Comments

1
Here's a great, if only slightly related blog about public money in professional sports:

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/

Go IRS!
2
Beating the Niners next Sunday would be sweet.
3
As the state religion, NFL football will remain exempt. Unless that pinko commie Coburn introduces a bill to. . . .
4
I've read that a bill stripping the NFL of exempt status would have little, if any, chance of passing, owing to the fact that enough states are represented by a team whose reps are unlikely to vote against the teams' interest. Thinking that lady from Louisiana is the exception.

As far as today goes, I think the majority of folks would prefer to see San Fran, if only because there's a budding inter-divisional rivalry there.
5
Only the NFL league office is tax exempt, which draws no profits (and conducts safety tests and research, by the way). The actual profits go to the 32 teams, and is taxed. No one is subsidizing the NFL.

In more important news, this is a great game. Two exciting offenses, and two hard nosed defenses. The Niners will win, they are being much more consistent and are adjusting much better the Carolina's scheme.

Seattle fans should probably root for Carolina, if you are thinking about raw odds.
6
Ugh. The NFL is nonprofit but its individual member teams are not. The NFL itself exists to negotiate contracts for, regulate, and disperse profits for its franchises, all of which pay taxes and all of which have significantly more revenue than the league office.

I feel like I see the whole "NFL IS NONPROFIT!?!?!?!" outrage every couple of months. A nonprofit does not imply a charity. The money is being made by the individual teams and it is getting taxed.

Taxpayer-funded stadiums, though. Now that's a racket.
7
Jim Harbaugh is going to go full on Woody Hayes one of these days.
8
As @5 said, the NFL has no profits, and therefore this is a non-story. I'm much more concerned about GE, Comcast, Apple, and the big banks paying little or nothing in taxes.
9
Trade associations like the NFL are socialism at work. Own it RWNJ's.
10
@5: Conducts the safety tests and then sandbags the results, and denies denies denies until it is no longer possible.
11
@5: Combined score of last two Hawks/Niners games in Seattle: 71-16. Kaepernick is terrible here.
12
@10: They are bastards, and I hate them too, but the main point is that the profits generated are being taxed. Still pitiful how few resources go to NFL players after their careers end, however.

The concussion protocols are quite good now, and the league is now doing a lot for safety.
13
So for this non-story about this non-profit organization and how the taxed football teams make up for any lost taxes, here's how it works:
Virtually all of the leagues $192.3 million in revenue in 2009 came from “membership dues & assessment.” While the NFL doesn’t explain how much each clubs pays in dues, it averages to about $6 million per team. NFL owners don’t have to pay taxes on those dues, as they are considered donations to a nonprofit.

http://sportsfans.org/2012/03/why-is-the…
14
God dammit; fuck you, Cam Newton.
15
@14: Your avatar goes well with your comment.
16
Fuck the NFL

They are also being sued for violating a New Jersey law which states that a certain percentage of tickets have to be available to the public.

"Only 1 percent of the tickets are made available to the general public through a national lottery, according to the claim. The league’s policy forces fans to the secondary market, where they pay substantially more than face value."

I just looked up how much it costs to buy one of those tickets -- the cheapest, crappiest seats start at around $2,000!!

If anyone thinks that that is fair they are an idiot.
18
I assume @16 is talking about the Super Bowl? I can't be bothered to follow the link.
19
Denver is looking unbeatable. I'm worried about SF next week in Seattle, but fingers are crossed for Denver vs Seattle in NJ.
20
@14 He was showing a lot of immature emotion on the sidelines - not over the top stuff, but evidence of the kind of thinking that belongs in the day after the game, not the middle of the 3rd quarter. I think he just hasn't found that focussed place in himself that one needs to be a great qb.
21
I lost interest after my beloved Philadelphia Eagles lost. Wait, did I just use the word 'beloved?'
Yes,I have proven once again that I know how to speak like a jackass.
22
Agreed, @20. I really like Newton and think he has potential to be one of the great QBs, but for the fact that he a) plays for the godforsaken Panthers, and b) has a receiving corps consisting of Steve Smith, who might charitably be described as "mercurial", and Greg Olsen, who as good as he is is still no Tony Gonzalez or Jimmy Graham.
23
For the record, Coburn is a jackass and his whining should make everyone happy. He's just another guy who's yokel home state won't be getting a team in his lifetime.
24
@23: they got our sonics, though. never forget, never forgive.
25
I'm looking forward to the game at "taxpayers' field" next weekend...

Please wait...

and remember to be decent to everyone
all of the time.

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