Christine Dorfler: From Army Captain to the NFL’s CFO

Christine Dorfler: From Army Captain to the NFL’s CFO

June 17, 2026 · 50 min

About this episode

Maria Sharapova interviews Christine Dorfler, the CFO of the NFL, discussing her journey from Army Captain to managing the league's finances and the impact of major decisions on the sport.

What does it take to manage the finances of the world’s most powerful sports league? In this episode, Maria sits down with Christine Dorfler, the CFO of the NFL, for an unfiltered look at the business behind the game. From her journey as an Army Captain to navigating the complex financial landscape of the NFL, Christine shares the leadership lessons and high-stakes decision-making that keep the league growing. We dive into the "Billion-Dollar" choices that impact everything from international expansion to the game-day experience. And of course ‘The Taylor Swift Effect.’ All that and more on this episode of Pretty Tough. Pretty Tough is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA. ⁠⁠⁠Listen to every episode on your favorite podcast platform⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow Maria on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow Maria on X⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow Pretty Tough on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Pretty Tough on Substack 00:00:00 – The Power of Confidence and Humility 00:02:00 – Learning to Lose: Lessons from Sports 00:03:45 – Leadership Lessons from the Army 00:06:00 – Taking a Big Promotion During Maternity Leave 00:09:40 – The Art of Saying "No" in Finance 00:10:45 – Moving into the Sports Industry 00:12:30 – Advice for…

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Host: Maria Sharapova

Guest: Christine Dorfler

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Organizations: NFL, VOX MEDIA

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