The N.F.L.’s league office will drop its tax-exempt status, which is decades old, in response to critics, including some members of Congress, who claim that the government is losing millions of dollars in potential revenue.
As a result, the league will no longer have to publicly disclose its tax returns, which include the salaries of its top executives, including Commissioner Roger Goodell. Major League Baseball took a similar step several years ago. The league offices of the National Hockey League, the L.P.G.A. and several other sports organizations still have tax-exempt status.
Though the N.F.L.’s 32 teams are for-profit businesses that pay taxes, the league office has operated as a tax-exempt industry association in various forms since the 1940s.