Not for Profit unless you're in management
The National Football League is a not for profit organization. Did you know that? Did you know that in 2012, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was paid $29.4 million by the NFL? That they have five other employees being paid more than $1 million per year, three of whom are actually earning more than $3 million? The CFO is only pulling down $929,000 a year, maybe he should ask for a raise.
It's a scam and it needs to stop. Major League Baseball used to be the same type of organization, but they gave up their not for profit status years ago because they didn't want to disclose their salaries. Apparently Mr. Goodell figures no one will care if he and his co-horts earns millions from their not for profit, which does little but aid the owners of the NFL teams to line their pockets.
The teams pay $6 million a year in "dues", which is used to create a fund that is used to lend money back to the teams for the construction of stadiums with public funds. The loans are interest-free. So the owners get free money to build stadiums with public money and the taxpayers get screwed twice. Once because the NFL itself isn't taxed on its "profits" and once because the taxpayers are footing the bill for stadiums that don't generate revenue for the tax base.
This, along with what's going on in the Cincinatti office of the IRS that examines applications for non-profit status makes it time for this to become an issue in our Congress. True charitable organizations can and should continue to receive the not for profit designation. True social welfare organizations can and should continue to be exempt from taxation when they are serving a public, rather than political interest. But professional sports leagues where the team owners make millions and millions in profits don't need to be "administered" by a non-profit that is paying its executives even more millions of dollars. Pro sports generate enough revenue and profits to pay taxes.
It isn't just the NFL. It's the National Hockey League (4 employees earning more than $1 million per year, Commissioner Gary Bettman $4.4 million in 2011), the PGA Tour (nearly $1 billion in revenue in 2011, with Commissioner Timothy Finchem earning $7.3 million in 2011 and 6 other employees earning over $1 million that same year), and other professional sports leagues.
Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn has added an amendment to the Marketplace Fairness Act that would change the law and no longer allow professional sports leagues to be classified or operate as not for profit organizations. There is little, if any chance of the Act becoming law, but I'm writing my two senators the following letter and you are free to clone it for your own use.
Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein
Via E-mail
Re: Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013
Dear Senator Feinstein,
There is little chance that the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 will pass in its present form, but there is an amendment attached to this bill that I would like you to consider getting behind and possibly attaching to future legislation that has a better chance of being enacted.
This amendment was proposed by Senator Coburn of Oklahoma and it would stop the NFL, NHL, PGA and other professional sports "organizations" from operating as not for profit organizations. These groups bring in millions each year in revenue and avoid showing profits by paying extremely lavish salaries to their executives, while these people do nothing but facilitate the ability of team owners in these leagues to continue generating large profits. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earned nearly $30 million in 2012 for running this "non-profit". That is simply unconscionable.
I hope you will see that this is a situation that must be stopped and you are someone who is capable of stopping it.
Best regards,
Brian
It's a scam and it needs to stop. Major League Baseball used to be the same type of organization, but they gave up their not for profit status years ago because they didn't want to disclose their salaries. Apparently Mr. Goodell figures no one will care if he and his co-horts earns millions from their not for profit, which does little but aid the owners of the NFL teams to line their pockets.
The teams pay $6 million a year in "dues", which is used to create a fund that is used to lend money back to the teams for the construction of stadiums with public funds. The loans are interest-free. So the owners get free money to build stadiums with public money and the taxpayers get screwed twice. Once because the NFL itself isn't taxed on its "profits" and once because the taxpayers are footing the bill for stadiums that don't generate revenue for the tax base.
This, along with what's going on in the Cincinatti office of the IRS that examines applications for non-profit status makes it time for this to become an issue in our Congress. True charitable organizations can and should continue to receive the not for profit designation. True social welfare organizations can and should continue to be exempt from taxation when they are serving a public, rather than political interest. But professional sports leagues where the team owners make millions and millions in profits don't need to be "administered" by a non-profit that is paying its executives even more millions of dollars. Pro sports generate enough revenue and profits to pay taxes.
It isn't just the NFL. It's the National Hockey League (4 employees earning more than $1 million per year, Commissioner Gary Bettman $4.4 million in 2011), the PGA Tour (nearly $1 billion in revenue in 2011, with Commissioner Timothy Finchem earning $7.3 million in 2011 and 6 other employees earning over $1 million that same year), and other professional sports leagues.
Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn has added an amendment to the Marketplace Fairness Act that would change the law and no longer allow professional sports leagues to be classified or operate as not for profit organizations. There is little, if any chance of the Act becoming law, but I'm writing my two senators the following letter and you are free to clone it for your own use.
Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein
Via E-mail
Re: Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013
Dear Senator Feinstein,
There is little chance that the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 will pass in its present form, but there is an amendment attached to this bill that I would like you to consider getting behind and possibly attaching to future legislation that has a better chance of being enacted.
This amendment was proposed by Senator Coburn of Oklahoma and it would stop the NFL, NHL, PGA and other professional sports "organizations" from operating as not for profit organizations. These groups bring in millions each year in revenue and avoid showing profits by paying extremely lavish salaries to their executives, while these people do nothing but facilitate the ability of team owners in these leagues to continue generating large profits. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earned nearly $30 million in 2012 for running this "non-profit". That is simply unconscionable.
I hope you will see that this is a situation that must be stopped and you are someone who is capable of stopping it.
Best regards,
Brian
posted by me at 1:52 PM
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