NSIAP: Does the NFL league office deserve non-profit (tax-exempt) status and, does Roger Goodell deserve $37M a year?

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell made $74 million over the past two years. How much he made in each year is up for argument and depends on how you gauge certain reports and how some income is classified. He either made $30 million in 2012 and $44 million in 2013—or he made $39 million in 2012 and then $35 million in 2014. In any case, the total is the same: He definitely made $74 million across a two-year period, for a nice average of $37 million per year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-09-12/does-roger-goodell-really-deserve-74-million

It's the easiest CEO job in the world, the NFL sells itself.

And he happens to be horrible at his job. But the owners seem to like him, so that's all that matters.

He doesn't deserve $370 dollars, but it's not up to us. As RB says, it's up to the owners.

The House Oversight Committee may help fix that in the future when they strip them of their not-for-profit status

http://fox13now.com/2015/02/02/rep-jason-chaffetz-to-put-nfl-commissioner-in-hot-seat-challenging-non-profit-status/

Goodell is a boob.

Fuck Goodell

Snake Plissken wrote:The House Oversight Committee may help fix that in the future when they strip them of their not-for-profit status

http://fox13now.com/2015/02/02/rep-jason-chaffetz-to-put-nfl-commissioner-in-hot-seat-challenging-non-profit-status/

The non-profit status is ridiculous. Seeing as the proposal looks retroactive, it will be a pleasure to see Goodell squirm if he is told to cough up cash to pay his portion.

The Pantry wrote:The non-profit status is ridiculous. Seeing as the proposal looks retroactive, it will be a pleasure to see Goodell squirm if he is told to cough up cash to pay his portion.

I know they are claiming only a small portion is not-for-profit but there's 0% of the NFL that should be able to claim that status

I don't think Goodell is horrible at his job. His job is to serve the owners. He has done that well. They are making money hand over fist. They pretty much boned the Union despite the looming work stoppage during the last round of collective bargaining. He has made some PR blunders in the eyes of the media (which cascades to the fans) but who cares? He's still making them money hand over fist. No amount of outrage is going to change that. The brand is too strong.

Does that make him worth 37m? Not sure. Could someone else do what he does for less and without the PR blunders? I guess we'll find out. Rooney, Snyder, Jones, Kraft, Ross, Blank, et al will drive change if they feel it's a big enough risk.

As for how this tax-exempt status came to be, the NFL League Office was established as a trade organization, and therefore tax-exempt, not recently, but actually all the way back in 1942.

The NFL was a fledgling sports league back in 1942. Despite being in the midst of playing their 23rd regular season, the NFL still was struggling financially. They needed to find ways to save money and to protect their employees, the players. So, the NFL League Offices filed an application for tax-exempt, non-profit status with the IRS. The application was accepted. According to a 2009 article, both the NFL and IRS have said that they can not find a copy of the original 1942 application.

The league continued along until 1966 when they faced stiff competition from the AFL. The AFL had begun play in 1960 and immediately started challenging the NFL for television contracts, college players, and popularity.

On June 8, 1966 the NFL and AFL announced a merger, but in order to avoid antitrust law sanctions, the merger had to be approved by the United States Congress. And that meant convincing the powerful Louisiana Senator and Chairman of the Finance Committee Russell Long. According to the Senate’s own website, Chairman Long tacked the merger onto a tax bill, ensuring it would arrive at his desk. He could then alter the language, ensuring exemption from sanctions. In exchange, Long told NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle that he wanted the next NFL expansion franchise to be in New Orleans, in Long’s home state of Louisiana. The merger passed and on November 1, 1966, the New Orleans Saints became the sixteenth NFL franchise. Good old fashion backroom politics.

