The problem is that the NFL League Office never legitimately qualified as a tax-exempt non-profit organization. A legitimate trade organization must “further the industry or profession it represents" to qualify as a tax-exempt non-profit. The NFL League Office competes against other professional football organizations (ask anyone who worked for the USFL, XFL, etc.) and not for the benefit of professional football in general. Each of the 32 NFL teams "donates" more than $1 million apiece every year just to pay the NFL League Office CEO's $40+ million salary with a primary purpose of keeping the NFL brand from being challenged by other professional football organizations. This inequity represents one of the few things that citizens of widely varying political beliefs (conservative, liberal, libertarian, tea party) can agree on. The NFL was smart to give up this political favor before it was rightly taken away from them. It was a point of resentment with the general public, whether or not they understood the technicality that it was just the league office and not the whole NFL.