Former President Donald Trump has weighed in on the NFL's growing shift toward paid streaming platforms, and he's not holding back his criticism. In a recent interview with Full Measure, Trump voiced concerns that the league's move to put more games behind paywalls could alienate its most loyal fans.
"They're making a lot of money," Trump said. "They could make a little bit less."
When asked if the NFL's strategy amounts to "price gouging" and whether the federal government should intervene, Trump didn't mince words. "It's tough," he explained. "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. And they could be killing the golden goose."
The former president also took aim at a familiar target: the NFL's revamped kickoff rule, which was introduced two seasons ago to improve player safety. "I hate the games where they have the new phony kickoff," Trump said. "I don't think it's any safer. I hope college football doesn't do that." Interestingly, the new formation has actually led to more returns than the previous setup, a fact Trump didn't address.
Returning to the streaming debate, Trump emphasized the emotional stakes for fans. "There's something very sad when they take football away from many, many people. Very sad. I don't like it," he said. He then painted a dramatic picture of fans' financial burden: "You have people that live for Sunday. They can't think about anything else, and then all of a sudden, they're gonna have to pay $1,000 a game. It's crazy."
While no one is actually paying $1,000 per game—Trump likely misspoke or was exaggerating—the sentiment resonates as streaming services like Amazon Prime, Peacock, and Netflix continue to carve up the NFL's broadcast rights. For fans used to free over-the-air games, the shift can feel like a steep price to pay for their weekly fix.
As the league balances massive revenue streams with fan accessibility, Trump's comments echo a broader debate: How much is too much when it comes to the cost of watching America's most popular sport?