The National Football League is by far the most profitable of the four major North American sports.
In fact, the NFL is setting its sights even bigger as it prepares for the Super Bowl this weekend. Coming off a fiscal year that saw the league generate a record $8 billion in revenue, the league it looking to more than triple that in the coming years.
“Roger’s (Goodell) aspirational target of $25 billion is starting to look pretty good,” NFL advisor Marc Ganis said, via Bloomberg.
The backdrop here is real. Many high-profile NFL players have spoken out against the league’s lack of guaranteed contracts.
In fact, the NFLPA and star San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman have both indicated that there could be a strike in 2021 if contract structures are not changed within the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
In responding to the $25 billion revenue report, star Houston Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu decided to blast the NFL over a lack of guaranteed deals.
That’s a lotta chicken not to have guaranteed contracts @NFLPA https://t.co/6DWbKYd4Rl
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) January 28, 2019
This is obviously becoming a major collective bargaining issue around the football world. Mathieu’s comments bring this issue back up as the league prepares for Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.
It’s certainly something Goodell will have to address during his State of the League address this week. Whether anything is done prior to the current CBA coming to a conclusion remains to be seen. But we’re not optimistic.