NFL Commissioner Faces Congressional Hearing
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may have a more demanding offseason ahead.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, reached out to Goodell on Monday, requesting his testimony about the NFL’s media practices during a committee hearing scheduled for June 10, according to a report from ESPN.
The upcoming hearing comes as scrutiny increases regarding how various professional sports leagues, not just the NFL, are raising costs for viewers by shifting more live events to streaming platforms.
A significant focus of the hearing will likely be the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 (SBA). This legislation allows sports leagues to benefit from a limited antitrust exemption, enabling them to sell bundled broadcasting rights rather than permitting individual teams to sell their rights separately. The main question is whether the SBA, drafted long before cable and streaming became common, is still relevant today as leagues navigate a wide array of platforms beyond traditional television.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated an investigation into how the way the NFL sells its media rights affects consumers. Many fans, who used to access football for free, are now faced with the requirement to subscribe to a year-long streaming service to follow their favorite teams.
In response, lawmakers are proposing various bills aimed at easing the financial strain on fans. For instance, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) has put forward a bill that would allow fans to watch their home-state teams for free.
Under current NFL broadcasting regulations, fans residing in television markets of their respective teams can view games for free, although this is limited strictly to areas near the team’s city.
As it stands, the NFL broadcasts approximately 87% of its games on traditional broadcast television at no cost.
This isn’t the first occasion Goodell has been called to address issues surrounding program fragmentation. Last year, the Senate Commerce Committee conducted a hearing on this topic, inviting the commissioners of all four major American sports leagues. However, Goodell did not attend.
