The wild card in the proposed NFL-ESPN deal is Donald Trump. The blockbuster agreement, which would give the league a multibillion-dollar equity stake in the Disney-owned company, could be delayed or blocked by the president, sources told Front Office Sports this weekend.
The deal would face regulatory approval and government oversight, and Trump has no problem throwing his weight around when it comes to corporate deals, let alone those involving parties he has famously clashed with over the years.
Trump just threatened to hold up the Commanders’ proposed $3.8 billion domed stadium unless they bow to his demand that they change their name back. Ari Fleischer, the former White House press secretary to President George W. Bush turned crisis communications consultant, says the proposed deal is “political catnip” for Trump.
“Given his interest in the NFL, and his history of using media mergers for leverage, it’s hard to see him not playing around with this,” Fleischer tells FOS. “I doubt this will be a straightforward commercial transaction.”
Trump has fought with both the NFL and ESPN before, using them to drum up his base in the culture wars. OutKick founder Clay Travis, fired one of the first shots this weekend on social media. “President Trump should hold up the NFL Network selling to ESPN — which will require federal approval — and the building of a new Washington football stadium — which also will require federal approval — until the NFL agrees to bring the … name back.”
Added Travis in another tweet: “Some will argue that bringing the … name back is unimportant, but I disagree, it’s an important symbol that wokeness in sports is over and won’t be permitted any longer. I used to believe you could negotiate with left wingers on things like team names. You can’t. They never operate in good faith and always want more. You have to take ground back from these people and refuse to give them an inch ever again.”
But when it comes to the name change, Fleischer sees Trump applying pressure elsewhere.
“Names are up to the team, not the central office. While that may be of no concern to Trump, I just don’t see him using this deal to achieve that. I can see him demanding that of the DC Council,” says Fleischer, whose firm, Ari Fleischer Communications, has consulted with the NFL, NBA, MLB, College Football Playoff, and the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC conferences.
Trump’s issues with the NFL date back to the 1980s when he backed the old USFL’s antitrust lawsuit. Then NFL owners rejected Trump’s bid for the Bills in 2014, leading to his successful run for the presidency in 2016. During his first term in 2017, he lashed out at the league for allowing “son of a bitch” players to kneel in protest during the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
But the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have been smartly trying to mend fences with Trump. Goodell joined the president for a face-to-face chat in a luxury suite during Super Bowl LIX—the first time a sitting U.S. president had attended the Big Game in person. The commissioner was also on hand in the White House when Trump proudly announced Washington, D.C., as the site of the 2027 NFL Draft. The league previously told FOS it had “no issue” with players doing the “Trump Dance” as an on-field celebration.
Still, as ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio wrote: “Here’s the reality. To the extent that the NFL and ESPN were already walking on eggshells in order to avoid an executive order, they’ll be treading even more lightly now.”
The long-awaited NFL-ESPN deal has been four years in the making. Under the proposed terms, sources say ESPN will get the popular RedZone channel, NFL Network’s slate of seven international game telecasts, and the league’s fantasy football business. ESPN is counting on RedZone to be a huge selling point for its new direct-to-consumer service launching for $29.99 per month this fall. The NFL, meanwhile, could acquire up to a 10% stake in ESPN, according to CNBC. That stake could be worth billions. The nation’s most powerful, popular league would also be able to exit the crumbling cable TV business, which it entered with the Nov. 4, 2003, launch of the NFL Network.
Disney could make the deal official Wednesday when it reports its second-quarter earnings for 2025. Once the announcement is made, the waiting game will really kick in. Stay tuned.
