Everybody always wants more.
That feeling becomes intensified when a lesser competitor gets more.
So it’s fair to ask Commissioner Roger Goodell whether he thinks the NFL is underpaid, given the massive new packages signed by the NBA. Julia Boorstin of CNBC asked Goodell that very question on Thursday.
“A lot of people in the NFL think they’re underpaid,” Goodell said, in a subtle shot at the many players who want more — and deserve it. “But I think, listen, we have great relationships with our networks and a lot of our media is not about the dollars as much as it is how do we reach more fans? That’s the primary objective for us. Obviously, we want to be paid fairly but for us, it’s about reaching fans and being on a free platform like we are allows our fans to see that and I think that’s what’s led to the great — not only popularity of the league but obviously the great ratings.”
They want to reach more fans because they want more fans watching games because the more fans that watch games the more money they can make.
Goodell said years ago that he wants the NFL’s annual revenue to hit $25 billion by 2027. The NBA deals surely have some within the league’s power structure thinking they left money on the table with the current deals, which can’t be scrapped until 2029.
Except for CBS. With the change in ownership, the deal with CBS apparently can be opened. In that same interview, Goodell didn’t rule out doing just that.
Of course the league wants more. Of course, Goodell realizes it’s bad form to drop the façade and make it all about money — especially with the league still reeling from a $14 billion liability that stemmed from the NFL breaking federal antitrust laws in its never ending quest to get more.