We’re waiting for the Super Bowl to begin.
So what about the NFL?
The transparency is mostly gone. In order to find out what’s going on, there has to be deep digging.
For example, Roger Goodell, czar of the league, made $63.9 million in 2022 according to reports. He made the same amount the year prior.
Back when the NFL itself was a 501c3, and Goodell’s salary was easily obtained, he was making around $44 million a year. The NFL didn’t like that transparency, so they went private and removed new reporting.
But the salary reports since then come from full time sports reporting at ESPN and other venues.
Goodell will have made $700 million by 2027 during his entire NFL run. No player can say that. Or dream it.
The NFL itself is no longer reporting numbers, but they still have a NFL Foundation. Their total reported assets for 2022-23 — found in their Form 990 tax filing — were MINUS $15.8 million.
In 2022-23, the NFL Foundation reported $61.2 million in total revenue. This was a steep drop from 2021-22, when the total revenue was significantly more — over $72 million.
The fans don’t care while the teams are winning, and the action level is high. But it’s worth noting that as one observer noted, “The NFL is run like the Mafia.”
PS I’m rooting for the Eagles!
