NFL Economics: How Much Revenue Does the NFL Generate?

(MENAFN- Bazoom Group)

Leading the Way

The National football League continues to lead the way in all sports, not just in the United States, but around the world. The NFL is the world’s highest-grossing sports league, despite having less global viewership than soccer. The NFL profits by year also exceed soccer, due to expenses and broadcasting rights.

The top five European soccer leagues generated $20.93 billion in revenue in the 2022-2023 season. How much revenue does the NFL generate every year? The NFL generated $20.5 billion in revenue in 2023. This lucrative entertainment business has garnered the love and support of fans nationwide and even worldwide, and it continues to grow more and more each year, even expanding into Europe and Mexico.

Inside just the United States, the NFL blows the other leagues out of the water. The NFL generates more yearly revenue than the NBA, NHL, and MLS combined. The MLB is second in revenue at $11.9 billion in 2023. The NBA is third at $10.9 billion. The NHL is fourth at $6.8 billion and the MLS is last with $2 billion.

Trending Upwards

The NFL has increased in revenue virtually every year. I say “virtually” because there has only been one year since 2001 when the NFL dipped in revenue; the COVID-19 season in 2020. The NFL generated just $12.2 billion that year, but immediately rebounded with a $17.19 billion year the next season, blowing their mark of $15.25 billion the year before Covid out of the water.

The NFL grew from generating $4.28 billion in 2001 to a staggering $20.5 billion in 2023. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already set a target of $25 billion in revenue by 2027, an audacious but achievable goal for the fastest-growing sport in the country.

America’s Team

Which NFL team has the highest revenue? The Cowboys have been labeled “America’s team” for a while now (even if they don’t have the best odds this year per BetUs.com.pa), with their revenue living up to the nickname. With a revenue of $1.14 billion in the 2022-2023 season, the Cowboys are easily the highest revenue-generating team in the NFL. The Raiders were second at $729 million.

The last place team in revenue generation is the Lions at $495 million, a number that still supersedes nearly every other team in any other sport.

Breaking it Down

The NFL's economics are truly wild when you look at how much money the NFL makes in each category. Of the $20.5 billion the NFL brought in during 2023, $13 billion, or 67%, which is the largest chunk by far, came from league wide media, sponsorship, licensing, and merchandise deals.

Ticketing and suites accounted for the next-largest chunk, or 15% of the total yearly revenue. That doesn’t include concessions or parking, though, which is in its own separate category at $1.5 billion.

Something interesting to remember when considering this amount is the money the NFL and its teams make for renting out their stadiums for concerts and events. For example, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour sold out in every stadium she performed in, which was almost entirely in NFL stadiums. While she keeps the ticket sales, the NFL makes money on rent, concessions, and parking for that. So it’s not just NFL games the NFL is making money on.

The NFL also brings in a hefty chunk from sponsorships, estimated at $2 billion in 2023. These sponsorships come mainly from ticketing, financial, alcohol, healthcare, technology, and insurance.

The NFL’s economic impact is astounding as one of the leaders in entertainment in the United States and being easily the leader in revenue generation of all U.S. sports. The Super Bowl alone can generate over a billion dollars a year as the most-watched live event in the country each year. The NFL also continues to grow each year, and there is no intention that it will slow down any time soon.

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