'Tis the season to revisit the question: Should the NFL be a tax-exempt entity? This year marks 70th anniversary of decision.
"[T]he NFL is actually tax-exempt, a status it gained in 1944. Often forgotten, the league was granted 501(c) 6 status in 1966, when it merged with the American Football League. But unlike charitable nonprofits, or 501 (c) 3 organizations, the 501(c) 6 designation means the NFL is a trade organization. This tax-exempt status does not apply to the league's 32 individually owned franchises. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is also a 501 (c) 6 organization. The league's form 990 from 2012, the latest available filing, shows some unexpected NFL figures. Football in America makes about $10 billion annually. The NFL actually wound up in the red for $304,462,262 that year. That same year, Goodell made more than $44 million." -- Kate Rogers, CNBC.com
