Gleeful Vision

Naya Rivera, singer and actress from the hit television series "Glee" has high level achievement in her genes. Her brother, Mychal Rivera, is a tight end for the Oakland Raiders in the NFL. Her parents must glow with pride every day.

Speculation has run rampant on the Internet in gossip sits as to whether or not Rivera was dismissed from the cast of the music themed show. Fox has denied the speculation. However, the rumor mill combined with some recent steamy Instagram pics have Ms. Rivera trending heavily on search engines. Naya Rivera is the subject of today's Chick Pic.

Bad girls...are soooo gooood! 1

She knows she looks good. 2

 

...from every angle. 3

Cue Juvenile.... 4

5

If she was canned, I doubt she took the news lying down. 6

Official bad girl colors: red and black.... 

It's not all skin shots. She's beautiful in a dress, too. 8

Overachievement is all in the family (little brother Mychal, right). 9

1, 7) Images from www.lipstickalley.com (Image 7 via Maxim magazine)
2, 3, 4, 5) Images from www.dailymail.co.uk via Naya Rivera
6) Image from www.teen.com via FHM magazine
8) Image from www.donnakaran.com
9) Image from www.wetpaint.com

David Stern Steps Down as NBA Commissioner

Tomorrow, NBA Commissioner David Stern's 30 year reign as league commissioner will come to an end. Currently, the the NBA is second only to the NFL in television ratings. Basketball is the second most popular sport in the world after soccer. NBA players are the highest paid athletes in the world. None of this could be said prior to February 1, 1984, Stern's first day on the job.

YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY

Shortly before Stern's tenure as commissioner began, NBA Finals games were often on tape delay, not live, airing as late as 11:30 pm in some markets. Not all conference finals games were nationally televised. Some first round games were not aired at all.

The NBA suffered from an image tarnished by rapid drug use, particularly cocaine, in the 1970s. Television revenues were a pittance compared to the NFL and Major League Baseball. The NBA was circling the drain prior to 1984. It was in danger of becoming a niche sport in a contracting league.

With some innovation and a little luck in the form of some of the most marketable superstars in American sports history entering the league, Stern rapidly led the transformation of the league's image and fortunes. By the 1990s, NBA superstars were among the most recognizable in the world. The NBA was an A-list league rivaling the NFL and MLB. Multiple games were nationally televised every week. The NBA Finals were a ratings bonanza. Basketball had become a truly international sport.

Stern and the media could sometimes be like oil and water. 1

LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM

Words like "warm" and "cuddly" will not be used when recalling Stern's legacy as commissioner. He was often brash, smug, and obnoxious in dealing with players, the media, and owners. Like all leaders, he often made decisions that ruffled some feathers.

Whether or not you like David Stern the person, if you enjoy the NBA today, his contribution in growing the game into an American entertainment powerhouse is undeniable. Players, coaches, and owners have reaped more lucrative financial rewards from Stern's vision than ever imaginable in the mid-1980s. Simply put, everyone invested in the NBA, directly or indirectly, is better off because of Stern's efforts as Commissioner.

Stern will be replaced by Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver tomorrow. Like every sports league commissioner, I expect that Silver will continue to try to grow the league and make it even better than it is today. Stern started his run as Commissioner with his feet in quicksand. Silver has one hell of a running start.

Replacing Stern is a tall order, but the much taller Silver could probably take him in one-on-one. 2

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.  

The NBA logo is a registered trademark of the National Basketball Association.
1) Image from www.oregonlive.com
2) Image from http://espn.go.com

The Best and Worst of the Worst and Best

The 2013 NFL season is on the eve of its third week of play. So far, there are eight unbeaten teams in the league with a record of 2-0. There are also eight teams in a heap of trouble at 0-2. Today we'll discuss who's the real deal, who's fool's gold, who should not yet push the panic button and who may already be on the clock in the 2014 NFL Draft.

BEST OF THE BEST

At this moment, the Seattle Seahawks are the best team in the NFL. This is a team with no weaknesses, a lot of youth, an oppressive home field advantage and a ton of upside. Head Coach Pete Carroll's team was a last second field goal surrendered to the Atlanta Falcons away from playing in the NFC Championship Game last year. So far, they appear ready to complete some unfinished business.

