Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis - Bill O'Reilly Tackles the NFL

Episode Date: September 5, 2024

In the first edition of Bill O'Reilly's special YouTube commentary, he tackles the NFL and the business it generates, as the season is set to start Thursday night. Watch video of this commentary and clips of the No Spin News on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/billoreilly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, the National Football League kicks off, pardon a cliche, Thursday evening. Then on Friday, another game in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as the NFL expands its brand worldwide. Now, why am I talking about this, me a political analyst? Well, the business of professional football in the United States is a colossal success, $12 billion a year, the NFL make, $12 billion. And I think that's low. That estimate is low. Marketing and ticket sales and refreshments and on and on and on and on. And the betting, the gamblers are just delirious that another season is beginning. So in Nevada, 44% of all of betting, okay, is football.

And it doesn't break it down between college and NFL, but you know most of it is professional. So the goal is, of course, for the teams to make the Super Bowl in February. Last year, winning players on the Kansas City Chiefs, got $164,000 each for that game, losing players on a 49er, got 89,000. But it isn't about the individual game. It's about the image. Now here is the

downside, and Americans don't really care about this. We're alike the ancient Romans in that regard. We want our spectacles. Now, we're not killing people like they did in the Roman Coliseum with gladiators and animals chasing Christians around and all of that. But this is a tough sport. I played college football. I know how hard this is. And my skill level wasn't even close to what the professional level is. So NFL among the players stands for not for long. Most players get hurt. And that impedes their ability to continue. There are a few superstars, of course. And they last and make tens of millions of dollars and they set themselves up. But that's only 10%. Now, by its very nature, the game is brutal. You can't really do much about that. And there's nothing wrong

with rooting for the home team or watching the games. I do it, but I know what I'm watching. This is a cut-throat industry. A lot like the media. You either perform or you're fired. as somebody once said on The Apprentice. And I kind of feel sorry for some of those players who devote their whole life to becoming skilled and then one hit on the knee and they're out. I have compassion for them. I have seen it firsthand.

But all in all, the National Football League is the most visible and probably one of the most successful industry, industries in America. And it all adds up to entertainment, obviously. People love the NFL. One final thought. The pressure on the coaches and players is unbelievable. In every other professional sport, baseball, hockey, basketball, there are lots of games. You lose a game, okay. You lose a game in the NFL, and it is a travesty, because there are only 17 games. And if you lose nine games, you're done. You're not going to be in the playoffs. So every game is almost life and death.

That pressure emotionally on people can crush you. So I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but I think it's a fascinating spectacle, the National Football League. Season again begins. We'll have it for five months. And I just pray that there aren't catastrophic injuries, because that's the worst of it.