Roger Goodell on Super Bowl Streaming (Photo Via Imagn Images)
The Super Bowl has always been for all. It is like an old antenna could bring the big game to everyone. But that may be changing. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell just shook up the conversation about how fans may watch the league’s main show.

Speaking to The Athletic, Goodell admitted that putting the Super Bowl on a paid streaming service is “certainly possible.” He pointed to the rapidly shifting media world.

“With a changing media landscape, the way it changes as fast as it changes, it’s certainly possible,” Goodell said. That short line lit a fire under fans who already juggle subscriptions to watch Thursday nights on Prime or exclusive games on Peacock.

Coming right after ongoing talks about Taylor Swift possibly performing the halftime show, the timing could not feel more deliberate.

Fans Push Back On Roger Goodell’s Decision

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (Photo via Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The idea of paying extra for the Super Bowl hit a nerve. Many fans said they will not open their wallets if the NFL goes down that path.

“This day will come and when it does I will not be paying for it. Unless my team is playing, I will not pay for a streaming game-Netflix, Prime,” one fan wrote on X.

Others stressed that any future deal must keep the big game on network TV. “It would have to be on top of a network broadcast. Unless the NFL wants to lose viewers. And they don’t,” another insisted.

Frustration poured in from fans who already feel stretched. “At some point people should stop paying. They’re just going to keep charging us more and more,” one person said.

Another added, “How about as a thank you to the fans for 8 different streaming services during the season we just air it for free for the American People.”

The anger is loud, but the NFL has never shied away from pushing limits. It wasn’t long ago that debates over making the Super Bowl pay-per-view circled the sport. Now, with streaming companies throwing billions at live rights, Goodell may see a future where a few million fans refusing won’t change the math.

That would make the Super Bowl more like a premium event than a shared national moment. And given that Goodell hinted at possible shake-ups earlier, and it happened the same way mentioned, fans may need to prepare for even more change in how they consume the sport.