President Donald Trump voiced concerns over the rising cost of watching NFL games across multiple streaming platforms, warning that the financial burden could “ruin the game.”
In an interview aired Sunday on “Full Measure,” Trump criticized the NFL’s media rights structure, which has drawn scrutiny from the Justice Department over potential anticompetitive practices. Reports of the DOJ probe emerged last month, focusing on whether the league is overcharging customers.
Last season, NFL games were split between traditional broadcasters and streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, sparking fan backlash over the complexity and expense of accessing games. According to a September calculation by The Athletic, viewing all major NFL games in 2025 cost over $600.
“You’ve got people that love football, they’re great people, they don’t make enough money to go and pay this, it’s tough,” Trump said. When asked if the government would intervene, he replied, “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” He added, “They’re making a lot of money, they could make a little bit less and they could let the people see.”
The NFL defended its media agreements after the Wall Street Journal first reported the DOJ investigation in April, highlighting that 87% of its games are broadcast on network television. Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated this stance during an ESPN interview before the NFL Draft in late April. “It’s the most accessible game out there, and most accessible in any league,” Goodell said. “Over 87 percent of our games go on free television, every single one of our games, the two participating teams, it’s in their home market. We go to platforms that are new. We went to ESPN back in the 80s. That has been a great move for our fans and has developed new ways to engage with the NFL, but we’ve been surviving and thriving on the basis of being available to the broadest audience.”
Other lawmakers are also taking aim at the fragmented and costly sports TV landscape. In March, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, sent a letter urging the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission to review antitrust exemptions granted to the NFL. In April, Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced plans to introduce legislation aimed at reducing TV costs and blackouts for sports fans.
The Athletic has contacted the DOJ and NFL for comment and will update this story if they respond.
In the same “Full Measure” interview, Trump also renewed his criticism of the NFL’s revised kickoff rule, introduced in 2024 as a safety measure to reduce high-speed collisions. “They have that stupid kickoff thing that you can’t watch, it’s unwatchable,” he said. “I hate the games where they, you know, they have the new phony kickoff, I don’t think it’s any safer, I hope college football doesn’t do it.”
The league’s new kickoff format has been broadly accepted by players. A January player poll conducted by The Athletic found that 72.7% of surveyed players supported the new rules. NFL data from the 2024 season showed that the rule changes reduced player speeds and lowered concussion rates compared to the 2021-23 period.