The statement game for this team was its 26 point shellacking of the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers last week on Sunday Night Football. The running game was punishing. Seahawks running back Russell Wilson operated with surgeon-like efficiency. The Seahawks' defense was an impenetrable fortress.

Cornerback Richard Sherman (1 INT, 1 TFL) and defensive end Cliff Avril (1 sack, 1 FF) have been swarming presences on a defense that is surrendering an average of just over 100 passing yards per game and only 5 points per game. Seattle is the real deal until someone steps up and shows otherwise.

Richard Sherman got his twerk on with the Seahawks cheerleaders after picking Colin Kaepernick off. 1

THE WORST OF THE BEST

The New England Patriots have the ugliest 2-0 start out of any of the unbeatens, so far. Having needed a field goal in the final seconds to beat the Buffalo Bills and an interception in the final minute against an inept New York Jets team, the Patriots have been winning "without no alibi"...U-G-L-Y!

Opponents continue to run all over the Pats, whose defense has not been a real force in several years. Quarterback Tom Brady has struggled to keep his team's head above the water against two mediocre opponents. It isn't his fault. All of his key receivers either left the team via free agency, arrest for murder, or have been out due to injury. Brady will possibly be getting a big boost this week as Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski reportedly  may make his first start of the season this week after missing months of team activity due to an arm injury. The return cannot come soon enough for Patriots Fan.

Belichick had to help throw people out of last week's game before the Patriots could seal the deal against the Jets.

THE BEST OF THE WORST

You are what your record says you are, but the New York Giants level of talent is far beyond that of an 0-2 football team. The Giants did everything they possibly could to help out the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 by turning the ball over six times. The Giants still had opportunities to win the game until Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw a pick six to Brandon Carr of the Cowboys in the final two minutes.

Last week, the Giants were completely overwhelmed by the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning, who is playing like he is still in his twenties so far this season. The Giants committed several turnover against the Broncos, too, though most were in the fourth quarter when trailing and taking bigger risks on offense.

The Giants are not going to go on a turnover bender every week. They aren't going to face Peyton Manning every week.They do appear to have a serious problem on their hands in the running game, dead last in the NFL. Still, this ship will turn around sooner than later.

Giants running back David Wilson may be on borrowed time as the starter in the Big Apple. 3

THE WORST OF THE WORST  

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven't been able to run the ball and their best player is running back Maurice Jones Drew (72 yds., 2.9 avg. in 2013). They can't pass the ball. They can't stop anyone from running on them. Their passing defense is ranked #2 in the NFL, but that is because nobody has to take the risk of putting the ball in the air when the Jaguars aren't a threat to score or stop teams from scoring under (seemingly) any circumstances.

Most TV stations apologize for failing to televise the home team. This station is apologizing for having to show the Jaguars. 4

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info. 

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.


1) Image from www.bleacherreport.com
2) Image from http://nfl.si.com
3) Image from http://ihatelupica.blogspot.com
4) Image cited in a prior Hat Trick posting.

Retweet of the Day - September 16, 2013

The Denver Broncos at New York Giants game, dubbed "The Manning Bowl", with a 4:15 pm EDT start, was the most eagerly anticipated afternoon NFL game of Week 2. Quarterback Peyton Manning of the Broncos won his duel with younger brother QB Eli Manning of the Giants, 41-23. Most of the country was able to watch the game on CBS.

Per NFL rules, the home market team must be broadcast in that market, defined by the league, when the home market team is playing on the road or is at home and the game has sold out. CBS has exclusive rights to deliver AFC Sunday afternoon road games and Fox has exclusive rights to deliver all NFC Sunday afternoon road games back to the respective home markets.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traveled west to play at the Oakland Raiders yesterday. Kickoff: 4:15 pm EDT. Ordinarily, I can only imagine that home town fans would rather see their home team before any other contest, no matter how high-profile the matchup is. However, many, myself include, think the Jaguars are already on the clock in the 2014 NFL Draft and the Oakland Raiders are bad...really bad.

