Everyone always wants more.
This feeling intensifies when a smaller competitor achieves more.
So it’s fair to ask commissioner Roger Goodell if he thinks the NFL is underpaid, given the massive new packages signed by the NBA. CNBC’s Julia Boorstin asked Goodell that same question on Thursday.
“A lot of people in the NFL think they’re underpaid,” Goodell said, in a subtle take on 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 so much about dollars as it is about how can we reach more fans? That’s the main goal for us. Obviously, we want to get paid fairly , but for us, it’s about reaching the fans and being on a free platform like ours allows our fans to see that and I think that’s what led to the big – not just the popularity of the league, but obviously the great ratings. “
They want to reach more fans because they want more fans to watch the games, because the more fans watch the games, the more money they can make.
Goodell said years ago that he wants the NFL’s annual revenue to reach $25 billion by 2027. The NBA’s deals certainly make some within the league’s power structure think they have left money on the table with current deals, which cannot be canceled by 2029.
Except CBS. With the change in ownership, the deal with CBS can apparently be opened up. In that same interview, Goodell hasn’t ruled out doing just that.
Of course the league wants more. Of course, Goodell realizes that it’s bad manners to drop the facade and do everything for the money – especially with the league still reeling from a $14 billion liability that resulted from the NFL’s violation of federal antitrust laws in its never-ending quest to achieve more.
