Congress Threatening NFL Tax Break Over Washington

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The NFL is tax-exempt, but what does that have to do with Washington?

The team from Washington has gotten the attention of the nation with their stubbornness to change their name to one that less offensive and not considered a racial slur. The Oneida Indian Nation launched a Change the Mascot campaign as the team tries to convince public opinion that people actually don’t mind. While many people throughout the league have also thrown their opinion on the matter out there for the world to read and hear, Congress is jumping in to the ring.

“The NFL greed is so widespread that they’ve chosen to operate as a tax-exempt organization. So we want to take that choice away from them unless, and until, they decide not to profit from a name that has now officially been declared a racial slur,” said Norton, a Democratic non-voting House member who represents the District of Columbia on the ESPN/ABC podcast “Capital Games,” according to ABCNews.com.

Saying that Congress will strip away the tax-exempt status from the NFL because of Washington’s refusal to change their name is an interesting bribe. Congress is basically making a strong push to force the league to force Washington to change the name of their team or they will have to no longer be considered a “not-for-profit” organization.

With the NFL bringing in billions of dollars every year and signing multi-billion dollar television deals and contracts – it is hard to even fathom that the NFL is a not-for-profit organization.

If the NFL was no longer a tax-exempt organization, what does that even really mean? The MLB and NBA dropped their tax-exempt status and the NFL is truly not far behind. Congress using the debacle with the team from Washington as a way to force the league to change is not the way to go, however, and probably not something Congress should be focused on.