Since 1966, Statute 501(c)(6) has read:

IRC 501(c)(6) provides for exemption of business leagues, chambers of
commerce, real estate boards, boards of trade, and professional football
leagues (whether or not administering a pension fund for football players),
which are not organized for profit and no part of the net earnings of which
inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

It goes on to state clearly that the newly merged league could move “forward without fear of an antitrust challenge” and that the league will not lose their exempt status “because it administered a players’ pension fund.” With these clauses, the NFL League Office, now bigger and with more power, weathered the merger storm and remained a tax-exempt, non-profit trade organization.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/01/nfl-tax-exempt/

To answer the questions posed in the thread title, 1) no, and 2) no.

Next question.

The Pantry wrote:As for how this tax-exempt status came to be, the NFL League Office was established as a trade organization, and therefore tax-exempt, not recently, but actually all the way back in 1942.

The NFL was a fledgling sports league back in 1942. Despite being in the midst of playing their 23rd regular season, the NFL still was struggling financially. They needed to find ways to save money and to protect their employees, the players. So, the NFL League Offices filed an application for tax-exempt, non-profit status with the IRS. The application was accepted. According to a 2009 article, both the NFL and IRS have said that they can not find a copy of the original 1942 application.

The league continued along until 1966 when they faced stiff competition from the AFL. The AFL had begun play in 1960 and immediately started challenging the NFL for television contracts, college players, and popularity.

On June 8, 1966 the NFL and AFL announced a merger, but in order to avoid antitrust law sanctions, the merger had to be approved by the United States Congress. And that meant convincing the powerful Louisiana Senator and Chairman of the Finance Committee Russell Long. According to the Senate’s own website, Chairman Long tacked the merger onto a tax bill, ensuring it would arrive at his desk. He could then alter the language, ensuring exemption from sanctions. In exchange, Long told NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle that he wanted the next NFL expansion franchise to be in New Orleans, in Long’s home state of Louisiana. The merger passed and on November 1, 1966, the New Orleans Saints became the sixteenth NFL franchise. Good old fashion backroom politics.

Since 1966, Statute 501(c)(6) has read:

IRC 501(c)(6) provides for exemption of business leagues, chambers of
commerce, real estate boards, boards of trade, and professional football
leagues (whether or not administering a pension fund for football players),
which are not organized for profit and no part of the net earnings of which
inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

It goes on to state clearly that the newly merged league could move “forward without fear of an antitrust challenge” and that the league will not lose their exempt status “because it administered a players’ pension fund.” With these clauses, the NFL League Office, now bigger and with more power, weathered the merger storm and remained a tax-exempt, non-profit trade organization.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/01/nfl-tax-exempt/

This is Crazeeeeee

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21386260/nfl-compensation-committee-hold-call-monday-advance-proposed-extension-commissioner-roger-goodell
+

The committee will address Goodell's salary and compensation package. The last written counterproposal from Goodell, which was around the first of August, was seeking about $50 million per year, as well as the lifetime use of a private jet and lifetime health insurance for his family, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

Goodell currently makes around $30 million a year.

One NFL owner told ESPN that there are "several owners in this league who don't make $40 million a year." The owner was referring to the salaries that owners take, which does not include the increase in valuations that each NFL franchise has undergone.

How much to get him as a feature writer at tSwill.com?

Really interesting read....

Roger Goodell has a Jerry Jones problem and nobody knows how it will end

I'm sick of the ungrateful America-haters.. they need to shut up and do what I want them to do.

FYI. They gave up their non profit status in 2015

Robert J Sakimano wrote:I'm sick of the ungrateful America-haters.. they need to shut up and do what I want them to do.

lol, thanks for the deep insight. Next time you might make the effort to read the story. There might have been 1 sentence on the protests in a 5-6 page story. Not the focus at all but that obviously won't deter you:

LooseGoose wrote:

Robert J Sakimano wrote:I'm sick of the ungrateful America-haters.. they need to shut up and do what I want them to do.

lol, thanks for the deep insight. Next time you might make the effort to read the story. There might have been 1 sentence on the protests in a 5-6 page story. Not the focus at all but that obviously won't deter you:

you're welcome.

I love America so much I had to get that off my chest. Thanks.