Rocky Landing Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 I think a key to this will be how the daughters of team owners react aroind the dinner table and what the wives of team owners say at bedtime. If after expressing great sympathy to the owner because a stupid player best his kid and put the nice owner in a tough spot and then they whine about how Goodell dropped the ball on Rice, the other wife beating players and then Peterson, when the arguments are made by someone at the MFL Board table its time to throw Roger under the bus. He is gone. I have a hard time believing that this is what is going to bring down Goodell. If Ray Rice is still news (beyond NFL.com, ESPN, etc.) then maybe. But, I just don't think this story has the legs, nor do I see it really affecting anyone's bottom line.
Buffalo_Stampede Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Sponsors do what the people want. That's why we see people get fired off of radio and TV for making non PC statements. The people run the country. I just wish we spoke up on real issues.
Jim in Anchorage Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Yep the NFL is going to fold just like it did in 1973 when Ernie Holmes [steel curtain] was shooting at a police helicopter. Or Ray Lewis. And Vick. All high profile players who resumed their NFL careers after violent felony convictions. But this is the new enlightened, sensitive age.
Buffalo_Stampede Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 (edited) Yep the NFL is going to fold just like it did in 1973 when Ernie Holmes [steel curtain] was shooting at a police helicopter. Or Ray Lewis. And Vick. All high profile players who resumed their NFL careers after violent felony convictions. But this is the new enlightened, sensitive age. NFL not going anywhere. IMO this may be the best thing to happen to the NFL. Players think they are invincible. Adrian Peterson just ruined a Hall Of Fame career. Like you said it's a new age, the social media age. Edited September 17, 2014 by TheTruthHurts
Jim in Anchorage Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 My hunch is that this is a short-sighted view. Lifestyle and behavioral expectations in significant parts of the country are changing fast -- particularly the Northeast and on the West Coast (not surprisingly, areas where feminism and gay rights have made the greatest inroads). These regions are important because this is where the money and people are. I bring this up because for many people in these regions, the ceaseless (and accurate) coverage of concussions has taken root. My 9th grade son plays sports at a pretty high level in NYC (relatively speaking), and it's your basic American boy sports -- travel baseball, basketball, and (flag) football. He crosses paths with a lot of other kids, and he doesn't know any kid who is allowed to play tackle football, a sport he loves but which he has no interest in playing despite being good. More generally, I feel that in the last few years there has been a sea change -- I have to defend my NFL fandom to people. And I can't even talk about football with women anymore - it always ends up as a conversation on the countless thugs who populate the league. That's new, and I know I'm not alone. Dn't get me wrong -- I love the NFL and the Bills. But I do think that we may be at an inflection point. If the coastal middle classes abandon football, it'll still be a major sport. But it might become like NASCAR -- still huge, but more of a regional sport, with fan bases concentrated in the south, the old industrial regions of the midwest that stretch from Buffalo/western PA westward, rural America, and African American communities (where most of the players come from). One other thing: I really think the league's problems are self inflicted because of a basic misunderstanding of their audience. The audience doesn't really have a problem with PEDs in a sport where there are so many injuries (which HGHis great at treating) and so little concern for individual statistical records. It's not baseball, as you know. For years now, the biggest threat to the league's popularity has been violence (and, ironically, one of the things that makes it so popular): relentless waves of ugly injuries, a major concussion crisis, and -- last but hardly least -- a semi-psychotic player population (because you've gotta be psycho at some level to play LB or safety or DT) that is far more prone to violent behavior than the regular population. I think most fans would be fine with multi-game suspensions of the in-game headhunters (I have long advocated this), but the league never did it. Yet for years and years the league has penalized drug use more severely than violence. They just seem tone deaf to changing societal mores and a elite news media -- NYT, the Atlantic, the New Yorker, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post -- that has it in for the NFL and smells blood. Your Northeast vs South thing sounds elitist.
ALF Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Only last week, several big sponsors like GM and FedEx said they were monitoring the situation or watching it closely. McDonald's, Visa and Campbell Soup Co. say they have also voiced similar concerns to the league. http://hamptonroads.com/2014/09/anheuserbusch-mcdonalds-voice-nfl-disapproval
Jim in Anchorage Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Only last week, several big sponsors like GM and FedEx said they were monitoring the situation or watching it closely. McDonald's, Visa and Campbell Soup Co. say they have also voiced similar concerns to the league. http://hamptonroads....nfl-disapproval Yeah I'm sure their expressing there "concerns." Till they see Sundays as usual jumbo ratings.
Fingon Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Yeah I'm sure their expressing there "concerns." Till they see Sundays as usual jumbo ratings. The funniest part about all of this is every single fan on this board watched the game on Sunday. All this moral outrage translates to people tuning in anyway, and sponsors know that.
