No, MrBeast did not buy the NFL. The viral video claiming he did was a promotional stunt created by YouTube and the NFL to generate buzz for the 2025 season kickoff game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.
The video, titled “I bought the NFL,” was posted on September 3, 2025, and quickly gained millions of views across social media platforms. In the clip, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appears at a mock press conference and declares, “Today marks an historic first. The NFL is now under the ownership of one individual, Jimmy Donaldson, MrBeast”.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, then claims he will expand each team’s roster from 53 to 54 players to add a YouTuber to every franchise. Creators including iShowSpeed, Dude Perfect, Haley Baylee, and Brooke Monk appear in the video being “drafted” to various teams. At the end of the clip, the stunt is revealed as fiction.
The collaboration was designed to promote YouTube’s first-ever exclusive live broadcast of an NFL regular-season game. The Chargers vs. Chiefs matchup streamed for free worldwide on September 5, 2025, from São Paulo, Brazil. It marked the NFL’s first regular-season game played in South America. According to NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller, it was intended to be “the most accessible NFL game ever produced”.
Who Actually Owns the NFL?
The NFL is not a single entity that can be purchased by one person. It is collectively owned by its 32 franchise teams, each of which is a separate business. Roger Goodell serves as commissioner, representing the interests of all 32 teams rather than owning the league himself.
Team ownership varies widely. Most franchises are owned by individuals or private groups, while the Green Bay Packers operate under a unique nonprofit public ownership structure. This decentralized model makes any single-person acquisition structurally impossible.
Could MrBeast Afford It Anyway?
Even if the NFL were a purchasable entity, the financial gap is enormous. According to CNBC’s Official NFL Team Valuations 2025, the average franchise is worth $7.65 billion**, an 18% increase from the previous year. The **Dallas Cowboys** lead the league at **$12.5 billion, followed by the Los Angeles Rams at $10.7 billion.
The combined value of all 32 teams is estimated at approximately $228 billion**. By comparison, **MrBeast’s** net worth is estimated at around **$1 billion. That represents roughly 0.4% of the league’s total valuation.
MrBeast has stated that he reinvests most of his earnings rather than keeping large sums in personal accounts. In a 2025 podcast appearance, he said, “In my actual bank account, I have less than a million dollars. I just like to reinvest it all”. His business empire includes Feastables, Lunchly, Viewstats, and a production partnership with Amazon Prime for Beast Games.MrBeast Quick Bio
Note on Birthplace: Sources differ on whether MrBeast was born in Wichita, Kansas or Greenville, North Carolina. Britannica lists Wichita as his birthplace, while other sources mention Greenville as where he grew up .
Why the Rumor Spread So Quickly
The sketch was convincing because it featured the actual NFL Commissioner in a realistic press conference setting. Goodell’s participation lent the video an air of official legitimacy that a typical YouTube stunt would lack. Social media clips circulated without the full context, and many viewers encountered the claim before the promotional nature of the video became clear.
The video’s release timing contributed to the confusion. It dropped just two days before the 2025 NFL season opener, when football news dominates headlines and fan attention is at its peak. The combination of a trusted sports figure and a massive platform like MrBeast’s channel created a perfect storm for misinformation.
What the Stunt Was Really About
YouTube has been steadily expanding its live sports offerings. The platform already held rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, a subscription service for out-of-market games. The free global stream of Chargers vs. Chiefs represented a new phase in that strategy: using a marquee matchup to showcase YouTube’s live broadcasting capabilities to a worldwide audience.
The broadcast featured Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner on play-by-play, Kay Adams and Cam Newton hosting pregame coverage, and a halftime performance by KAROL G. Alternate “Watch With” streams hosted by creators like iShowSpeed and Tom Grossi offered additional viewing options. A new MrBeast challenge was also unveiled during the broadcast.
MrBeast himself framed the collaboration as part of a broader cultural shift. “We’re at this culture changing moment in entertainment,” he said, “and with the first live NFL game broadcasting on YouTube for free this Friday, we’re showing the world that the most engaging way to experience sports is with the creators you love”.
The Bottom Line
The claim that MrBeast bought the NFL is false. The video was an elaborate marketing campaign for a free YouTube broadcast of a single regular-season game. The NFL remains owned by its 32 teams, and no individual could realistically purchase the league given its $228 billion combined valuation. The stunt succeeded in generating viral attention, but it was entertainment, not a business transaction.Did MrBeast actually buy the NFL?
No, the claim is false. The video featuring Roger Goodell announcing MrBeast as the NFL’s new owner was a promotional sketch for YouTube’s free broadcast of the Chargers vs. Chiefs game on September 5, 2025.
Who actually owns the NFL?
The NFL is not owned by one person. It is collectively owned by its 32 franchise teams, each controlled by an individual, a private ownership group, or in the case of the Green Bay Packers, a nonprofit public ownership structure.
Could MrBeast afford to buy the NFL?
No. The combined value of all 32 NFL teams is estimated at roughly $228 billion, while MrBeast’s net worth is tied mostly to his business holdings and is nowhere near that figure. He has also said he keeps very little cash in his personal bank account because he reinvests most earnings.
What was the real purpose of the MrBeast NFL video?
It was a marketing campaign to promote the 2025 NFL season opener between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, which streamed for free worldwide on YouTube from São Paulo, Brazil. The stunt featured creators like iShowSpeed and Dude Perfect to generate viral attention.
Why did so many people believe the video was real?
The sketch included NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a realistic press conference setting, which gave it an air of official legitimacy. The video was released on September 3, 2025, just two days before the season kickoff, when football news dominates headlines and fan attention is at its peak.
