Is the NFL infringing on SBA protections for high school football

During a Senate Commerce Committee meeting, Senator Ted Cruz said the league is "tiptoeing" up to the line that protects college and high school football

Texas senator Ted Cruz, Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee expressed concerns, on Tuesday, that the NFL is close to being in violation of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1960, which is designed to protect college and high school football. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

During a hearing conducted by the Senate Commerce Committee, on Tuesday, Texas senator Ted Cruz, the committee's chairman, expressed some concerns about the National Football League's possible infringement on the territory of college and high school football. The senators' comments were detailed in a Pro Football Talk report published on Tuesday.

Traditionally, high school football in America has been reserved for Fridays as described by the famed cultural reference, Friday Night Lights. By and large, Saturday has been reserved for college football and Sunday has been the traditional day for the NFL.

Although that system is largely rooted in tradition, it also has a legal framework behind it, put in place by the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA) of 1960. The SBA provided the NFL with a broadcast antitrust exemption, as long as it agreed not to broadcast games on Friday night or Saturday from the second weekend in September through the second weekend of December.

In the year 2025, the landscape of sports broadcasting is light years removed from what it was in 1960. As the world has moved from traditional broadcasting to an ever growing streaming environment the rules of the SBA have become blurred.

For its article, Pro Football Report obtained a copy of the meeting's transcript and published some of Senator Cruz's remarks.

“One growing concern is that the NFL has used its special exemption in the SBA to the frustration of college and high school football schedulers,” stated the senator in his opening remarks. “For example, the SBA explicitly excludes antitrust protection for the NFL if broadcasting a game on a Friday night or a Saturday between mid-September to mid-December. That’s to protect the interests of high school and college football, and ultimately, their fans who are no doubt also followers of the NFL.

“The NFL has tiptoed up to this rule, now putting a game on streaming on Black Friday afternoon, which used to be a slot reserved for prominent college football rivalries, including in some years, Texas and Texas A&M. There are millions of sports fans who like being able to follow high school, college, and professional football without having to choose amongst them. And it’s partly why Congress wrote the SBA in the manner it did.”

The report goes on to detail that Black Friday is not the only day when the NFL crosses the line. The league has begun to stream games on the first Friday of September when that Friday coincides with the first week of its regular season.

The report speculates that the NFL may begin lobbying the new administration to eliminate the Friday and Saturday exemptions from the SBA. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who declined an invitation to attend the meeting, was in Washington, D.C. on Monday and joined President Donald Trump for a White House announcement that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held in Washington, D.C. for the first time. It is safe to assume that the league would certainly seek support for any of its goals in negotiating the award of such a lucrative and high profile event.

If ever called to account for its actions, the NFL could question whether the concept of streaming even falls under the confines of the SBA. The possibility also exists that live coverage of professional sports will largely leave free broadcast television and exist mostly under in the realm of pay TV.

Whether it is a matter of viewer choice or the fading of a long honored tradition, it appears the momentum is grinding towards Friday Night Lights not being just for the kids anymore.