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The Justice Department reportedly opened an investigation into the NFL on Thursday into whether the league used anti-competitive tactics against fans.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the investigation.
Pakinomist Digital reached out to the Justice Department and the NFL for comment.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference following Super Bowl LX at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California on February 9, 2026. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire)
The reported investigation comes as Trump administration officials and lawmakers have warned of overhauling the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. The law allows the NFL to negotiate television deals across the league without violating U.S. antitrust rules, provided it meets certain conditions, including protecting customer access.
Late. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, addressed the issue in a letter to the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission. He requested a review of the league’s antitrust exemption status.
Meanwhile, rising streaming prices and skyrocketing ticket costs have combined to leave the average American NFL fan out of watching their beloved game altogether or making it impossible to find.
A Pakinomist poll in March indicated that 72% of sports fans believe major sporting events should remain free-to-air on television, amid reports that the NFL is considering allowing teams to sell the rights to preseason games to streaming services.
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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said on “Fox & Friends” last month that officials are reviewing thousands of comments about whether a significant portion of sports should remain free-to-air.
The Amazon Prime Video Thursday Night Football logo appears on a television camera during the second half of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 29, 2024. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
Carr said the FCC is investigating whether sports leagues should continue to benefit from a special antitrust exemption, and that public comments solicited on the matter are overwhelmingly supportive of keeping games more accessible.
“We actually got thousands and thousands of comments. It was a big number for the FCC. . . . The vast majority so far, based on an initial assessment, have supported keeping a significant portion of these sports games on free, over-the-air television,” Carr said.
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“So we will look at that. There may be actions in other parts of the government and Congress as well if these sports leagues continue to push this issue.”
Carr made his feelings clear, saying he thinks the experience of finding a game to watch has become frustrating and expensive.
“You actually have to have a degree in computer science to decipher this,” he said, adding that historically television and sports leagues have had a mutually beneficial relationship that allowed leagues to grow while supporting local news.
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“We’re at a tipping point where these leagues can push it so far and put games behind paywalls that they undermine their ability to claim that antitrust exemption.”
NFL fans have also spoken out themselves about the league’s streaming strategy.
OutKick’s Davey Hudson hit the streets of Nashville and New York City last month to speak to aggrieved soccer fans.
“I find it frustrating when you just want to watch a game and you have to figure out what app it’s on. And then you pay for multiple apps all the time,” said one fan.
Another fan was blunt, calling the current system of watching games “f—ing stupid.”
“Well that’s f—king stupid, you have to have five different platforms to watch all the games you want and still have to pay on top. It’s ridiculous at this point,” the fan said.
One fan called it a “pain in the a–” to keep track of where and when the games are being streamed.
Another fan called it a “money grab” and cited Netflix as the latest streaming service the NFL brought in to begin broadcasting its games.
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NFL fans who want access to all games must purchase YouTube TV for “NFL Sunday Ticket,” in addition to the expensive subscriptions to all the streaming services the NFL broadcasts on. These streaming services are Amazon Prime, Peacock and Netflix. The combination of the respective services is over $1,500 a year, and that doesn’t include the fees that come with basic cable packages or the high-speed Wi-Fi needed to host the platforms.