Today's retweet is from Peyton's Head (@PeytonsHead), not new to the Retweet of the Day:

Too funny. RT @BleacherReport Orlando TV station apologizes for having to show the #Jaguars game http://bit.ly/194inq5

With this kind of "support" do you even want to play at home if you are a Jaguars player?

Image from www.bleacherreport.com

Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary

As you may be aware, shooting guard Dwyane Wade of the two-time NBA Champion Miami Heat is dating model and actress Gabrielle Union. Ms. Union has been making a few waves on the Internet of late as she is starring in the new BET television show, "Being Mary Jane". Ms. Union plays a television news anchor by that name on the show. She is the subject of today's Chick Pic.

1

Call me crazy, but I don't think she caught the bus to the red carpet event. 2

I know this is what you fellas were waiting for. 3

She isn't taking this starring role lying down (rimshot). 4

If this were the news desk, I'd watch more regularly. 5

Best of luck with the show, Gabby! 6

1) Image from www.famousbase.com
2) Image from http://z10.invisionfree.com
3) Image from www.deporterosa.com
4) Image from http://pezinhodefamosa.blogspot.com
5) Image from www.kootation.com
6) Image from www.blackcommunityweb.com

10 Maddening Football Cliches that Won't Die

With the holidays upon us, you can count on there being plenty of football for your consumption. With all of the football on television, we will be counting on our creative and knowledgeable play-by-play announcers and reporters to bring us all of the action. Of course, you may hear a few of these profound catch phrases...a lot!

Special thanks to Jena Ellis of Online Certificate Programs for bringing us this article.

10 Maddening Football Cliches that Won't Die

With the average football game lasting more than three hours, it's not easy for play-by-play men and analysts to fill air time. Think about it — the average broadcast pairing calls 16 games per season, working in the neighborhood of 48 hours. They witness different sequences of the same events, dispensing essentially the same overused analysis as each play unfolds (see Madden's maddening cliches during his heyday in the booth). That's why smart football fans appreciate the supremely talented guys who don't spare the details and don't conceal their honest opinions. They typically don't rely on the following tired cliches that you've undoubtedly heard over and over again on fall Saturdays and Sundays.

1. He's a high-motor guy

   Peyton Hillis is a "high-motor guy" for the Browns (or was until this season). David Pollack was a "high-motor guy" at Georgia. See a pattern? This describes a player who is thought to lack athleticism, but exhibits a lot of heart. He's more likely to truck multiple defenders while fighting for a two-yard gain. He's more likely to run down a ball carrier after a missed tackle. He's more likely to make a great play on special teams. On the other hand, the exceptionally athletic tend to not work as hard, according to those commentators, which couldn't be further from the truth.

2. He's a throwback

   Like the "high-motor guy," a "throwback" player "gives 110%" each time he takes the field, proving that "he just wants it more" than his opponent. He'll play with a broken femur or with blood gushing out of his forehead. He'll spend late nights studying film, as opposed to womanizing at the local bars and clubs. His coaches love him. In fact, he'll probably end up being a coach after he retires. Modern players, for the most part, have been characterized as selfish and not nearly as devoted to their craft, despite the fact that they spend many, many more hours preparing physically and mentally than in the past.

3. He's deceptively fast

   He's either fast or he's not. You can't be "deceptively fast." Again, making generalizations about players based solely on their appearances isn't wise. The aforementioned Peyton Hillis, a "high-motor guy," may weigh 250 pounds, but he also ran a 4.5 40-yard dash. Overshadowed by Darren McFadden and Felix Jones at Arkansas, he quietly punished opposing SEC defenses by both pounding the ball and breaking long runs. General Managers took note, and the Broncos made him their third-round selection in 2008. He had a breakout season for the Browns in 2010, and now is on the cover of Madden NFL 12. This season, nobody is deceived by his fastness, however, which might explain why he's averaging fewer than four yards per carry.

4. He left it all on the field

   In most cases, this one is used to describe a player on an outmatched team who performed well despite the loss. He demonstrated "the heart of a champion," expending all of his energy in pursuit of that elusive victory. Here are a few examples of players who did just that: Thurman Thomas during Super Bowl XXV, Jake Delhomme during Super Bowl XXXVIII, and Kurt Warner during Super Bowl XLIII.

