The answer to my question about AdWords came faster then I anticipated, guys there are fast. While I doubt this strategy works for small resellers, it makes sense from Google’s point of view. In any case, I realize that it was my honest mistake.
There is nothing wrong with Google’s enforcement of its rules. You just haven’t done what you need to do yet. Even though your client is a registered affiliate, Google doesn’t know that. They need to see written permission from the trademark holder that your client is allowed to use it. Once they see that, you’re all set. (In my case, I needed to ask Apple for permission to use the word “Mac”.)
Check out the help article below which has a link to the form that you’ll need the NFL and the NHL to fill out. (They should have contact info for their trademark or their legal departments on their websites.)Good luck.
The article mentioned is here: http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=106477