From extra partnerships to a hostile takeover of Christmas Day sporting events, it’s been a busy year for the NFL. With reports confirming the league made a benchmark revenue of $23 billion in the 2024 financial year, it’s safe to say that business is booming.
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As sportsbook endorsements and streaming rights continue to be incorporated into the league’s business strategies, Rodger Goodell and the rest of the NFL brass are showing no signs of slowing down. The NFL has announced partnerships with various nations. Meanwhile, Flag football is officially a recognized sport in the Olympics, and now, the league has announced seven international games for the upcoming season.
Both the NFL and the game of gridiron football are continuing to grow, meaning that so too does the overall influence and power of the league. In an attempt to highlight the sheer absurdity of the league’s success, NFL veteran turned analyst, Brady Quinn noted that the NFL is now a bigger earner than some countries.
“The NFL is generating over $23 billion a year right now. That’s more than 60 countries GDP. Like, Afghanistan, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados… Over 60 countries. It’s bigger than their GDP’s, just the NFL alone. It is ridiculous,” Quinn explained.
For comparison, the NBA netted just over $11 billion in revenue throughout its 2023/2024 season. Likewise, the MLB generated $12 billion in revenue during its 2024 season.
To further illustrate the success that the league and its business partners are enjoying right now, Quinn examined the numbers behind the Green Bay Packers.
“They generated $654 million in revenue. 98, almost 100 million of that almost ended up being a net income a game, and then over $60 million was their profit. That is an organization that is in a small market, and that was last year. So, technically, $272 million of just Green Bay’s revenue, a smaller market, are coming from other ventures… Imagine some of these other bigger market teams.”
Suffice to say, there’s no shortage of cash around the NFL. And, the number is going to rise in the next decade. Meanwhile, Quinn’s co-panelist also had a detailed assessment of how the NFL as a brand has stood tall in this social media era.
Analyst reacts to the growth of the NFL as a brand
Where many sports organizations do their best to build up and prioritize their stars, the NFL has always put the shield above everything else.
NFL veteran and three time Pro Bowler, LaVar Arrington, highlighted the success of that strategy. In noting that the stars of the league are always secondary to the NFL itself, he explained that,
“Chances are, the star of this year’s draft might not even be talked about in detail and in depth. That’s just how it works… If you’re looking at it from the league’s perspective, I think the NFL has done a good of a job, if not the best job, of making sure that the brand is always upfront and it’s stronger than the individuals that are connected to it. As big of a player as Patrick Mahomes is, they will still continue to thrive once Patrick Mahomes is not a Kansas City Chief.”
The NFL has become an absolute juggernaut of an organization that is slowly expanding its international influence. A seemingly inevitable force, the league is set to continue taking its competitors lunch money. Simply put, football is king.
