NFL continue to enjoy non-profit status?

But the NFL goes one better by having developed a revenue machine through creating intellectual property, licensing logos and names for merchandising, negotiating deals for televising games, and running the schedule of games, including producing the Super Bowl.

The top eight league officials made a total of $50.1 million in 2011 from the NFL or related organizations, with commissioner Roger Goodell seeing about $29.5 million in his paycheck.

The league received another $10.4 million (including nearly $7.6 million to former commissioner Paul Tagliabue).

In 2011, the NFL paid $35.9 million for office construction, $13.5 million in office rent, $6.7 in IT consulting, and $6.7 million in travel expenses.

“This decision has saved the NFL uncounted millions in tax obligations, which means that ordinary people must pay higher taxes, public spending must decline, or the national debt must increase to make up for the shortfall.

However, individual teams get significant tax breaks and assistance — whether money to help construct stadiums, abatements of property taxes, long-term low-cost loans, and even payments to keep teams where they are.