How to Ruin the NFL.

[Bonhomme Richard]

so 3 teams, out of those 10, hold over half of the victories.

As to the other sports where there are plenty of dynasty or teams that dominate, the Patriots, the Red Wings, Lakers, Spurs. Just saying....[/quote]

I can't speak very well towards the NHL or the NBA because I just don't follow them. So let's look at the NFL and MLB to compare. In MLB, the market size has a direct correlation on how many games the teams win. In the NFL it's not the same way. The last 5 Superbowl winners have been New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New York and Tampa Bay (last five teams, not last 5 games). These are hardly the high market powerhouses. In fact, the NFL is best known for runs such as the Cowboys in the 1990s and New England in the early 2000s. They are this way because they set up for big players and the cap means that they must take money from somewhere. These other "somewhere" positions get vacated through free agency as the players on the championship teams get picked up on other teams. So while a team can ride a player or two for a while it's very likely that the "best" teams will be going down in power after a championship win.

In fact, in the NFL, each year fully half of the previous year's playoff teams do not make the post season. It's usually 6-8 of the previous 12 teams that do NOT make it. In baseball, there are 6 teams who have not made the playoffs in 10+ years - 2 have not been in the playoffs for over 20 years. In the NFL the longest dry spell belongs to both the Bills and Lions at 9 seasons each.

Why is this? Revenue sharing and the salary caps have made it a much more competitive league and have brought parity to the system. Every year there's that dark horse who does well despite the odds. Last year it was Atlantic and Miami. The year before it was New Orleans.

The NFL does it right but is in danger of screwing it all up.[/QUOTE]
You're completely wrong about the teams that haven't been in the playoffs for 10+ years. They just don't have the proper motivation:

 

[crono1224]

Shaq is rich, the guy who pays shaq is wealthy.

 

[sixpackshaker]

The even sadder thing is most the people bitching about the high salaries of players would also bitch about the amount of money owners make, and if players made less, how they were exploiting the talents of the athletes.

Don't worry, the owners make far more than any athlete on the field. Also it helps that they were rich when they buy into the franchises.

The points you made is the reason Houston lost the Oilers. Bud Adams was given the franchise in a poker game. Then he had the team playing in a HUGE stadium at UofH. Later he was allowed to move the Oilers into the "Astro's Dome." Then he started complaining that he was not making enough money off of this free franchise that he never had to build a stadium for. So the city upgraded the Astro Dome for tens of millions of dollars. With in 3 years he wanted the city to build him a new stadium. The voters told him go get lost. And he did. Go Tennessee Tits.

Finally a new billionaire payed $100,000,000 for the right to have a franchise, then $500,000,000 of his own and other private funds to build the stadium. And guess what? He is still making money off of one of the worse teams in the NFL.

 

[klew]

Point of clarification: what happened in the NHL in 2004-2005 (and 1994-1995) was a player lockout, not a player strike.

 

[Charlie Don't Surf]

The way the world works is that if you can do something only a dozen people on earth can do (catch 1,000 yards and 10 TDs), you're gonna get paid like it. The top 20 lawyers on earth make a fuckload of money, the top 20 doctors make a fuckload of money, and the top 20 players of any sport make a fuckload of money.

 

[crono1224]

The way the world works is that if you can do something only a dozen people on earth can do (catch 1,000 yards and 10 TDs), you're gonna get paid like it. The top 20 lawyers on earth make a fuckload of money, the top 20 doctors make a fuckload of money, and the top 20 players of any sport make a fuckload of money.

Well ya but their faces are planted over everything. Also in the cases of some of these sports not everyone gets paid these vast amounts, it is very difficult to get into the high end, and even if you do a terrible injury can end it mighty fast, its a little better now with better medicine and what not but still.

And also how ever you want to view this, a lot may either have no college or limited college education, whether thats the players fault or the sport.

 

[sixpackshaker]

The way the world works is that if you can do something only a dozen people on earth can do (catch 1,000 yards and 10 TDs), you're gonna get paid like it. The top 20 lawyers on earth make a fuckload of money, the top 20 doctors make a fuckload of money, and the top 20 players of any sport make a fuckload of money.

Well ya but their faces are planted over everything. Also in the cases of some of these sports not everyone gets paid these vast amounts, it is very difficult to get into the high end, and even if you do a terrible injury can end it mighty fast, its a little better now with better medicine and what not but still.

