The Bucs began 0-for-September and might be the NFL’s worst team. They have essentially written off this season as a “rebuilding” loser and could experience local TV blackouts for the first time in memory.
But there’s always an upside in the National Football League.
That’s because NFL teams don’t lose money. Network TV revenue-sharing and a league salary cap ensure as much. Some franchises just make more than others.
Put it this way, where else can you get somebody else (colleges) to train your employees, feel assured that public subsidy will be part of building your physical plant, and count on a profit regardless of product quality? Plus free, virtually round-the-calendar, local media attention? And not even be called a “socialist”?
The Bucs are $30 million under the salary cap. And according to Forbes magazine, they are worth $1.085 billion – or eighth in the league. And that $1.085 figure is up 3 per cent in the last year.