648. The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted

The N.F.L. is a powerful cartel with imperial desires. College football is about to undergo a financial reckoning. So maybe they should team up? (Part one of a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:• DeMaurice Smith (turfwarsbook.com/about-the-author), former executive director of the National Football League Players Association.
• Domonique Foxworth (x.com/foxworth24?lang=en), sports analyst and former N.F.L. player.
• Jeffrey Kessler (winston.com/en/who-we-are/attorneys/kessler-je…), partner at the law firm of Winston & Strawn.
• Oliver Luck (uacfootball.com/staff.aspx?staff=1), sports executive and consultant.
• Victor Matheson (holycross.edu/academics/people/victor-matheson), professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross.

• RESOURCES:• Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America's Game (amzn.to/3Kt43ot), by DeMaurice Smith (2025).
• "Is there a Case for Subsidizing Sports Stadiums? (media.clemson.edu/economics/data/sports/Stadiu…)" by Victor Matheson (Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 2018).

• EXTRAS:• "America’s Hidden Duopoly (freakonomics.com/podcast/americas-hidden-duopo…)," by Freakonomics Radio (2018).
• "Should the U.S. Merge With Mexico? (freakonomics.com/podcast/should-the-u-s-merge-…)" by Freakonomics Radio (2014).

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