It’s easy to criticize politicians for being out of touch. And Speaker of the House Mike Johnson should know exactly why when he attempted to take a shot at the NFL.
Republican politicians have become increasingly interested in actively managing broadcast television networks. And it’s not just making programming decisions for Jimmy Kimmel. It’s the NFL’s migration away from broadcast television and towards streaming platforms.
The pressure from Republicans is as much about protecting powerful allies as it is about serving fans in the quest to make games accessible. Both Fox and CBS are now owned by Trump-supporting billionaires, the Murdochs and Ellisons, respectively. And given the importance of NFL games to their media empires, they’re pushing hard to protect their golden goose. And now the FCC, DOJ, and Republicans in the House and Senate are all piling the pressure on Roger Goodell and the NFL to toe the line.
But not knowing what NFL games are being televised where isn’t exactly going to help their case.
In what would normally be friendly territory on conservative news outlet Newsmax, Johnson was questioned as to why Republicans would hold a midterm convention directly opposite the NFL’s two opening games of the season. He responded that the convention would get a ton of eyeballs because the first night of the NFL season was behind a streaming paywall.
Mike Johnson downplays the impact the NFL opener will have on Trumpapalooza viewership: “The first night of NFL I think is a streaming service, so there’s a paywall. I know there will be a lot of eyes on the convention.” pic.twitter.com/yIoR2yzjsJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 10, 2026
“Well, I don’t think it’s a mistake. We had a limited number of days on the calendar where we could do this. The timing’s important because it’s close enough to the election to make a difference, but it’s also before early voting begins nationwide. So the dates are pretty strategic. I think the first night of NFL tonight, I think is a streaming service, so there’s a paywall. I know there will be a lot of eyes on the convention and what’s happening here,” Johnson said.
As Mike Johnson said, the opening game of the 2026 season was free-to-air for everybody on NBC, with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots.
In fairness to the Speaker of the House, the second game of the season is on a streaming service, with Netflix airing the matchup in Australia between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. And maybe we want our politicians focused on what matters, not debating NFL schedules. Although given the track record of the folks running Washington now, that’s certainly wishful thinking. Then there’s the whole bit about thinking a midterm convention could actually succeed while going against the NFL opener, but that’s an entirely different conversation about being in touch with reality.
But if politicians are going to start taking shots at the NFL and exerting real political capital to impact their business plans, they need to get their facts straight. If you come at the king, you best not miss. And this was a whiff from the man second in line for the presidency.
About Matt Yoder