5. They'll have to play all 60 minutes

   Just to be dense, imagine if a team stopped playing after six minutes had passed in the third quarter, meaning the players were on the field for 36 of 60 minutes. That would be something, right? Forfeits don't happen in modern NFL games, though they happen all the time in college football — several years after the games had been played (see USC, SMU, etc.). Every team plays 60 minutes. Not every team plays hard during the entire 60 minutes. Even still, everyone knows that a team can't take a siesta during the third quarter if they hope to win.

6. That's a costly turnover

   Is there ever a time when a turnover isn't costly? Of course, some turnovers are more costly than others. It stings much more when your team's running back fumbles the ball on his opponent's three-yard line during the waning moments of a closely fought AFC Championship Game (sorry, Browns fans) than when your team's backup quarterback tosses an interception when he's overseeing a five-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter. So, instead of stating the obvious, play-by-play men and analysts could say "that was the worst possible time for a turnover."

7. They were out-talented

   "Out-talented" is a new term that has emerged in recent years, probably created by a fatigued sports announcer during the conclusion of a mind-numbing blowout. When Houston obliterated SMU 95-21 in 1989, the Mustangs were "out-talented." Actually, they were out-talented a lot that season, their first after the devastating death penalty. There really isn't a more concise, politically correct way to say a team is bad, though an announcer could always just say, "they had less talent." It's not difficult, and sounds much, much better.

8. The best defense is a good offense

   The idea is that a team overwhelming its opponent on offense is enough to reduce the harm the opponent can inflict on that team's defense. That strategy has been successful for college programs such as Hawaii and Houston, each of which has shattered passing records en route to winning seasons. However, on higher levels of football, teams simply can't win anything substantial without having at least a mediocre defense. The 2009 Saints, for example, ranked 20th in scoring defense and 26th in yards allowed per game, but had 41 takeaways. Their defense gained more possessions for their incredible offense, enabling the team to win the Super Bowl. As any Saints fan, Steel Curtain fan, or SEC fan will tell you, defense matters.

9. Either team could win in overtime

   Or something to that effect. Who knew? The cliche essentially means that both teams are capable of outlasting the other in extra time, but that was already proven in regulation. This cliche is especially useful during college overtime, when the outcome is guaranteed not to be a tie. Spouting it during pro overtime could leave egg on an announcer's face since there's a possibility the game could end in a tie.

10. They're better than their record indicates

    Bill Parcells killed this one when he said, "You are what your record says you are." Winning games requires more than just compiling gaudy stats during games and through the course of a season. Turnovers and special teams — just ask Alabama about the latter — are parts of football, too. These teams typically are capable of "out-talenting" their opponents, but lack the skill, coaching, or execution to do it consistently.

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

Major League Baseball is in the Stone Ages

1, 2

If you have ever taken college level business classes, you learn some very basic premises about business that lend themselves to common sense. Companies selling stock want to offer investors an opportunity to earn a return on the investment. The companies want to demonstrate that they are going to offer a product with value, with a demand. Companies want to show that they will innovate and be better than the competition. How else can you get someone to put his money into your company?



The gramophone was good enough in my day!



If I have to explain to you why you
should want to buy from me instead of
"Black & White Guy" on the left, you should
jump in front of a bus right now because your
DNA should not remain in the gene pool.

3, 4

So, what would you think of a company that clings to century old technology? A firm that does not bend to the whims of fancy, Johnny-come-lately trends just because every other competitor is using it and its customers love it…. A firm that believes its shortcomings are part of its charm…. A firm that would not want to deprive its customers of its failures because its customers would be deprived of the human element that makes the product so great…even when it is not great.



Sounds like an insane proposition, does it not? That is what Bud Selig and Major League Baseball put forward to the public. In contrast, the National Football League has utilized and fine tuned its use of instant replay for the past 15 years. It has expanded its brand to play regular season games in Europe. It has marketed itself to the point where the NFL is in the sporting news every day of the year – preseason, regular season, post season, offseason. If the NFL is the equivalent of the Jetsons in the sporting world, Major League Baseball is the Flintsones.



