EL PASO, Texas (Oct. 8, 2025) – A new study from The University of Texas at El Paso has uncovered how financial incentives may subtly shape officiating decisions in one of America’s most iconic institutions: the National Football League. By analyzing more than 13,000 penalty calls from 2015 to 2023, researchers found that postseason officiating has disproportionately favored the Patrick Mahomes–era Kansas City Chiefs, coinciding with their rise as one of the NFL’s most marketable franchises.