And also how ever you want to view this, a lot may either have no college or limited college education, whether thats the players fault or the sport.[/QUOTE]

What does education matter when you can throw a 98 mph fastball or what ever maneuver that makes them special. A lot of these guys have a pretty good education, or were at least exposed to a top flight education.

I worked with a teacher that her son was starting for a powerhouse college football team. A student asked her if she would mind if her son dropped out of college to go to the NFL. She said that no, she did not mind. That signing bonus and first year's salary is guaranteed. If he breaks his leg playing college ball, there will be no money. And there is time enough to go back to school.

He finished College and has played consistently for at least 11 years in the NFL. It is not very easy to make $11,000,000 teaching high school/coaching football (I know.)

 

[Twitch]

Fixing the education budget of ASU.
1. Fire the football coach
2. ???
3. Profit!

 

[Sparhawk]

I've always been a fan of the Emmett Smith philosophy. When you score a touchdown, act like you've been there before and just hand the ball to the ref.

But Emmett never gave the ball to officials, he kept them all, except for a couple that he gave to special (to him) people. But agree with the sentiment, he didn't excessively celebrate on average, there were a couple of times that he did, but they were big games.

Then there is that hit on Owens in the middle of Texas Stadium...

 

[blotsfan]

As far as putting a team in London, why don't we get a new team into Los Angeles first? Then, maybe look at Mexico City or Toronto for other options. Canada's already got the CFL and it seems to do fairly well and Mexico hosted a game a few years back that had a great turnout.

London is just too far and, as Dave stated, doesn't have the interest to really support a team full-time.

Toronto's already got a team. The Bills. We'd like a different team, please.[/QUOTE]
Here Here!
Anyways, as far as expensive, I laugh at Cowboys fans paying thousands of dollars a year (not to mention a 50k psl), when my equivalent seats at the Ralph go for 70 bucks each.

 

[Qonas]

2) Have the rules committee make sure nobody's feelings get hurt and take all the fun out of the game. Remember when the Falcons used to dance in the endzone? Or when the team scoring would all get together, jump in a massive high-5 and then all fall to the ground? In a bid to stop people from taunting the NFL took all the fun out of celebrations. This is ENTERTAINMENT! Why not let them entertain?

Agreed, but...

3) Make rules that take hitting out of the game. If you tackle someone hard any more you get fined. The other night I watched a game where a guy hit a wide receiver really, really hard...with his shoulder. He was flagged 15 yards. In another game the QB was sacked. The linebacker was flagged 15 yards for driving him into the ground.

This is mostly a quarterbacks issue now. They're just left out there wide-open, to take the full brunt of an Albert Haynesworth on a mission. Today's defensive linemen and linebackers are much bigger and at the same time faster than those before. It's simple evolution of the game. Yet, quarterbacks have remained largely the same. You look at the sheer lack of good quarterbacks (32 teams, and there sure as hell aren't 32 good quarterbacks), then the number of injuries to notable QBs, and THEN the ever-present problem with concussions. It's a safety thing that the NFL has to step in and regulate. Have they gotten it right yet? No. But dumb crap like "tackling the QB with full body weight" as a penalty will eventually lead to a correcting of the system that will allow QBs to keep on playing in a world of Mario Williamses.

5) Keep trying to shove American football down the throats of the world.

I'll start asking the NFL to stop doing this the second guys with highlighted hair, popped collars, and burnt skin stop trying to sell this country on soccer.

As for the small market/baseball thing, I live in Detroit. It's basically the poster city for "wannabe big market, actually small market" and I can tell you, we have no problem playing the no salary cap game. Fans out here LIKE the fact we've opened up the checkbook to get Miguel Cabrera locked up. The problem is, small markets have to be smart about it. They can't throw around huge money simply to sign a Nick Swisher or a Nate Robertson (oops). You have to be much more savvy with the money. If you play the cards right, you get a Cabrera. You play them wrong, you get a weighing-down anchor of a contract like Magglio Ordonez. It's a risk/reward, but that is currently how the game is played.

