It’s been nearly seven months since the Super Bowl was played in Las Vegas, and all the sporting world has been talking about since is who would be the favorite going into the upcoming NFL season.
Yes, America has endured another televised workout combine, a player draft and the usual lackluster preseason games to hear Commissioner Roger Goodell say we’re back, so come and get it.
The reality is, with over 410 million fans watching televised content and another 18.9 million attending a game in person last season, there can be no doubt that the most powerful and influential sports league in the world is now printing more money than any entity other than the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Throw in yet another four billion (yes, l said billion) in merchandise sales last year and it’s relatively clear to see America’s addiction to NFL football, whether it be the Sunday, Monday or Thursday version. The insatiable appetite this country shows for football continues to grow and there’s no apparent end to it. Simply put, NFL fans are both plentiful and rabid, and along with the abyss that is electronic gambling, an astonishing 100 billion dollars was wagered on games in the 2023 season with the league itself collecting some 2.3 billion in revenue from it.
You don’t have to be a CPA to fully understand the mathematics that pertain to this insane windfall of cash, but it’s worth noting that the numbers will increase this season.
The gaudy tsunami of gold that will flow into the NFL coffers this season will also include network television rights payments that will exceed 13 billion dollars for the regular season and playoffs.
How does one begin to explain this phenomenon? You can’t, as there is nothing quite like it on the planet. It’s a truly incomprehensible combination of wealth, power, greed and entertainment that simply keeps fans wanting more.
It’s an incredibly well ran corporation and right now business is awfully good for the NFL and its owners.
While they’ll point to their philanthropic efforts, like any business monopoly they could do even more good in the respective.
There’s no such thing in their world as not for profit, and that’s simply the way they do business with their partners.
One thing is for certain, they’ll only get bigger and more powerful, but that never hurt anyone who bought a season ticket, wearing their favorite player’s jersey to a swank Taj Mahal disguised as a modern stadium, one that holds thousands of the very same fans who continue to grease the NFL wheel and keep the legal tender churning out.
Notes: The Indianapolis Colts open the regular season this Sunday when the Houston Texans come calling to Lucas Oil Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The game will be televised locally on CBS, or you can listen to the radio broadcast on 107.5 FM with play-by-play extraordinaire Matt Taylor on the call with Rick Venturi as the analyst.
Danny Bridges, who could live a life of luxury with just one percent of the NFL take, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
