President Donald Trump has been making headlines in the sports world lately. While some are for the wrong reasons, similar to him shattering a little girl’s athletic dreams with a joke, some, like today, seem to target the big leagues. Speaking of that, Trump has taken shots at the NFL, not only over the league’s new ‘dynamic kickoff’ rule, but also over a bigger problem that could be killing the sport for fans.
His sudden concern for the football fans may seem suspicious to some, but according to the Daily Mail, Donald Trump thinks the NFL’s switch to subscription services is harming the sport for everyone. This happened just when the Department of Justice was already looking into the league’s media rights deals. Similarly, he also criticized the crucial ‘dynamic kickoff’ rule that was purely designed for the safety of athletes.
In an interview with Sharyl Attkisson, he said, “It’s tough. You’ve got people that love football. They don’t make enough money to go and pay for this, and they [the NFL] could be killing the golden goose.” He then gave the NFL a reality check: “Others have tried this, and all of a sudden you don’t have a sport anymore.” This may sound like a warning to many, but it seems Trump is quite unhappy with football being locked behind a subscription.
Trump thinks the football is being snatched away from many, and is not as exciting due to the new rule
The new rule, dynamic kickoff, wasn’t introduced for nothing. The NFL players, like athletes from other notable sports, are contracted for millions of dollars. Apart from being an investment for the teams, they are human, and their safety will always be the league’s first priority. As a result, it implemented the dynamic kickoff in 2024 and made it permanent in 2025.
The rule was designed to cut high-speed collisions by aligning returners closer to the kicker (at the 30-yard line) while keeping coverage players at the opponent’s 40-yard line until the ball lands or is caught. However, Trump reportedly dismissed the idea as ‘unwatchable,’ as it apparently compromises the football’s raw and sometimes violent nature when two athletes collide at high speeds.
Donald Trump said, “There’s something very sad when they take football away from many, many people. Very sad. I don’t like it.” Then, seemingly taunted the NFL with, “They’re making a lot of money. They could make a little bit less. They could let the people see.” Coming back to the investigation, the DOJ is focusing on consumer affordability. The league has been under scrutiny since April 2026, with sharp eyes on its fragmented distribution spanning CBS, NBC, ESPN, Fox, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and NFL Sunday Ticket.
They seem to be charging excessive fees to fans, which supports Trump’s concern. Since this potentially violates antitrust laws and the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act, the DOJ is looking into the matter. As of yet, there’s no outcome announced, but with Trump’s sharp words for the NFL, the pressure on the league may have increased during ongoing scrutiny.
Published: May 11, 2026 11:15 am