Washington Commanders May Lose $450 Million Due to NFL Sunday Ticket Suit

The Commanders' new owner could be digging deeper into his pockets soon because of a recent law suit against the NFL.

Feb 5, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn (L) poses for a picture with Commanders managing partner Josh Harris (R) at Quinn's introductory press conference at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is the most popular sport in the United States, and they happen to command the television sporting market every Sunday, and for primetime slots on Monday and Thursday. Additionally, it's the biggest sports league in the nation. With this, it also happens to be a multi-billion dollar league.

The 32 franchises within the league each operate as their own business within the association, making them liable for bringing in profits to the NFL -- including the Washington Commanders.

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Recently, the NFL lost an antitrust lawsuit against customers who bought NFL Sunday Ticket via DirecTV from 2011 to 2022. The problem comes from overpricing due to a lack of competition, as Sunday Ticket is the primary way for fans to get access to the league's games on television.

The jury awarded customers $4.7 billion dollars in damages, with businesses being awarded nearly $100 million in damages. That number could triple under antitrust laws, though. This could get pricey for NFL owners.

ESPN broke down the jury's decision behind the lawsuit.

"The jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and $96 million in damages to the commercial class. Since damages can be tripled under federal antitrust laws, the NFL could end up being liable for $14.39 billion. The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States who paid for the package of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons on DirecTV," ESPN wrote.

The suit could cost each of the 32 NFL owners $450 million in damages, which would be a steep price for Commanders owner Josh Harris, who recently acquired the team. Also owner of the Philadelphia 76ers -- an NBA franchise -- Harris is worth just south of $9 billion, so, while $450 million is plenty of money for anyone to pay, Harris should be able to take care of it.

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