Democrats and Republicans in Congress are looking at hitting the NFL where it would hurt the most. Congress is mulling taking away the multibillion dollar league’s non-profit status.
The examination of the league’s non-profit status began with the controversy over the Washington Redskins name.
Roll Call reported,
Native American leaders visiting Capitol Hill for a two-day tribal unity and legislative impact event rallied behind Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and two House members during a Tuesday event in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Cantwell nodded solemnly as Oneida Nation representative Ray Halbritter vowed, “as the NFL [season] continues, our efforts will only intensify.” Activists applauded minutes later when Cantwell announced she would introduce legislation to eliminate the league’s tax-exempt status, effectively sacking some of the $10 billion it generates annually in profits.
Some Republicans have pushed to amend the tax code to prohibit the NFL from enjoying the same 501(c)(6) status as nonprofit industry trade associations and public interest groups. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., criticized the “tax earmarks” as unfair last fall, saying everyone pays more to subsidize the league.
The Redskins name is least of the NFL’s problems right now. Arizona Cardinals’ Running Back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested for among other things headbutting his wife and throwing a shoe that hit his 17-month-old son in the stomach. The NFL doesn’t pay attention to public outcry, but as the Adrian Peterson situation revealed, the league will act when it gets hit in the wallet.
Major League Baseball and the NBA are both for profit leagues. It is stunningly hypocritical for the NFL to insist on maintaining their tax-exempt status while sweeping high profile domestic violence incidents under the rug.
The NFL as an organization has dodged at least $10 million in federal taxes per year, but that could be coming to an end soon. It is a rarity, but Democrats and Republicans have found something that they agree on.
The NFL is out of control, and they need to learn that there is a price to be paid for looking the other way on domestic violence.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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