Every Day is Sunday. Ken Belson.

 

Every Day is Sunday.   Ken Belson.

How Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, and Roger Goodell Turned the NFL into a Cultural & Economic Juggernaut.

If every day were Sunday, then sports fans would get a full dose of NFL football all week long.   One could argue that already happens throughout the season anyway since NFL games are televised all day, and night, Sunday, Monday night, Thursday night and in December occasionally on Saturday when the college football regular season has ended.  And that is just how the NFL wants it.   According to author Ken Belson, the league is perpetually motivated to help grow their brand or meet lofty financial expectations.    This, along with the three most important figures in the league today, is what Belson expounded in his book, “Every Day is Sunday”.     

Belson, a current New York Times writer who also happened to cover the NFL for a decade prior, hit the three main characters hard in the first half or so of the book.   Of course, as seen on the cover, those men are NFL commissioner Roger Goodell who has held that position since 2006, Jerry Jones, the irrepressible owner of the Dallas Cowboys and Robert Kraft, the quintessential shrewd businessman who owns and operate the New England Patriots.   Each has their personal stories unfold in the early chapters of the book.  Although pertinent and intriguing information was reported for all three main characters this is likely not groundbreaking information as all three have been around for quite a while and plenty has been written about each including some books that have been reviewed in this blog such as DeMaurice Smith’s Turf War’s (https://richardcampsie.blogspot.com/2025/09/turf-wars-demaurice-smith.html)   While Benson reportedly had a relationship with all three, very few have worked with or against the commissioner and NFL owners the way Smith did for fifteen years on the job as the NFL Players Association Executive.     

One could argue that after the background was provided for Jones, Goodell and Kraft in the early parts of this manuscript that the topics became less intriguing or important.  Readers can engage in NFL topics such as the lockdown of 2011, deflate gate with Patriots, the Ray Rice physical abuse incident and the current president of the United States applying pressure on the owners to combat the players behavior during the National Anthems last decade.  However, the topics did seem to pick up in greater relevance once Belson discussed the subject of generating more revenue for the league.   The possibilities for current and future revenue streams for the NFL are interesting but complex.    In some cases, Belson seems to allude that while the league is doing well and is likely to meet Goodell’s projection of doubling revenue from a projection made more than decade ago, the pace could slow as the brain trust works to find new but fewer revenue streams.    Like other sources have suggested, legalization of gambling could be one source already in place with room unlimited potential.    Other revenue producing ideas include adding another regular season game to the mix and/or expanding NFL franchise locations overseas including Europe or South America. 

Belson asserts that Goodell, a fit and energetic worker in his mid to late 60’s, is likely to continue his role for a while since he makes the owners considerable money and he seemingly lives for the job.   However, that may not be the case for many of the owners, including Jones and Kraft.    Both are octogenarians and have enlisted many of their offspring and family to help operate their respective franchises.   It is astute on the author’s part to wonder what kind of impact that could have on the league once either leader is no longer in place.  In fact, according to sources, there are no fewer than twenty owners at least 70 years of age working in some capacity with their respective NLF franchises.    Leadership will eventually change and so may the direction of the league.   Belson is not particularly clear on how it may result. 

For now, Belson asserts that the NFL is in a propitious spot financially and politically.  The author does not seem to offer much of his own personal opinions about the league and its viability, allowing the quotes from differing sides for readers to decipher and decide.    Nevertheless, Every Day is Sunday is a well-constructed book of two hundred and eighty-two pages.   One could argue the writing prose lends itself a fairly easy read and enlightening towards many current and recent NFL topics and personalities.    For those readers that have NOT previously explored the business and political sides of the league it could be a good introduction.   Otherwise, this is still a reasonable choice but may not be as insightful as the book title might suggest.  

 

Suggested discussion questions:

Explain the meaning of the book title.  

1.     What makes Roger Goodell successful as a long-time commissioner of the NFL?

2.     How did team owners like Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones influence the growth of the league?

3.     How is it possible that the NFL can continue to grow at forecasted levels?

4.     What recent changes have taken place that have impacted the way the NFL does business?  

 

·       You might like to read this book if you enjoy reading more about NFL commissioners including Roger Goodell. 

·       You might like to read this book if you seek more information about NFL franchise owners such as Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones. 

·       You might like to read this book you want to learn more about NFL history.

·       You might like to read this book if you seek to understand more about NFL social and economic aspects of the league and sport. 

 

Read more about the author on X:   https://x.com/el_belson