Listen, baseball is not going to thrive in a system where every team becomes functionally the same. There are too many teams in the major leagues for a salary cap to work and still keep up interest in the game. There are barely enough players to fill major league rosters as it is; you institute a salary cap, and those bench players on the Rockies and Pirates are cooling their heels back in the minors again. Not to mention the fact the baseball game itself will start to become more watered down and way more boring as the talent itself dilutes across all those teams. It would either necessitate a slim down in team numbers or the removal of the cap, otherwise interest in baseball would plummet. And what's going to hurt a small market more, not winning a championship or not even having a team?

 

[Shannow]

As far as putting a team in London, why don't we get a new team into Los Angeles first? Then, maybe look at Mexico City or Toronto for other options. Canada's already got the CFL and it seems to do fairly well and Mexico hosted a game a few years back that had a great turnout.

London is just too far and, as Dave stated, doesn't have the interest to really support a team full-time.

Toronto's already got a team. The Bills. We'd like a different team, please.[/quote]
Here Here!
Anyways, as far as expensive, I laugh at Cowboys fans paying thousands of dollars a year (not to mention a 50k psl), when my equivalent seats at the Ralph go for 70 bucks each.[/QUOTE]

True, but the difference is, they aren't going to watch the Bills.

 

[SpecialKO]

My only issue with salary caps in baseball is that the horse has well and truly left the barn on this one.

You institute them now and you'll find that big spender cities like New York will find tons of ways to "make our players feel more at home" than small market cities. They're going to have to, in order to keep the teams they want.

 

[Twitch]

I'll start asking the NFL to stop doing this the second guys with highlighted hair, popped collars, and burnt skin stop trying to sell this country on soccer.

Wait, what?

 

[Rob King]

Point of clarification: what happened in the NHL in 2004-2005 (and 1994-1995) was a player lockout, not a player strike.

I didn't realize. Goes to show you how much I care about hockey, hey?

---------- Post added at 09:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 PM ----------

I'll start asking the NFL to stop doing this the second guys with highlighted hair, popped collars, and burnt skin stop trying to sell this country on soccer.

The world pushing Soccer on America is like a bunch of kids saying "Hey, we've got this neat game that everyone in school plays. You should come play with us!"

America pushing American Football on the world is like the kid going "Nah, my game is way better. Why don't all 200 of you stop your game and play with me instead."

 

[blotsfan]

The famous example of what you're talking about, is Latrell Spreewell. When he was kinda old and washed up, the Timberwolves offered him a 3 year 21 million dollar deal, a fairly decent paycut, but still good money. However, his response was "I have to feed my family" so he refused it. He never got another offer over 1 year, 1 million after that, so he never played again, and he filed for bankruptcy about a year ago.

 

[Qonas]

I'll start asking the NFL to stop doing this the second guys with highlighted hair, popped collars, and burnt skin stop trying to sell this country on soccer.

The world pushing Soccer on America is like a bunch of kids saying "Hey, we've got this neat game that everyone in school plays. You should come play with us!"

America pushing American Football on the world is like the kid going "Nah, my game is way better. Why don't all 200 of you stop your game and play with me instead."[/QUOTE]

And both cases are people trying to force a game onto someone else, who has absolutely zero interest in said game. Just because more people play one over the other doesn't make the situation more palatable. Fair's fair; if Americans have to hear shit about (let me remove my nose from the air so I can look down at you) the beautiful game, then the rest of the world can hear all about Adrian Peterson's 150 yards rushing.

 

[Dave]

They care about as much about our football as we do about theirs. Soccer and cricket are cool sports but they will never be big in the United States...and our football will never be big there. Give it up.

From the original post.

 

[Rob King]

It is foolish, whichever sport is being pushed. I'll give you that. But I guess I just see the soccer zealots as more noble, somehow. As I alluded to, it seems more like people trying to be inclusive, as opposed to culturally domineering.

 

[JCM]

Make them stop taking steroids, then make take off their ballerina tights and foam armor and last a round in a rugby game.

I kid, I kid. Theyre two different games, and players from each who have switched played terribly.

Anyway, take this with a grain of salt, as I havent watched much american football, but two things I notice that could be done better-
1)Those silly bans, like the one prohibiting the throat slash taunt, need to go, we're talking about huge guys who can beat a normal guy like me up with a punch, not some girls in kindergarten.

