This is a late reply, but your point is exactly spot on and why I assume all of us are "hackers." In America at least, when you're an employee you don't get to decide when you pay taxes. Taxes come off of the top and THEN you get your earnings which can be reimbursed later if you qualify for a credit. There has always been an advantage as a business of being able to spend money and pay taxes later on whatever is left. But complaining about this in the case of the NFL is just silly because it is an advantage enjoyed by literally every business making enough money to justify itemizing their tax return (which isn't much).