage, alongside acclaimed contemporary artist Mr. Cao Yue. Through this collaboration, millennia-old embroidery craftsmanship meets modern American football, incorporating Eastern creative aesthetics to create a unique fusion of art, culture and sport.

Inspired by the iconic Chinese cultural relic “Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow,” the artwork features four traditional colors rich in Eastern symbolism—vermilion, dark brown, golden yellow and azure blue. The artist reimagines the horse as a dynamic celestial totem, blending the horse’s powerful movement with auspicious cloud motifs. The result is a visual expression that conveys both speed and strength, while carrying wishes of harmony, prosperity and well-being rooted in Eastern tradition.

Using needle as brush and silk thread as ink, the embroidery master employs fully hand-crafted techniques passed down through generations of Yi ethnic embroidery. Vivid patterns and flowing contours emerge across the surface of the football, as shimmering threads capture light and motion. The artwork seamlessly merges the Eastern philosophy of steadfast progress toward distant goals with the competitive nature of football, showcasing the powerful dialogue between ancient aesthetics and contemporary sportsmanship.

“In Eastern culture, the horse represents the strength to move forward with determination and unwavering resolve—values that strongly align with the courage, perseverance and teamwork at the heart of football,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We are pleased once again to celebrate Chinese New Year with this commemorative piece unveiled on our biggest stage.”

Through initiatives like the Year of the Horse Zodiac Art Football, the NFL continues to use football as a bridge for international dialogue, promoting cultural inclusivity and mutual respect through the global reach of the game.