John Stancil, Tax Advisor

Much has recently been said of the tax breaks received by the National Football League. While they do receive certain tax breaks, many of these breaks are also available to other businesses. Granted, they do tend to be on a larger scale.

There is however, one area in which sports franchises do get significant tax breaks. Below are three aspects to tax breaks received by the NFL and other professional sports:

  1. Tax-exempt status of the league office
  2. Amortization of the purchase price of the franchise
  3. State and local financing of sports stadiums.

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With all the distractions of deflated footballs, player misconduct and the safety of the game, the NFL is volunteering to give up its tax-exempt status.

The NFL As A Non-profit Entity

The National Football League (“NFL”) which you figure makes millions in revenue every year is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt entity and does not pay income taxes as any for-profit-company would.

Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code provides for the exemption from  tax entities which are not organized for profit and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. Read More

Now here is a fact that is not so widely known – the National Football Association which you figure makes a ton of money is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt entity.

Besides the match-up of the Seahawks and the Patriots in Super Bowl 49, people are excited over the entertainment and half-time show, what celebrities will be attending the game and of course – the commercials.

Sponsors present their best commercials during the Super Bowl, and the big game wouldn’t be the same without them. For the advertising community, the Super Bowl is their Super Bowl, and often creates commercials specifically for the enormous viewership that the game provides. For many, watching the commercials is the most entertaining part of Read More

Let’s review the facts: Ray Rice is a star NFL player. He is not a role model. He is not a minister. They pay him to be a “bruiser” and arguably a star attraction to the Baltimore Ravens. Rice clobbered his (now) wife in a domestic fight. The NFL kicked him out of the game. This hurt Rice, his wife (the victim?), his child and the Team.

The NFL argues they had to do it to clean up football. This is an example for children!

Well, maybe not. They banished Ray Rice. He is gone; disappeared. The Ravens are even offering refunds for Rice jerseys. The game will move on and he will disappear from the news. Not really much of a lesson. No discussions of the benefits of therapy, or the need for domestic violence education. Read More

After taking a plea deal and receiving 37 months in prison for playing a role in a tax fraud scam, Freddie Mitchell presented medical documentation stating he has chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a possible result of his 8 documented concussions. CTE can have symptoms of memory loss, motor skills impairment, depression, aggressive behavior and confusion. As it is in the research stages, not everyone agrees that CTE can be properly diagnosed unless postmortem. Mitchell clearly states that he did not want a plea deal and yet took one anyway on his attorney’s advice.

This scam involved more than NFL Superstar Freddie Mitchell. It involved an Internal Revenue Service agent making promises while clearly trying to defraud the government. It involved an NFL player with a big ego (something found commonly in professional sports) that had more Read More