The NFL is a Tax Exempt Organization.........

Article


WOW! This certainly changes my viewpoint.

DonDiego did not realize this item either.

DonDiego expects this will soon become a political debate. He doesn't have a strong opinion on the issue, but opines some clarification of the specifics of the issue, . . . a defining of the terms, . . . might clarify the discussion, and alleviate some of the inevitable rancor.

__The National Football League [NFL] is classified as a 501(c)(6) charitable organizations — a classification used by trade and industry organizations. As are the Professional Golfers Association, the National Collegiate Athletic Organization, and the National Hockey League.

__From WRAL/Capital Broadcasting:
"A check of the NFL’s latest tax return shows the league office reported nearly $1 billion in assets, $183 million in annual revenue and spent even more, actually losing money.
'It's not a profit center in itself. It's simply a facilitator, a kind of distributing unit,' said Duke University tax law professor Rich Schmalbeck, who points out that the real profit flows to NFL teams, which eventually pay some tax on the big TV, gate and merchandizing money."

__As a charitable organization the NFL is forbidden from engaging in political advocacy, but it does.

__The NFL Teams are for-profit businesses, not tax-exempt.

__NFL-licensing entities are for-profit enterprises. not tax-exempt.

__The NFL players are not tax-exempt.

__The ever-expanding Government needs ever-expanding tax sources and/or ever-expanding debt.

RoadTrip's source, ThinkProgress.org, defines itself as follows:
"The Center for American Progress (“CAP”) is a District of Columbia not-for-profit corporation and is operated as a public charity. It has received official IRS recognition of its tax-exempt status under sections 501(c)(3) and 501(a)(9)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.",
. . . and,
"Think Progress is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. The Center for American Progress Action Fund is a nonpartisan organization.
ThinkProgress was voted “Best Liberal Blog” in the 2006 Weblog Awards and chosen as an Official Honoree in the 2009 and 2012 Webby awards."
[DonDiego thinks he detects an internal inconsistency somewhere in this self-description.

Other sources that present the same issue:
__New York State Bar Blog
__Forbes
__WRAL/Capital Broadcasting

Disclaimer
__DonDiego loves the NFL. [The NFL is the only sport about which DonDiego is passionate.]
__DonDiego is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan; he knows pain, but not glory.
__DonDiego hates the Dallas Cowboys; the Dallas Cowboys and Al-Qaeda are the only things DonDiego hates. Oh, . . . and paper cuts.
__DonDiego is a Forbes subscriber.
__DonDiego would prefer NFL ticket prices not rise; nonetheless, as stated earlier he is not a strong advocate for or against taxing the NFL.
__Philosophically, DonDiego prefers lesser Government over ever-increasing Government.

Pretty interesting what qualifies as charitable-non-profit organizations, isn't it? The NFL partners up with the UNited Way (great cause) and so it is considered a charity.

Heck, I volunteer all the time for stuff. I even handed out some turkeys to low income families at Thanksgiving. Maybe that should qualify me as a non-profitable entity. Where do I fill out the paperwork to apply?

I thank Don Diego for his research and additional sources of information.

"We" (South Florida) are in the midst of a "Stadium Improvement battle", where the Dolphins owner wants to renovate the stadium with taxpayer money.

Seems something is on the television news frequently about this issue, the Super Bowl Committee pitching for 2014 -15 SB event, ex stars (Marino, Griese, etc) lobbying for it, etc.

I do think that "tax breaks and exemptions" for the team owners, etc, in light of this "new to me" information, just does not seem to sit well.

I'm not into political battles, often turning the television news to channel to re-runs of anything else. Just don't "care", since my vote (and I do vote in every election), nor my occasional email messages to legislature, or politicians, or my signature on a petition, or any other activity taken by me in political demonstrations, etc seems to ever make a difference in the end result.

Try ACORN, or whatever they call themselves today or another scam organization.