DALLAS, USA // Sana Merchant-Rupani is entering her 10th season with the National Football League, where she currently serves as the Senior Director of Club & College Marketing. She and her team are tasked with supporting the NFL’s 32 teams and 110+ collegiate partners in order to meaningfully drive the game of football further through engaging and relevant social content.
Sana and her team provide comprehensive support to all 32 NFL clubs through strategic planning, data-driven analytics, effective monetization strategies, and the implementation of content best practices. Working closely with internal and external stakeholders, Sana ensures that each NFL team maximizes the potential of their social media platforms to drive fan engagement, boost revenue streams, and enhance overall marketing effectiveness.
Sana’s team also focuses on harnessing the passion of young collegiate football enthusiasts, aiming to convert school spirit into lasting support for the NFL. By developing innovative content opportunities, she and the team cultivate the next generation of NFL fans, laying a foundation for sustained growth and engagement across college campuses nationwide.
Sana has been recognized by Forbes as a member of their “30 Under 30” class (2019), as well as by Hashtag Sports’ inaugural “Creators of Color” program (2021). She was also a part of a cross-functional internal team that won a Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Trans-Media Sports Coverage” highlighting the League’s 100th anniversary (2020).
Prior to the NFL, Sana was part of the marketing and public relations team at the Empire State Building, where she drove the brand’s overall social media strategy and messaging based on key business objectives. In this role, she also supported the planning and execution of one-of-a-kind marketing campaigns — including #WhosGonnaWin campaign with Verizon, Zedd’s “True Colors” album launch with Universal Music Group, the 50th anniversary celebration of the Ford Mustang, and the first-ever live projection onto the building with the Oceanic Preservation Society, among others.
After graduating from Southern Methodist University with a BA in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Sana began her career at Burson-Marsteller (now Burson). Her formative years at the agency equipped her with invaluable experience across diverse sectors, laying the groundwork for her expertise in strategy development and impactful messaging.
Sana’s family immigrated to the United States from India in 1999, when she was 9 years old. She currently resides with her husband, Rahim, and is reveling in her newest role as a proud mother to their four-month-old son.