STRIKE THREE! YOU'RE OUT!!!

 5

George Jetson flies around through skyways in his vehicle. Fred Flintstone has a bunch of logs and branches with an animal skin for a roof and two cylindrical stones for wheels, attached to the chassis. They both make the best use of the resources available to them. So lets take a look at how George Jetson’s counterpart, Roger Goodell, handles situations in comparison to Fred Flintsone’s counterpart, Bud Selig.

6

Situation – officials make egregious calls that alter the outcomes of games.



Roger Goodell thinks, “This is unacceptable! We have 20 high def cameras covering every angle of the field at all times. We are going to make the officials take one more look at the play, from every angle imaginable (in 90 seconds or less), and have an opportunity to correct any mistakes they may have made.



Bud Selig thinks, “The human element is part of the charm of the game. It’s what people pay for! The ’27 Yankees didn’t need instant replay. We didn’t need any fancy, high definition nonsense to know that something was wrong with the 1919 Black Sox! The original call was good enough for Johnny Mize; it’s good enough for Johnny Damon! YABBA DABBA DOOOOOO!”



Situation – after looking at the impact of a rule on the game, it is clear that the rule is a stupid one. It’s bad for the game and the fans dislike it.



Roger Goodell thinks, “This is unacceptable! Our fans have a voice and if we ignore that voice, they will start doing their talking with their wallets and remote controls. Jane, we’re going to stop this crazy thing! The tuck rule, as it was, was stupid and the better team did not win. That was changed. Calvin Johnson caught, what any normal, rational person, would think is a touchdown. The rule is stupid. We're changing that next year."



What’d you say, fans? You know what, it IS bad for the fans when two teams that play an entire season are in a game to decide one of our participants in our signature event, the Super Bowl, and a coin flip heavily influences the outcome in overtime. Let’s FIX that next year so that a team doesn’t win a coin toss, get a good kickoff return, one good passing play, and a field goal to advance in the playoffs.”



Bud Selig thinks, “The show must go on! I don’t care if game 5, a potential closeout game, of our signature event, the World Series, has to be played in a maelstrom and we might not be able to finish the game. People want baseball and, gosh darnit, I’m gonna give it to them! If we have to call it after 5 innings, I’m in charge, we’ll pick it up where we left off. I’m not going to let some stupid RULES mess up the flow of the game! (This is contradictory on so many levels.)



PLAY BALL!!!

7

WILLLL-MAAAA! Why are people belly aching about the All-Star Game? The better league should host the World Series and the All-Star game is a gallant effort from the greatest ballplayers in world, played to the finish, to decide league supremacy! Nobody cares about trivial things like win-loss records. Those all star players break their neck to prepare for the All Star Game and we are going to honor that warrior-like commitment by deciding who gets to host the World Series! They're a team! And they're in it together! Those fans just don’t understand what they would really like better. YABBA DABBA DOOOO!”



Situation – The final month of the regular season approaches.



Roger Goodell thinks, “We have 32 teams. With 12 playoff participants, all but the worst of the worst teams have a chance at the playoffs in December. Most fans are going to be engaged with their teams until the end. People are buying tickets and watching on television. People are talking about all of the games. Even the worst teams could play “spoiler”. It’s a good thing Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue added wild card teams so that games not involving division leaders actually MEAN something.”



Bud Selig thinks (in 1993), “Well, we have 28 teams now. We’ll have 30 in a few years. (sigh) Well I…guess it can’t hurt to add a divisional round to the playoffs. It’s just…two more teams in each league. Someone will like it…I guess.”



There is no better way to spend a Sunday than at the oooold ballpark!

 8

(in 2010) “No, damnit! We have 8 teams going to the playoffs already! I don’t care about empty stadiums in August and September. I’ve broken tradition enough as it is! I don’t care if we have more than double the teams we had 50 years ago. That means better competition. If Pittsburgh Pirate fans are REAL fans, they’ll stop wasting their money on Steelers tickets in the fall and watch all of the young prospects…the ‘Pirates of tomorrow’ grow before their very eyes. We are NOT going to become the NBA!! (Isn’t that the truth!) I’ve listened to the fans, and people do not want MORE playoffs. They want to hurry up and get the season over with! (And at the rate he’s going, everyone will share that sentiment soon) YABBA DABBA DOOOOO!"



