The Department of Justice Is Now Investigating the NFL Over Consumer Harm, and It's a Big Deal

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the NFL for potentially engaging in anticompetitive tactics that hurt consumers, according to the Wall Street Journal. This is serious stuff. While the Journal didn't spell out the exact nature or scope of the investigation, it did mention the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which gave professional sports leagues antitrust protection to negotiate collectively-packaged television rights. Both the NFL and DOJ declined to comment when reached by the Journal.

Congress Has Been Asking Questions About Media Rights for a Year

This investigation didn't come out of nowhere. Starting last year, Congress has been pressing sports leagues to explain how the current media landscape, increasingly dominated by streaming services, benefits the public. The NFL notably skipped a Senate Commerce Committee hearing last May where the market segmentation issue was supposed to be discussed. That move caught some heat. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas called out the NFL's absence at the time, saying the issues discussed applied to the league just as much as they did to the ones that actually showed up.

Sen. Mike Lee, who chairs the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition, Policy, and Consumer Rights, sent a letter on April 7 to the acting Assistant Attorney General and Federal Trade Commission Chairman urging the executive branch to investigate how the Sports Broadcasting Act is being interpreted. Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Pat Ryan pushed the FCC earlier this week to scrutinize streaming trends affecting consumers. The FCC already announced in February that it was seeking public comment on how changing media habits from leagues have impacted fans.

Fans Are Paying Serious Money Just to Watch Their Teams

Here's the consumer issue at the heart of this: watching NFL games last season cost fans an average of between $900 to $1,000, even though the NFL claims nearly 90% of its 272 regular-season games still air on local TV. When NFL games do show up on streaming services, they air in the local markets of both competing teams' cities, but for fans outside those areas or trying to access everything? That's where the costs pile up fast.

The DOJ's move signals that someone in Washington thinks the league needs to answer some serious questions about how it's conducting business.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.