Jim in Anchorage Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 The funniest part about all of this is every single fan on this board watched the game on Sunday. All this moral outrage translates to people tuning in anyway, and sponsors know that. Yep, Who here didn't watch the Ravens SB's because of Ray Lewis?
dave mcbride Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 (edited) Your Northeast vs South thing sounds elitist. It certainly wasn't meant that way, and I didn't even position the NE vs. the South. I positioned the NE and west coast against the South and the industrial midwest region. At any rate, I should have been clearer: the US is regionally differentiated, and the regions I identified as most wedded to football also have the longest and most deeply rooted college football traditions. No other region is as devoted to college football as the South, and second place belongs to the Big 10 region (inclusive of Notre Dame). Fandom in every other region pales in comparison -- the NE is pretty much a wasteland, and fandom on the west coast is surface deep. The old industrial Midwest region also has the deepest NFL traditions - GB, Chicago, and Detroit. I want to stress that I don't think that football is in any danger of becoming unpopular any time soon. But I do think that there are trends that work against it: declining involvement at the youth level (by nearly 10 percent in a couple of years, which is huge: http://espn.go.com/e...n-causal-factor ) and increasing cultural revulsion to it in significant parts of the country. It's still king by a mile, and it'll take a lot for it to fall to second place. But it's worth remembering that boxing, horse racing, and baseball were all at one time the undisputed kings of American spectator sports. Things can change; tastes can change. Also bear in mind that women comprise 45 percent of the audience. If they turn away in significant numbers, it's popularity will decline (by definition). The funniest part about all of this is every single fan on this board watched the game on Sunday. All this moral outrage translates to people tuning in anyway, and sponsors know that. I don't think the NFL is worried about losing people with thousands of posts on an NFL team message board (I include myself in this). We're not the problem in their eyes. Edited September 17, 2014 by dave mcbride
Heitz Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 A couple points - this was the regional chain pulling back it's sponsorship, not the full national hotel partner pulling their support. Anyone find it ironic that Budweiser is criticizing the NFL for its handling of its players: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/nfl-controversy/major-sponsors-turn-heat-nfl-over-handling-abuse-scandal-n204736 A BEER company? Really? Half the abuse in this country probably starts with a bud!
CodeMonkey Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Sponsors do what the people want. That's why we see people get fired off of radio and TV for making non PC statements. The people run the country. I just wish we spoke up on real issues. At one point that was true. Today sponsors do what they think the people will want. A subtle but important distinction. They tend to react so quickly to things when they hit the media, particularly social media, that they don't have time for the people to tell them what they want before they react.
Jauronimo Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Your Northeast vs South thing sounds elitist. You sure like playing the class card. Now you're getting my joke from the last thread about how the rest of the country needs to learn that WASP-y New England values are the only values that count. Whoopings are barbaric and dogs are basically furry children.
Best Player Available Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Yep the NFL is going to fold just like it did in 1973 when Ernie Holmes [steel curtain] was shooting at a police helicopter. Or Ray Lewis. And Vick. All high profile players who resumed their NFL careers after violent felony convictions. But this is the new enlightened, sensitive age. Ray Lewis has been "saved" I heard him say it. So I don't think anything bad apply's to him anymore? Isn't that the way it works?
Kellyto83TD Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 There is Liberal USA for you. If they don't get away from the NFL catching Liberal BS then they lose money. All these companies need to nut up and weather the storm. Let the Rice/Peterson things play out then let the NFL make a decision.
NoSaint Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 (edited) All these companies need to nut up and weather the storm. Let the Rice/Peterson things play out then let the NFL make a decision. again, ill say in this case they probably would have if the vikings were courteous enough to just take down the companys logo when doing interviews that would be nationally broadcast on the topic. saying "hey i know this is a rough patch and as the sponsor of our press conferences -- we know you probably dont want your logo on those clips short term-- we are willing to trade out some extra in game promotion for you in a couple weeks when this dies down" probably wouldve gone a long way. as it was simply suspended, and not fully cut, thats probably about what it will amount to, but the vikes pushed the brands hand to act instead of being proactive managing the relationship. Edited September 17, 2014 by NoSaint
boyst Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 What other sponsor has stepped up to take Raddison's spot? Have you read the contract? what's your point? No I haven't but someone will step up or fill the shoes in a second. And the contract? It doesn't matter. The NFL will get their money
NoSaint Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 what's your point? No I haven't but someone will step up or fill the shoes in a second. And the contract? It doesn't matter. The NFL will get their money itll probably be radisson that steps up - just after they let the storm die down-- assuming the vikings dont do anything else too ridiculous. no one is rushing to sponsor the vikings press conferences the next couple of weeks.
BillsFan-4-Ever Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 There is Liberal USA for you. If they don't get away from the NFL catching Liberal BS then they lose money. All these companies need to nut up and weather the storm. Let the Rice/Peterson things play out then let the NFL make a decision. please take the anti liberal stuff to the PPP I heard more "outrage" from conservatives than most from Bleeding Heart Liberals.
boyst Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 itll probably be radisson that steps up - just after they let the storm die down-- assuming the vikings dont do anything else too ridiculous. no one is rushing to sponsor the vikings press conferences the next couple of weeks. its Minnesota and we are headed to the 4Q. If it was NY, Chicago, LA, or Houston they'd have a sponsor
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