On the fifth day of the Sunday Ticket trial, plaintiffs introduced testimony to illustrate financial damages stemming from the NFL’s antitrust violations. Dr. Daniel Rascher, an expert in sports economics from the University of San Francisco, argued that the excessive pricing for Sunday Ticket cost consumers $7 billion. He envisioned a competitive market scenario where NFL teams sold out-of-market rights to multiple networks, making the games freely accessible on non-premium channels. This alternate market would have alleviated the cost burden on both commercial and residential subscribers.
Rascher’s analysis drew from statistical data indicating that 38 million fans are interested in watching out-of-market games, but only a small fraction actually purchase Sunday Ticket, leaving tens of millions underserved. He also criticized the NFL’s claim that the average cost paid during 2011-2022 was around $102, explaining that this figure included DirecTV subscribers who received the package as a promotion but weren’t active viewers. His testimony also revealed internal discussions within the NFL contemplating a shift of Sunday Ticket to cable, driven by consumer demand.
Cross-examination by NFL’s lawyers mainly focused on justifying production costs and attacking Rascher’s college football analogy by presenting the current chaotic state of college football, a point jurors found irrelevant. In rebuttal, plaintiffs clarified that monopolistic entities fear the competition as it can appear chaotic to them but would actually normalize the market. The jury concluded that the NFL intentionally inflated prices to limit consumer choice, violating federal antitrust laws and overcharging millions of avid fans.
