Despite profits over $1 billion, the National Football League still gets taxpayer money.
The NFL took in an estimated $1 billion in profits in 2014 on $10.5 billion in revenue, according to CNN.
The money comes from taxpayers in many facets, especially via stadium construction. Since 1997, 20 new NFL stadiums have opened with the help of $4.7 billion in taxpayers funds, thanks to local governments wanting to spend the money.
Stadiums under construction in Minneapolis and Atlanta are being built with $700 million in government funds, for example. The University of Phoenix Stadium, home to this Sunday’s Super Bowl, was financed with $300 million in taxpayer money
Furthermore, most of the spending is financed with tax free municipal bonds, which were originally intended by Congress for the funding of roads and schools.
In 2012, U.S. sports teams saved $4 billion over the life on those bonds, analysis shows — with the NFL benefitting the most.
The stadium financing only contributes to critics of the NFL’s not-for-profit status, which helps it save about $10 million annually.
