Keep NFL Sunday Ticket Available to Bars & Restaurants Through DIRECTV
Keep NFL Sunday Ticket Available to Bars & Restaurants Through DIRECTV
The Issue
For decades, sports bars and restaurants like ours have relied on DIRECTV to deliver NFL Sunday Ticket to local customers. It has been a dependable, business-ready platform built specifically for commercial establishments serving large crowds on game day.
EverPass Media, a streaming company backed by the NFL, has taken over the exclusive commercial rights to NFL Sunday Ticket and is forcing businesses to move to its streaming platform if they want to continue carrying the package.
- Tens of thousands of bars, restaurants, and commercial venues rely on DIRECTV to te systems — DIRECTV for most sports programming and EverPass’s streaming platform solely for NFL Sunday Ticket.
- EverPass is forcing a mandatory platform switch that could cost businesses $10,000–$40,000 in new hardware, broadband upgrades, and installation.
- No guarantee the new system will perform reliably in high-volume commercial environments.
- Businesses that refuse to comply risk losing NFL Sunday Ticket entirely — and the customers who come for it.
- To offset these forced infrastructure costs, many bars and restaurants may have no choice but to charge customers a cover charge on NFL Sundays — a dramatic shift from the welcoming, no-barrier experience that has made sports bars a cornerstone of American fan culture for decades.
Many of us have already invested heavily in professional TV systems, satellite infrastructure, audio/video equipment, and staff training because sports programming is central to our business year-round. The growth of the NFL over the last several decades is in large part due to the audiences attracted through sports bars and commercial accounts that bring in hundreds of fans each game day. Now we may be forced to operate two separate systems — DIRECTV for most sports programming and EverPass’s streaming platform solely for NFL Sunday Ticket.
We are asking the NFL and EverPass to continue offering NFL Sunday Ticket to bars and restaurants through DIRECTV as an option for commercial businesses.
This should be a choice, not a mandate.
Why This Matters
NFL Sundays are one of the most powerful revenue drivers for any business that welcomes fans through its doors. From bars and restaurants to golf courses, hotels, and beyond — these venues create jobs, boost employee earnings, and serve as gathering places that bring communities together every weekend during football season.
This is not about resisting technology. As the “First Modern Sports Bar in America,” we support innovation at the right time when it genuinely improves the customer experience. But streaming a game in a packed sports bar with dozens of TVs is very different from streaming one television at home.
In our business, reliability matters. If games freeze, buffer, fall out of sync, or go dark during a crucial play, customers do not blame the streaming company — they blame the bar. That hurts our reputation, customer loyalty, and revenue.
And when multiple streaming devices overload broadband or Wi-Fi networks, it can disrupt other systems our businesses rely on every day — point-of-sale systems, payment processing, operations, and guest internet access.
Bars and restaurants should not be forced to become test cases for technology that has not yet proven itself at scale in commercial environments. We already have systems that work. We simply want the ability to continue using them.
What We’re Asking For
We’re simply asking the NFL and EverPass to continue to make NFL Sunday Ticket available to businesses through DIRECTV as an option for businesses that rely on that proven technology.
Please Support Us — Sign This Petition
If you’ve ever watched a game at a sports bar, celebrated a playoff win with strangers who became friends, or simply spent a Sunday afternoon at a place that felt like home — please sign this petition. Your signature tells the NFL and EverPass that the venues making those moments possible deserve better than an ultimatum.
And please share it. Forward it to your group chats, post it on social media, and pass it along to every fan you know. These businesses fight for their customers every Sunday — now they need their customers to fight for them.
Sincerely,
Eric Johnson
Legends Sports Bar
Long Beach, California
The First Modern Sports Bar in America
Established 1979
The Decision Makers
EverPass Media
The National Football League (NFL)
NFL Team Owners and League Leadership
143
The Issue
For decades, sports bars and restaurants like ours have relied on DIRECTV to deliver NFL Sunday Ticket to local customers. It has been a dependable, business-ready platform built specifically for commercial establishments serving large crowds on game day.
EverPass Media, a streaming company backed by the NFL, has taken over the exclusive commercial rights to NFL Sunday Ticket and is forcing businesses to move to its streaming platform if they want to continue carrying the package.
- Tens of thousands of bars, restaurants, and commercial venues rely on DIRECTV to te systems — DIRECTV for most sports programming and EverPass’s streaming platform solely for NFL Sunday Ticket.
- EverPass is forcing a mandatory platform switch that could cost businesses $10,000–$40,000 in new hardware, broadband upgrades, and installation.
- No guarantee the new system will perform reliably in high-volume commercial environments.
- Businesses that refuse to comply risk losing NFL Sunday Ticket entirely — and the customers who come for it.
- To offset these forced infrastructure costs, many bars and restaurants may have no choice but to charge customers a cover charge on NFL Sundays — a dramatic shift from the welcoming, no-barrier experience that has made sports bars a cornerstone of American fan culture for decades.
Many of us have already invested heavily in professional TV systems, satellite infrastructure, audio/video equipment, and staff training because sports programming is central to our business year-round. The growth of the NFL over the last several decades is in large part due to the audiences attracted through sports bars and commercial accounts that bring in hundreds of fans each game day. Now we may be forced to operate two separate systems — DIRECTV for most sports programming and EverPass’s streaming platform solely for NFL Sunday Ticket.
We are asking the NFL and EverPass to continue offering NFL Sunday Ticket to bars and restaurants through DIRECTV as an option for commercial businesses.
This should be a choice, not a mandate.
Why This Matters
NFL Sundays are one of the most powerful revenue drivers for any business that welcomes fans through its doors. From bars and restaurants to golf courses, hotels, and beyond — these venues create jobs, boost employee earnings, and serve as gathering places that bring communities together every weekend during football season.
This is not about resisting technology. As the “First Modern Sports Bar in America,” we support innovation at the right time when it genuinely improves the customer experience. But streaming a game in a packed sports bar with dozens of TVs is very different from streaming one television at home.
In our business, reliability matters. If games freeze, buffer, fall out of sync, or go dark during a crucial play, customers do not blame the streaming company — they blame the bar. That hurts our reputation, customer loyalty, and revenue.
And when multiple streaming devices overload broadband or Wi-Fi networks, it can disrupt other systems our businesses rely on every day — point-of-sale systems, payment processing, operations, and guest internet access.
Bars and restaurants should not be forced to become test cases for technology that has not yet proven itself at scale in commercial environments. We already have systems that work. We simply want the ability to continue using them.
What We’re Asking For
We’re simply asking the NFL and EverPass to continue to make NFL Sunday Ticket available to businesses through DIRECTV as an option for businesses that rely on that proven technology.
Please Support Us — Sign This Petition
If you’ve ever watched a game at a sports bar, celebrated a playoff win with strangers who became friends, or simply spent a Sunday afternoon at a place that felt like home — please sign this petition. Your signature tells the NFL and EverPass that the venues making those moments possible deserve better than an ultimatum.
And please share it. Forward it to your group chats, post it on social media, and pass it along to every fan you know. These businesses fight for their customers every Sunday — now they need their customers to fight for them.
Sincerely,
Eric Johnson
Legends Sports Bar
Long Beach, California
The First Modern Sports Bar in America
Established 1979
The Decision Makers
EverPass Media
The National Football League (NFL)
NFL Team Owners and League Leadership
143
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
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Petition created on May 26, 2026