What have you done for your league lately? Huh? You probably bought a shirt, or some sort of jersey, right? Maybe a new Terrible Towel to celebrate the big win by the Steeler! Well, I can tell you right now that you have done more for the NFL than Roger Goodell has done for it his entire career.
I am a fan. Lets put that out there, and seeing as you are reading this column I am assuming you are too. So, through a fans perspective, would you rather see a ref throw a penalty for a touchdown celebration involving the football, or would you rather see Brandon Jacobs stick the ball in shirt and pretend its a baby?
Thats a tough one for me...oh wait. GIVE ME A BABY!!!
Goodell has increased the fines from last year 12%. In the first 12 games in 2007 players were fined 494 times where as in 2008 he fined 531 times, for a total of 2.894 million and 3.527 million respectivley.
Each of these fines were for either equipment issues or celebrations. Now be honest...do players really deserve to be fined a total of 3.527 million because they want to express themselves? Yes, I do realize to many players the fines they receive are literally pocket change. But that is beside the point, I would rather let a player express himself to the fullest than have the whole league afraid to do anything fun because they dont want to be fined.
Fact...Roger Goodell does not want players to convey excitement, he wants them all to be little drones in his money making army.
Which leads me to my next thought. Most people are under the impression that the NFL is continually generating more viewers and better ratings. WRONG! WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!! (sung to the tune of "take me out to the ball game").
As a matter of fact, the NFL lost a considerable amount of TV viewers in some of their largest markets. For example, New York lost about 16% of their ratings from last year. Here is a completle list of the biggest markets and their losses. (Pay attention to the percents...that is the precent loss in TV ratings from 2007 to 2008).
New York37.9/58 -15.60%2 (52)
Los Angeles35.3/63 -2.20%3 (41)
Chicago41.1/64 -1.00%4 (16)
Philadelphia46.2/65 -4.50%5 (26)
Dallas-Fort Worth44.2/69 -4.30%6 (51)
San Fran.-.5/68 -11.90%7 (45)
Boston38.6/57 -30.60%8 (33t)
Atlanta42.6/67 -4.90%9 (12)
Washington, D.C.46.7/70 -7.20%10 (54)
Houston34.3/57 -7.50%
Roger Goodell has even let the Super Bowl ratings fall from last year. The rating of 43 last year looked a bit better than the 42 put up this year. In fact the number of viewers only went up by 1 million this year, its lowest rise in a loooong time.
Some would argue that it is because the NFL has finally reached its pinnacle. Well I beg to differ. Consider this, there are 300 million Americans and counting, only 98 of those 300 watched the super bowl...seems like the other 200 million Americans could still be enticed to watch it!
So why is the NFL losing ratings and not gaining as many viewers? Simple. People are being driven from the sport because Goodell is letting thugs like Pacman Jones and Vick get away with anything they want. Matt Jones of the Jaguars was arrested for selling cocaine. People, we are talking about a level 4 drug right there!! Thats no simple ****, yet Goodell barely punished him.
People dont want to watch a bunch of thugs...I mean they could just watch the NBA if they wanted that!
Goodell has also let the reffing in todays NFL get out of control. He has let the NFL Refs get away with blowing games, calling one sided games, and throwing unecessary and sometimes completley unabated flags.
Yet, when a player tries to say something about FINE FINE FINE FINE!! They can be slapped with one of those bad boys anywhere from 3,000 to 25,000 buckaroos.
Whew! Seems like a lot of trouble to write all of those tickets when you could actually just fix the problem by training your refs a little better, and telling them whats an acceptable penalty.
I mean most viewers get a pretty good laugh out of Ocho putting the football, or TO getting into a sprinters stance.
With the rules in place because of Roger Goodell, a player is not allowed to give the ball to a kid in the fans who may be autistic or may be there because of the make-a-wish foundation (by the way, if you have any extra cash, please donate to the foundation. What they do can literally change a persons life!)
Fact...Roger Goodell likes Autism and hates dying children!
I can't go on. My hand is shaking just thinking about the man-devil sitting behind his desk.
So I ask one you to listen to one last thing...
Ask not what you can do for the NFL...But what you can do to get Roger Goodell out of the **** commisioners office!
Irina Shayk
Brooklyn Decker
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Comments (6) Add A Comment
Nice blog. A lot of the information you brought forwards, especially that of the falling markets, is news to me. At the same time, though, the branding of Roger Goodell as the devil is a little over the top.
Redwing19: retired
Halifax, NS
Total Comments (35151)
Roger Goodell is a bad person.
Fool1977
Cadyville, NY
Total Comments (14)
As the front man for the owners, do you think he would behave any differently? There hasn't been a true "football man" in that position for so long I can't remember. What is needed is someone with a real reverence for the game and a stiff enough spine to tell the most talented, "For what you are paid by your team and the promotion from the league behind you, you are truly one of the luckiest men alive. We ask, no, we demand that you behave on and off the field with common sense and the respect for others that has been afforded you." The days of cow-towing to simple street thugs, who have problems tying their own shoes are over. Exuberant, joyful with their successes, and tough at their job is what a professional athlete should be, not a smart mouthed, ignorant, uninvolved person. If they are to receive the best we have to give, then we deserve the best in return.
MassConcern
Haverhill , MA
Total Comments (2)
Thank you. Yes I know that comparing him to the devil is bit inflated, but this blog was supposed to raise awarness at the same time making you laugh. So I merley threw that in their for comedy reasons.
CiA is X
Milwaukee , WI
Total Comments (767)
The refs are out of control. How can you get mad at a guy making a snow angel? A guy can throw a huge block of ice in the stands at a fan and get fined about the same as a guy making a snow ange? It's just madness.
DP: RIP UGA VII
Dalzell, SC
Total Comments (9255)
True, very true. What is wrong with a damn snow angel? Last time I checked, kids still made them, so why cant a NFL player?
CiA is X
Milwaukee , WI
Total Comments (767)
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