2)Sell NFL to the right market. They had a marketing push here in Brazil, and it failed terribly. First, not every countries likes games with ridiculously huge scores (40s-100s), and while almost every country but US loves soccer, there are some countries ala Japan that have an easier acceptance of games like baseball and basketball.

 

[Kitty Sinatra]

There is no market for American Football outside of the US and Canada. The NFL is trying to create markets around the world. I guess Brazil didn't bite, and I don't think anyone else is either although that London game seemed to be a success.

Actually, even NFL Europe was probably a success. If they consider the whole thing a marketing campaign instead of a business enterprise, it was probably worth the money spent on it.

 

[JCM]

There is no market for American Football outside of the US and Canada. The NFL is trying to create markets around the world. I guess Brazil didn't bite, and I don't think anyone else is either although that London game seemed to be a success.

Actually, even NFL Europe was probably a success. If they consider the whole thing a marketing campaign instead of a business enterprise, it was probably worth the money spent on it.

True... maybe they need a new name?

Its rather stupid to call something "football" when 99% of the world identifies it with another sport, and "american" football sounds as marketable and "British basketball" and "Japanese wrestling"

 

[meyoumeyou]

On the issue of the salary cap, without reform it is nearing becoming a bad thing for the NFL.

And even without it, things would most likely never degrade to the level of have's and have nots you see in the MLB, different games, different talent pools.


The salary cap at this point is raising to a point that small market teams would be hard pressed to have the money (real money, forget the cap here) to even push going over the cap. And then you have the minimum cap, which without change could become harmful to small market teams who are nowhere near as flush with cash as, say, the Redskins.

Even without a salary cap, a smaller market team could still be a championship team, if properly ran. It seems like in baseball, the have/have not effect comes so much from a limited talent pool for that sport. There simply isn't enough talent to go around.

As for the NFL, how often do you see major stars who were late draft picks, or undrafted alltogether. There is a lot of talent to be exploited for teams who know what they are doing evaluating it.

As for the major money teams, lets use the Redskins again. They've been loopholing their way through spending sprees for years and years now, the cap is a pretty minor hindrance to them already. If they aren't a perfect example of how simply having the money to blow in the NFL does not mean a Yankees-esque level of success, I don't know what is.



Personally, I'd take the cap staying around, but it needs some modification as is already. If it has to go I'm hardly worried about the NFL becoming the MLB though.

Disclaimer: opinions of a Raider fan, perhaps I'm looking at it as "nothing to lose" considering my team is screwed no matter what change happens or no.

 

[Lally]

Putting a team in London would be ridiculous. It would automatically put any team at a disadvantage that had to play them at home, and they would have a huge disadvantage whenever they had to play "away." I mean, look at Arizona last year when they just played a couple games in a row on the east coast! Could you imagine having to fly across the pond?

 

[General Specific]

I know your post was joking, JCM, but I've wanted to post this for a while now and have never had the chance, so forgive me.

then make take off their ballerina tights and foam armor and last a round in a rugby game.

Yes, why ever do they wear those pads?

 

[DarkAudit]

You forgot one, Dave...

Sue your fan base.

Guy buys season tickets. Team makes him sign a multi-year contract. A year or two later the economy tanks and guy is suddenly unemployed. Multi-billion dollar NFL franchise refuses to work with fan who now has no possible way to afford those tickets and sues instead.

Well excuse the fuck out of me, Mr. Snyder! I'm sorry I wasn't psychic enough to see that my office would shut down THREE YEARS after I paid you your fucking blood money.

 

[Dave]

You forgot one, Dave...

Sue your fan base.

Guy buys season tickets. Team makes him sign a multi-year contract. A year or two later the economy tanks and guy is suddenly unemployed. Multi-billion dollar NFL franchise refuses to work with fan who now has no possible way to afford those tickets and sues instead.

Well excuse the fuck out of me, Mr. Snyder! I'm sorry I wasn't psychic enough to see that my office would shut down THREE YEARS after I paid you your fucking blood money.

See point 1a in the OP. Oi.

 

[Chazwozel]

I know your post was joking, JCM, but I've wanted to post this for a while now and have never had the chance, so forgive me.

then make take off their ballerina tights and foam armor and last a round in a rugby game.

Yes, why ever do they wear those pads?