So which company do you want to invest your money in? One that is a pioneer for sports technology? Or the one that is too rich in tradition to bend to the whims of its customers and make all kinds of stupid improvements and useless changes that make the product better? I know where my money is going. And here’s a hint: I think the Flintstones' descendants made the right choice to reinvent the wheel.




Only this dude would invest in MLB with a plan to make money.
And we all know where Gordon Gecko ended up.

 9
 
 
1) Image from wordpress.com
2) Image from insidesocial.com
3) Image from answers.com
4) Image from indiatimes.com
5) Imnage from mtcave.blogspot.com
6) Image from animationartgallery.com
7) Image from sportsillustrated.cnn.com
8) Image from xmmlbchat.blogspot.com
9) Image from guardian.co.uk

The Love of Money Is the Root of All Evil...Player Lockouts

123

The popularity of the National Football League is at an all time high. The majority of NFL stadiums are sold out every week. Television ratings and advertising revenues are at an all time high. The most recent Super Bowl, the New Orleans Saints victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, was the highest rated television program of all time, higher than any other Super Bowl, even higher than the last episode of M*A*S*H. 

Conventional wisdom would dictate that life must be very good for anyone who is a part of the NFL. Player salaries are higher than ever. Ticket revenues rise on an annual basis. However the pursuit of collective interests of the two parties that must come together to make America's great gridiron game possible, players and owners, threaten to derail present-day America's pastime. 

In any collective bargaining agreement, there is never one simple panacea. There are always multiple issues and multiple moving parts, all of which, directly or indirectly, influence the other moving parts. However, the issue that is most frequently raised in the mainstream sports media is the possibility of an 18 game regular season schedule.

The basic arguments have been positioned to the public. The fans do not like preseason. Season ticket holders do not like paying for two preseason games at the same cost of regular season tickets. Players will contend that football is a physically brutal game. Increasing the number of games by 11% will shorten careers and water down the product on the field due to the increased probability of injury. Owners will contend that by removing two preseason games and making them regular season games, the players will not be committed to any additional obligations to their teams and the fans will be more satisfied. 

As a fan, from my vantage point, the only winner I see in this entire equation, with two games being added and no subsequent concessions, is ownership. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has often positioned the possible 18 game schedule as a change in the best interests of the fans. Quote ESPN commentator Lee Corso, "NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!". 

The USA Today published a poll this summer asking fans if they supported an 18 game schedule. Nearly two thirds of the respondents did not respond favorably to this change. Perhaps the average fan thinks with more depth than, "I want more football! Football's good!" Perhaps the reality that there will be more meaningless games later in the season, more injured players (resulting in less skilled players on the field more often), and individual regular season games carrying less meaning, is not lost on the average fan. And while the average person may not be able to empathize with the finances of player earning a minimum salary of over $300,000 per season, anyone should be able to empathize with a human being not wanting to do more work for the same amount of money. 

  

                                                 5

What the average fan may not know is that most players earn closer to the minimum salary than the seven and eight figured salaries that many of the elite stars of the game earn. The average fan may not realize how short the average player career is. MSN recently ran an article citing the average NFL career at three years. 4  I personally have heard estimates on talk radio closer to four years. Regardless, it takes the average NFL player longer to prepare for the NFL, playing college football, than that player will be able to play in the NFL.

     6

Taking these career metrics into account, the life of an NFL player sounds like it may be good while it lasts, fun while it lasts, and may give young men the opportunity to start their lives with a healthy financial foundation, but it is far from buying a winning lottery ticket. So how can players and owners reconcile their conflict of interests?

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

One may think that I am living in a land of candy canes and gumdrop forests if I think that owners will simply back away from their idea of an 18 game schedule. Just because the present 16 game model, in place since 1978, has been immensely successful, many fans are cool to the possibility of an 18 game schedule, and Roger Goodell, who has played the role of consummate innovator in the interest of growing his product,  has made it clear that he wants an 18 game schedule does not mean that is is an inevitability, right?

