Feeling the squeeze? Most NFL fans are as the league expands its coffers
I’m in a bit of a philosophical mood this morning, which is always dangerous and usually the product of multiple inhalations of bourbon. Maybe it’s because I’ve already had too much coffee or because I decided to start the day with my U2 playlist, which takes me way back to my college days.
Back then, I missed U2’s first American tour in support of their debut album at a small club in Columbus because my horrible Thermodynamics prof decided to give us a take-home midterm the Friday before. The kicker? The mid-term didn’t even count, because it was so hard that no one could complete it. So, I missed seeing a very young and pre-fame U2 at the Columbus Agora for no good reason.
Not that I’m bitter about it, 40+ years later. Nope. What’s got me philosophical is the website I’ve devoted my adult life to, and the pursuit of money. Not that I have any particular qualms about trying to live off the proceeds of the OBR - I love what I do, and being able to do it for a living is a dream come true, even if it can be a struggle at times.
I’ve helped others like me do what they love in exchange for money, generally for less than their talents deserve. I’m more concerned about a larger arc, whether the NFL’s love of money and desire to accumulate more and more will lead to the destruction of a sport that we love and helps bind us together.
My life’s trajectory changed in 1995 when Art Modell decided to rip the Cleveland Browns from the city and move them to Baltimore so he could deal with inheritance taxes and hand it off to his spoiled son, David. Modell could have sold the team straight up back then and retired a hero, with his bust in the Hall of Fame for his role in the early broadcasting of NFL games.
Instead, motivated by greed, he took Baltimore’s cash, moved the team to Maryland, and went belly up anyway, having to sell it. Total failure and the wrecking of his own life, inspired by greed. I was concerned back then that the NFL would destroy itself through greed, as individual owners began threatening cities with what Modell did unless the municipalities built them expensive, profitable new stadiums.
My upset with how loyal Browns fans were treated was further exacerbated when owners around the league used the prospect of moving to Cleveland to blackmail the towns that supported them. The NFL somehow survived, although many fans were priced out of being able to attend games. Just the cost of doing business.
The Awful Announcing trio in today’s stack is worth your time if you like being annoyed by the business of sports — and judging by our readership, you are experts. This is where I get old-man-yells-at-cloud, except the cloud now requires a separate streaming subscription and has exclusive rights to one divisional game from Munich. The NFL remains king because we keep showing up.
But every year, the league asks fans to solve a slightly more annoying puzzle just to watch their team. More windows. More platforms. More travel.
More international inventory. More 9AM games. More standalone packages. More “please download our app” nonsense.
And I won’t even speculate on the costs of PSLs at the Browns’ new fabulous stadium in Brook Park. I’m once again wondering whether the NFL can destroy itself in its relentless pursuit of expansion and cash, thirty years later. I suspect that the NFL will once again survive, but there will be tradeoffs. It will become a TV sport for most, and an increasingly expensive one.
We wondered back in the 1990s whether “pay-per-view” would take over the NFL, and it is starting to, in a fashion we never could have conceived, thanks to ubiquitous internet availability, apps, and 100-inch TVs. Step by step, the league will take things away from fans in pursuit of money, and step by step, we will put up with it, rationalize it and adapt, because we love it so.
But don’t be shocked when the growth slows a little as normal fans start getting frustrated with the cost. I don’t remember much from college, and nothing from that horrific Thermodynamics class, but I do remember that every action tends to have an equal but opposite reaction. As the NFL pushes its consumers further, at some point the shine will come off the NFL’s polished chrome. Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
When not wondering if he can expense a streaming-service spreadsheet as a business necessity, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on TwitterNTSB seeks video footage to determine cause in Akron home plane crashCavs fall to Pistons 115-94 in Game 6
Cleveland Sports Cleveland Football Cleveland Nfl Browns Haslams Dawgpound Brook Park Brook Park New Stadium New Browns Stadium Browns News Cleveland 19 19 News 19 Sports
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dylan Sampson Should Take on a Larger Role With the Cleveland Browns in 2026The Cleveland Browns already have their go-to running back in Quinshon Judkins, but as he tries to return from injury, the coaching staff should lean into Dylan Sampson to help grind out reps in the backfield and in the passing game.
Read more »
Cleveland company supplied coatings for U.S.S. ClevelandThe U.S.S. Cleveland is docked on the Lake Erie shore this week. The ship was built in Wisconsin, but a significant portion of what keeps it battle-ready was made in its namesake city.
Read more »
There's plenty of Cleveland to be found in the Navy's newest USS ClevelandReporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 05/15/26: Florida, First Impressions, and Clown-PunchingThe Browns' 2026 schedule opens in a land full of golf carts and bugs the size of Buicks. Let’s discuss. It’s the OBR Daily Newswire for May 15, 2026.
Read more »