I know he was joking too, but man football players would get f'd up without pads. I remember getting throttled in high school during practice and games. Pads may absorb the damage, but hits still hurt like a bitch.

In any sport that uses pads, they're there for a reason. Soccer would be a bitch without shinguards. Nothing compares to a puck shot to the head at 90mph though. That'll ring your bell. The worst stops I make are chest hits. Through all the padding they still hurt like a bitch.

In all honesty, people can gripe about soccer and football all day; eitherway both sports are probably the two most physically demanding things out there. Basketball, now there's a true pansy lame-ass sport... Stop touching me! Stop touching me! Foul! Even soccer dives can't rival the lameness of the NBA

 

[sixpackshaker]

I have a hard time watching an NBA game. The level of officiating is almost as good as Mid-South Wrestling's referees. I swear they make up the rules of basketball as they go along. I scream each time some one flops (especially the known floppers) and they get the calls. The worst part is how one sided the calls go. If you are a super-star, you can travel, hack, goal-tend and bump at will. If you are just some hoser off the bench, don't dream of laying a pinkie on that multimillionaire.

 

[Charlie Don't Surf]

I have a hard time watching an NBA game. The level of officiating is almost as good as Mid-South Wrestling's referees. I swear they make up the rules of basketball as they go along. I scream each time some one flops (especially the known floppers) and they get the calls. The worst part is how one sided the calls go. If you are a super-star, you can travel, hack, goal-tend and bump at will. If you are just some hoser off the bench, don't dream of laying a pinkie on that multimillionaire.

Seriously. I saw the news about the NBA using scab refs this season as a happy accident.

 

[DarkAudit]

You forgot one, Dave...

Sue your fan base.

Guy buys season tickets. Team makes him sign a multi-year contract. A year or two later the economy tanks and guy is suddenly unemployed. Multi-billion dollar NFL franchise refuses to work with fan who now has no possible way to afford those tickets and sues instead.

Well excuse the fuck out of me, Mr. Snyder! I'm sorry I wasn't psychic enough to see that my office would shut down THREE YEARS after I paid you your fucking blood money.

See point 1a in the OP. Oi. [/QUOTE]

This takes greed to a whole new level. This is beyond holding ya hostage for $10 beer, now we'll ruin you *and* your family for decades to come!

 

[Qonas]

This attitude of the NFL's - not bending or compromising anything due to economic circumstances - is also going to be affecting television:

NFL Teams May Face TV Blackouts

Greed Reigns with NFL's Blackout Policy

The short of it is, at least 12 of the 32 NFL teams (possibly more) face having most of their home games blacked out on television because the games won't sell out. Since enough fans aren't able to or won't buy enough tickets, the game won't be shown on television. THAT rule is something that will hurt the NFL far more than the lack of a salary cap, which in fact won't hurt the league at all.

 

[blotsfan]

You forgot one, Dave...

Sue your fan base.

Guy buys season tickets. Team makes him sign a multi-year contract. A year or two later the economy tanks and guy is suddenly unemployed. Multi-billion dollar NFL franchise refuses to work with fan who now has no possible way to afford those tickets and sues instead.

Well excuse the fuck out of me, Mr. Snyder! I'm sorry I wasn't psychic enough to see that my office would shut down THREE YEARS after I paid you your fucking blood money.

Then don't sign a multi-year deal for it. Snyder is in the right here. It may suck, but a contract is a contract.

Nothing compares to a puck shot to the head at 90mph though. That'll ring your bell. The worst stops I make are chest hits. Through all the padding they still hurt like a bitch.

Few things in sports confound me more than the fact that goalies used to play without helmets. How did no one die?

 

[SpecialKO]

I know he was joking too, but man football players would get f'd up without pads. I remember getting throttled in high school during practice and games. Pads may absorb the damage, but hits still hurt like a bitch.

A buddy of mine went to college in Leeds, in England.

He was on the rugby team and he and his teammates ripped on an American exchange student who played college football at home, making fun of him for wearing pads and daring him to try out.

So the American guy showed up for tryouts, played for a bit, got into the spirit of the game, and completely forgot that he wasn't wearing pads and went for a flying tackle on the carrier.

He broke his own collar bone, and 3 of his target's ribs.

They didn't give him any shit about pads after that.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

Two pages and not a single mention of Vince McMahon's XFL?

For SHAAAAME.