DOJ eyes NFL media rights. The exemption survives anyway.

The Department of Justice is formally investigating how the NFL sells media rights—specifically whether the league's Sports Broadcasting Act exemption lets it lock out competitors. The investigation is real. The threat to the exemption is not.

The NFL's antitrust exemption has survived 60+ years and four congressional attempts to revoke it. Why? Because the exemption generates $10B+ annually in media rights value that no stakeholder actually wants to dismantle. Networks benefit from predictable, exclusive packages. Teams benefit from centralized negotiation that keeps any single franchise from undercutting league-wide rates. Fans benefit from every game being available somewhere. The exemption is not a loophole—it's a load-bearing wall.

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DOJ eyes NFL media rights. The exemption survives anyway.

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