This past weekend the National Football League (NFL) proved once again that it is in control of America.
Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but the NFL regular and postseasons absolutely control the American sports entertainment calendar from July to February. Free agency takes a backseat to March Madness, then the entire month of April is consumed by the draft.
The reason the NFL is successful, is not only because of the product it has, but also the storytelling it does.
The NFL controls (or tries to control) everything aspect of its product presentation – from the images you see on the screen, right down to every single beat, melody, harmony, drum, or static sound that comes through your speakers.
The NFL controls all marketing rights to it conference championship games, the Super Bowl, and various associated trademarks. The league controls how its logos and merchandise are used, and controls all the marketing for individual teams in an effort to standardize everything.
The NFL also controls its official stats.
At the inception of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) in 1956, PAUL BROWN (82) co-founder/head coach of the Cleveland Browns, was famously quoted as saying, that “it was both just and necessary that management could cut, trade, bench, blackball and own, in perpetuity, anyone and everyone that it wanted”.
As BILL HORGAN wrote on his 5 O'Clock Club blog back in 2019, NFL owners have become “more circumspect in their phrasing of these types of sentiments over the intervening six decades”, but after the media circus that surrounded former University of Colorado quarterback SHEDEUR SANDERS (23) falling to the Browns at #144 in the 5th round of the 2025 NFL Draft, there is still no doubt about who is in control of this league.
NFL players are young, with short careers. Most of them don't have the will or the wherewithal to take collective action against the league to win concessions for themselves, let alone future players. When players do bring a grievance against the league, it goes to arbitration. Arbitration means the NFL controls the process and there will be no public discovery.
Why is the league so iron-fisted?
Pro football Hall of Fame wide reciever CHRIS CARTER (59) summed up the situation like this:
The NFL doesn't want to lose control of its product like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has lost control of its product with the advent of Name Image and Likeness (NIL) compensation for student athletes. NIL contracts and the “transfer portal” have diminished the NCAA's power and influence over college athletics, particularly in areas like broadcasting rights and student-athlete compensation.
This loss of control, however, has not led to a more decentralized and competitive landscape in college sports. In fact, many would argue that NIL money and the transfer portal -- which has significantly increased the mobility of college athletes, allowing them to transfer more easily than in the past – have actually hurt the product on the field.
College football ratings have been on a downward trend, particularly for the College Football Playoff (CFP) national championship game. The 2025 CFP title game between Ohio State and Notre Dame drew 22.1 million viewers, a 12% drop from the 25 million who watched the 2024 game between Michigan and Washington. This decline is partly attributed to the expanded 12-team format, which shifts the CFP semifinals to later in January, overlapping with NFL playoff games.
Whether it's fair or not, hall of fame NFL defensive back, DEION SANDERS (57) and his sons, Shedeur and SHILO SANDERS (25) have become the face of NIL and the transfer portal.
As Youtube user commented:
"Deion and his boys are shaking up the college game, and they thought they could have control over what happens to Shedeur in the nfl - they document & record everything, and they control their own narrative... that is NOT how the NFL wants things run. so they taught the Sanders family a lesson, as in "get in line like all these other black folk." I mean, Caw Ward, squeeky clean, not a change agent. Andrew Berry. basically drafted a QB he didnt want at 5th round because of his owner... not a change agent. Tomlin - didnt even take a risk on Shedeur, instead opted for a squeeky clean white QB. So yea, you could argue this was race related? you could. but just to get the family back in line... minimise the Sanders appeal as a back qb or late draft pick - not because the nfl doesnt like black players."
It's also not about the “media circus” that comes along with drafting a Sanders. The NFL is all about creating buzz as long as the control it. Millions of football fans complained about the endless camera shots of TAYLOR SWIFT (35) at Kansas City Chiefs games, saying that it took away from the sporting event, but the NFL doubled down and milked the Swift story for all it was worth.
Well Off Media, which is owned and operated by Deion Sanders' oldest son, DEION “BUCKY” JR. (31), produces most of the video content that comes from the family – and does an excellent job.
The content on the Sanders family's various Youtube channels is on the same par with the HBO Sports documentary series “Hard Knocks” minus the voice over. The executives at NFL Films probably aren't happy about that or the multiple logos promoting the various Sanders-owned brands, like PRIME 21, 2 Legendary, etc.
So, the NFL sent a message by humbling Deion & Company. One that was received loud and clear.