Celebrity billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently came out and said that he believes the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion. “They’re getting hoggy. When you try try to take it too far, people turn the other way… It always, always, always, always, always turns against you”.
Is it really fair to say that America’s most popular sport will longer exist by the time we reach 2025? It seems unfathomable in many different ways. The NFL is bringing in over 9 billion dollars in revenue and that number does not seem to be going down anytime soon. With the Super Bowl continuing to grow year after year and Nike taking over jersey manufacturing, there is no reason to think that the NFL won’t reach their goal of 25 billion dollars in revenue in 2027 set by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
So what exactly is Cuban trying to say? In his original statement, it is clear that Cuban is stating that the NFL owners are getting too greedy and are focused on generating revenue and profits instead of creating a high quality team on the field. But isn’t that the objective of a business? And it should be noted that while both the NBA and NFL were having lockouts, that the NFL was able to start their season on time while the NBA was not. Could Cuban’s comments be seen as hypocritical?
However, Cuban has a point. The NFL is quickly taking over the United States and the world in terms of popularity in the sports industry. So the NFL is obviously going to try to capitalize on this current success and try to grow that to their utmost potential. Still, it doesn’t seem logical to say that the NFL is in a current state of financial turmoil.
Cuban later on went to clarify his comments and brought up multiple valid points. The one that makes the most sense is his statement describing the recent studies on concussions. With the importance of concussions being recognized all over the globe, parents are beginning to hold their children out of football. Obviously, some of the top talent in America’s youth is going to be withdrawn from the sport if they never have the chance to play. This could also lower the overall talent in the NFL for years to come. However, the NFL been addressing that issue with their Heads Up Football Program. Will that eventually help youth football numbers increase?
Mark Cuban has been well-known for his outspoken comments and this is just another one in his collection, but can we really argue with him? Cuban is one of the smartest businessmen and obviously knows his financials, so his statements have to be taken into consideration. But the NFL is a totally different business and continues to grow in every way possible. If one team relocates to Los Angeles and another in London, their financial numbers could reach astronomical numbers. It is hard to see Cuban being right on this, but one can never know for sure. Only time will tell.