WRONG! Roger Goodell, from my vantage point, appears to have the full support of ownership in nearly all of his initiatives What Sheriff Goodell wants, Sheriff Goodell usually gets. So barring a miraculous visit from a muse, inspiring Goodell to do what is in the best interests of the quality of the game (according to the views of fans and players), the solution is not to fight the 18 game schedule, but to gain the most from agreeing to play the longer schedule. 

18 Games? Okay! PAY ME!

NFL players exist in an extremely competitive work environment with absolutely no job security. Players should consider the possible 18 game schedule as an opportunity to gain some or all of the following concessions in exchange for a longer regular season.

Guaranteed Salaries

The NFL, far and away, is the most popular of America's four major team sports, football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. Yet its players, on average, earn much less than the players in any other sports and are the only professional athletes of this group without guaranteed salaries. Now I do not have any fancy degrees (well, actually, I have an MBA, but I digress), but most "contracts" involve a service and terms of that service for a specified period of time. The party providing the service is committing a fixed period of its time in exchange for compensation and, if terminated without cause prior to the end of that time, it is entitled to collect payment for the entire committed period, less any earnings during that period, collected in a good faith effort to mitigate the damage of the early termination. In short - you fire me; you PAY me!

The NFL works a little differently. Players commit their services for a fixed period of time. They receive an irrevocable signing bonus, usually a fraction (less than half) of the total value of the contract, provided the player performs as dictated in the contract. No matter what a player does to uphold his end of the bargain, owners may terminate that player at any time for any reason and not pay another dime. Players may resign at any time also, but they are on the hook to pay back a prorated portion of their signing bonuses. Sounds fair, doesn't it?

The owners stand to gain substantial revenues from an 18 game schedule. They appear to want it badly. Agreeing to this extended schedule appears to be the players' best bargaining chip to gain the long coveted financial security of guaranteed salaries.

Increased Roster Spots

One may think, "Guarantee roster spots? If I am a current NFL player, how would that benefit ME?" The answer is: "plenty". The three year average career of an NFL player is short for a number of reasons. Injuries, in such a violent game, are certainly a major cause of career brevity. However, in the hyper-competitive NFL workplace, younger, faster, bigger, and stronger rookies are brought into NFL training camps every year. The man who caught a break and got to live out his boyhood dream three years ago now has to enter the real world. While increased roster spots will provide a number of benefits to players (such as reducing the risk of injury because more players can be rotated in during certain game situations) the greatest benefit is more total job openings, resulting in more opportunities to continue a playing career.

Premium Across-the-Board Salary Increases

The owners' response to players' concerns about salaries with an 18 game regular season may be to increase current salaries proportionately. However, the risks that players assume to their long term health and football career prospects, to me, would be exponentially greater than 11%. Bodies experience more ware and would seem more vulnerable to injury with each game played, without an extended period of rest. An across the board annual salary increase of 20%, for example, on existing player contracts would be a welcome windfall for players and a morale preserver for owners. Such a premium, whatever such a premium would be, seems like a small price to pay in exchange for transitioning to a new, more lucrative, regular season schedule in the long run. Most players contracts will be completely expired and up for negotiation within a few years and only the most elite players have the negotiating leverage to build upon a premium salary increase. The vast majority of players will have to accept relatively little more than the league minimum salary for their corresponding years of service. Of course, bargaining for an increase in the minimum salary levels may also be incorporated into salary increase negotiations. 

Just Play Ball!

At the end of the day, the players, owners, and fans all want to see the highest level of professional football. Almost everything in life is a trade off. Anyone, even wealthy and powerful, billionaire franchise owners, have to give something of value if they expect to receive anything of value in return. The average fan may not be able to relate to an NFL player because the player is an elite physical specimen in a high paying glamor job that almost anyone that fan will ever be acquainted with will never have an opportunity to experience. However, players are human beings. They are not robots. They share the same goals that fans have of providing as much for their families and themselves as they are able to. If all parties involved play ball and give a little to get a little, so to speak, then everyone can win: players, owners, and fans. 

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