President Donald Trump has voiced a frustration that many NFL fans share: the skyrocketing cost of watching games. In a recent interview with Sharyl Attkisson of Full Measure News, Trump criticized the league for increasingly shifting games to streaming services, making it harder and more expensive for fans to tune in.

"You have people that live for Sunday… and then all of a sudden, they're gonna have to pay $1,000 a game. It's crazy," Trump said. "The NFL is making a lot of money. They could make a little bit less." While no single game costs $1,000, the cumulative expense for a season can approach that figure.

X user Alex Groberman broke down the math for the 2026 season, revealing that fans would need 10 different streaming subscriptions to watch every game. The total cost? Nearly $935. "The NFL turned the most popular sport in America into a $935-a-year scavenger hunt across ten different apps," Groberman wrote. "The audience did not shrink. The access got more expensive and more fragmented because every platform wanted its cut."

This is a tough reality for fans, especially considering the NFL rakes in billions annually. Gone are the days when cable alone sufficed for games on CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN. Now, fans also need subscriptions to Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and others. The NFL's three-year deal with Netflix costs the platform about $75 million per game, while Amazon's deal runs through 2033 at roughly $1 billion per year. The league's Sunday Ticket package on YouTube TV—offering out-of-market games—comes with a $240 standalone price tag or a bundle with YouTube TV, thanks to a $2 billion deal.

With the NFL pulling in massive revenue from these partnerships, it's clear why the league is leaning into streaming. But for fans who just want to watch their team without breaking the bank, the trend is a tough pill to swallow.