NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stirred up a frenzy on social media. According to ProFootballTalk, Mr. Goodell, in an email following Super Bowl LVIII, the NFL’s real competition wasn’t the NBA.
“We’re not competing with the NBA or MLB. Our competitors are Apple and Google.”
Fans on social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), reacted to the report. One fan jokingly implied that the statement was aimed at LA Lakers star LeBron James:
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Other fans made jests of the statement:
Others called him out while defending the NBA:
The NBA and NFL have experienced friction in the past. During Christmas Day of 2024, the NFL achieved massive viewership (around 30 million) and surpassed NBA ratings by nearly 4.5 million viewers. Commissioner Goodell seemed unbothered by any scheduling overlap, which was seen as a “subtle shot” at the league’s ability to own the holiday schedule.
Furthermore, analysts have noted that under Goodell, pro football mirrored certain aspects of the NBA’s evolution. These changes have seen rule changes to encourage offense (like the league’s hand-check enforcement), increased star focus, and media globalization. These similarities have led to comparisons and rivalry between Goodell’s NFL and Adam Silver’s NBA.
In the mid-2010s, some reports even indicated that football league owners were contemplating replacing Goodell with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, due to the league's increasing popularity and stability. The NFL under Goodell has weathered multiple controversies, from incidents like Deflategate to criticism over the handling of domestic violence cases and diversity issues, compared to the NBA’s relatively smoother modern PR and labor relations.
Adam Silver’s bold NBA-NFL comparison
Ahead of the 2025 NBA Finals, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made a bold comparison between the league and the NFL. This statement came during FS1’s Breakfast Ball ahead of Game 1 between the OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
Mr. Silver said that the football league treats storied franchises like Green Bay and Pittsburgh as marquee matchups, regardless of market size. In contrast, small-market NBA Finals matchups don’t command the same cultural status.
“If we were going into a Super Bowl and it was Packers vs. Steelers you guys would celebrate that. … “With the Super Bowl, if I asked someone if they’re going to watch the Super Bowl, they wouldn’t say ‘who’s playing?’ it’s a national holiday.”
Silver added that the Pacers–Thunder series was key to the league’s success in promoting competitive balance across markets. He pointed out that building a league where even small-market teams can reach the Finals is a deliberate goal of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and revenue-sharing system.
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