Forbes.com’s Maury Brown examines the claim of the NFL league office that it’s hard out there for an owner. His findings? Not really true.
Brown quotes colleague Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes SportsMoney, who writes, “The NFL has never been more profitable by our count with the average team earning $33 million in 2009 in operating profit (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) thanks to huge incomes for teams like the Cowboys, Patriots and Redskins.”
The rest of the facts don’t support the owners claims, either.
Revenue increased 43 percent between 2005 and 2009. The pace of free agent spending in the uncapped year actually slowed. Television rights fees are through the roof (and not the one at the Metrodome).
Basically, the owners will be fine. Their franchises will continue printing money. In many ways, it seems as though they will cause a potential work stoppage because they know the players will cave before they do. The owners believe they can get better terms for themselves, and they will succeed in their quest. It’s really only a matter of how much the players are forced to concede.
Are you ready for some football?