Why is Mark Cuban talking about NFL expansion?

Mark Cuban’s deepest passion is the NBA team he owns, yet everybody seems to ask him about everything and anything else — from running for president (or vice president) to NFL expansion.

OK, so Cuban is a billionaire and therefore, obviously, knows everything about anything. That’s why noted NFL reporter Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report decided to ask Shark Tank’s most popular shark for his thoughts about the viability of placing an NFL team in Las Vegas.

Never one to hold back an opinion, Cuban told Freeman: “Only if it’s a multibillion-dollar franchise fee.”

Whoa, even in Vegas, that’s eye-popping. Like MORE THAN $1 billion just for the right to play ball.

Cuban, who two years ago predicted implosion for the greedy NFL in 10 years, expounded on his multibillion-dollar fee theory: “When you add a team, you have to give them their share of profits,” Cuban told Freeman. “So, teams would split things by 33, not 32. The franchise fee has to be enough to more than pay for the share of revenue teams are giving up. It’s the same reason I voted against expanding in the NBA. ...

“The question isn’t whether it’s worth it for the new owner. It’s whether it’s worth it to the NFL owners.”

It’s kind of like the thinking of many Big 12 schools when it comes to the question of expanding from 10 to 12 teams — why share the ever-growing revenue pie with two more schools when you really don’t have to?

As Freeman notes, Cuban is talking about pure expansion in the NFL, as in adding a team to the league, and not a current one like the Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas.

If a “multibillion-dollar fee” is the key to open the Vegas door to a new team, well, don’t hold your breath.

And is expansion really the way to go for the NFL? It can’t keep teams in their cities. The St. Louis Rams just moved back to Los Angeles, the San Diego Chargers want to move to greener pastures (and a better stadium) elsewhere as do the Raiders.

Really NFL, I can probably list multibillion reasons, or so, why 32 teams are plenty.

Thanks, Mark. Now, about that vice-presidential run…

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Why is Mark Cuban talking about NFL expansion?."