Trump Warns NFL Against ‘Killing the Golden Goose’
President Donald Trump criticized the NFL’s move toward expensive streaming platforms, warning that the league risks ‘killing the golden goose’ during an ongoing Justice Department investigation into its media rights deals.
In a recent interview on Full Measure, Trump addressed the federal probe, which examines potential anticompetitive practices harming consumers. The shift to paid services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Peacock has fragmented access for fans, making it harder and costlier to watch games.
‘It’s tough. You’ve got people that love football. They don’t make enough money to go and pay for this,’ Trump told host Sharyl Attkisson. ‘And they [the NFL] could be killing the golden goose,’ he added, cautioning league leaders: ‘Others have tried this, and all of a sudden you don’t have a sport anymore.’
Trump expressed concern for fans priced out of the sport they cherish. ‘There’s something very sad when they take football away from many, many people. Very sad. I don’t like it,’ he said. He questioned the need for such high costs, noting, ‘They’re making a lot of money. They could make a little bit less. They could let the people see.’
Highlighting devoted supporters, Trump stated: ‘You have people that live for Sunday. They can’t think about anything else.’ He slammed rising fees: ‘And then all of a sudden, they’re gonna have to pay $1,000 a game. It’s crazy. So, I’m not happy about it.’
DOJ Probes NFL Broadcasting Deals
The Justice Department launched its investigation last month, focusing on whether the NFL’s complex broadcasting agreements violate antitrust laws. Regulators are scrutinizing how games spread across multiple apps and services increase expenses for viewers who previously accessed them for free on broadcast TV.
For the 2026 season, NFL games will air on CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, Amazon Prime, Fox One, Paramount+, Peacock, Netflix, and YouTube. Republican Sen. Mike Lee noted in a recent letter to the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission that fans spent nearly $1,000 last season on cable and streaming subscriptions to watch every game.
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 granted leagues like the NFL antitrust exemptions to bundle rights for national TV deals. However, the rise of streaming services has sparked fan complaints over fragmented and costly access.
NFL Defends Distribution Model
An NFL spokesman, representing Commissioner Roger Goodell, defended the league’s approach: ‘The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry.’
The statement emphasized: ‘With over 87 percent of our games on free, broadcast television, including 100 percent of games in the markets of the competing teams, the NFL has for decades put our fans front and center in how we distribute our content. The 2025 season was our most viewed since 1989 and reflects the strength of the NFL distribution model and its wide availability to all fans.’
Trump also criticized the NFL’s ‘dynamic kickoff’ rule as ‘unwatchable,’ arguing it diminishes the sport’s traditional excitement and physicality. Recently, ESPN secured rights to NFL Network, RedZone, and three additional games per season.
