# Are Sports Fines Tax-Deductible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sports-fines-tax-deductible/211269 "2003-11-04T03:00:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sports-fines-tax-deductible/211269/1 "2003-11-04T03:00:58Z")
Watching the Patriots-Broncos game (go Broncos!), the commentators were talking about some player who has had a lot of fines over the years. I can’t remember who the play-by-play guy is, but he asked if fines are tax-deductible and Madden jumped right in and said that yes, they are. So I figure I better ask the Dopers what the truth is, since this was a comment by Madden we’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sports-fines-tax-deductible/211269/2 "2003-11-04T03:26:21Z")
WAGing here - I suppose fines could be considered a business loss, or perhaps a professional fee. I can deduct what the state charges me every year for my professional license, but they’ve never fined me. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sports-fines-tax-deductible/211269/3 "2003-11-04T05:13:10Z")
My guess is that are aren’t so much tax deductable as they just don’t show up on your pay stub. You have the case of an NFL kind of guy making $960,000 a year, or $80,000 a month. He gets fined $10,000. Next month he gets $70,000 on his check, (less all the taxes and stuff). Comes time for the W-4s to come out and he has made $950,000 for the year. But, since Madden coached in the NFL for several years no doubt this conversation came up often in the locker room. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sports-fines-tax-deductible/211269/4 "2003-11-04T05:17:16Z")
Well, a lot depends on HOW the fines are collected. I’ve read (I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this charge) that, in many instances, the “fines” are given to one charity or another- sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. So, in at least some cases, players are, in effect, making a mandatory contribution to, say the United Way, and then claiming the “donation” as a tax deduction. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sports-fines-tax-deductible/211269/5 "2003-11-04T05:35:49Z")
If a cab driver gets fined for a traffic violation while on duty, is it tax-deductible? It’s a loss related to his job, but it comes from doing some part of his job _badly_, which seems to also be the case for a fined athlete. That said, I have no actual information to contribute. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sports-fines-tax-deductible/211269/6 "2003-11-04T06:23:06Z")
From an [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com) article about sports fines. > [@](#): > > National Football League > > Player fines totaled some $1.1 million during the 2000 season, according to Arthur McAfee, staff counsel for the NFL Player’s Association. The money was split equally among four organizations, the league’s charities of choice for many years: the Lombardi Cancer Research Center, Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund, ALS Neuromuscular Research Foundation and the Player’s Association Assistance Trust Fund. ---
**Author:** ![Irishlove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3da27b/32.png) [@Irishlove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishlove)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sports-fines-tax-deductible/211269/7 "2003-11-04T06:56:49Z")
If a cab driver is fined for speeding or whatever, then those fines are not deductible (at least not in this part of the world: the USA may be different.) It’s just a matter of public policy. The situation with sports players is different; they are being fined by their employer so, (and I’m guessing) I would say the fines are deductible.