Legal - Football Wiretap

NFL Seeking Power To Regulate Ownership Structures

Oct 28, 2020 11:03 PM

The NFL is seeking owners’ approval to dramatically increase penalties for teams that don’t comply with league rules about ownership structures.

This debate comes as five longtime controlling owners have passed away in the last three years, in some cases generating difficult legal battles.

There is a growing concern that the NFL has insufficient power to enforce requirements that a single person have at least 30 percent equity and autonomy on all team matters.

“The drumbeat has been beating louder and louder, with several older owners looking to pass the torch,” a source familiar with the debate said. “And the league is hoping to clean it all up, and vest a lot of authority and control in the office of the commissioner to handle those estate issues and ensure smooth transitions.”

The Saints and Broncos have both struggled with family feuds in the wake of their respective longtime owners’ death, and the Titans were also out of compliance after Bud Adams died in 2013.

Three other teams have seen their controlling owner die since 2018: the Seahawks (Paul Allen), the Cardinals (Bill Bidwill) and the Texans (Bob McNair).

The NFL could be fined up to $5 million at first, and up to $10 million annually if they remain out of compliance. 

 

Ben Fischer/Sports Business Journal

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TV Execs Encouraged By NFL Ratings Being Down Just 10 Percent

Oct 13, 2020 1:00 PM

While NFL viewership is down 10 percent compared to 2019, television executives feel good about the league's performance.

“This is not really a year for anybody to get too hung up on ratings,” said Burke Magnus, executive vice president of programming and scheduling at ESPN, which was the only TV network to post an increase for its NFL games. ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” is up 1% through Week 4.

“NFL content is still incredibly powerful,” Magnus continued. “These are massive audiences. We take a lot of solace in the fact that NFL games are the most powerful content on television and people continue to show up in huge numbers. We’re not going to get all twisted up about ratings.”

After a glut of competition in September and October from the NBA, NHL, MLB and the election, the final two months of the season will give the NFL possibly an unprecedented position without real competition.

“With every passing week, we’re getting closer to a normal competitive environment for the NFL,” said Mike Mulvihill, executive vice president and head of strategy and analytics at Fox Sports.

Total live viewing through Week 4 was up seven percent over a year ago since July 23.

NFL viewership has declined in each of the past six presidential elections. “In the most recent 2016 presidential election, NFL regular season viewership was down 14% for the nine weeks prior to the election vs flat for the eight weeks after the election.”

John Ourand/Sports Business Journal

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NFL Not Seriously Considering Home-Market Bubbles

Oct 7, 2020 8:21 PM

The NFL is not seriously considering the possibility of implementing home-market bubbles in which all players, coaches and other essential personnel would stay in a hotel for the balance of the season.

The NFL also isn't seriously considering a pause on the season due to ongoing outbreaks with the Tennessee Titans and possibly the New England Patriots. 

The Bills-Titans game set for Sunday currently is in grave danger, and it can’t be delayed until Monday night because the Bills play the Chiefs on Thursday night.

Washington Post (via Mike Florio/ProFootballTalk)

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