Let's be honest, the National Football League and Major League Baseball are the only relevant professional sports in the US anymore, and both are faced with enormous problems. The National Basketball Association has lost ground because the game has become individualized and fans can't relate to the players, while the National Hockey League suffers from a lack of American skaters. Soccer is fantastic but can't catch on because of the goal-scarce nature of the sport. The NFL has continued to succeed in spite of itself and its reckless players. MLB has lost its popularity in spurts since 1994 because of strikes and steroids, but remains relevant because of its moniker of "American's Pastime." Both leagues could be on the verge of implosion, though, if the respective commissioners don't make some changes. Quickly.
The NFL is the biggest and most powerful brand in all of American sports and is simply a financial gold mine. Its main assets--the players--obviously don't have the same connection to the brand or seem to give a damn about protecting its integrity. How else would you explain the number of felony convictions in the last 10 years? In the calendar year before commissioner Roger Goodell assumed his post in 2006, nine players from a single team were arrested for various crimes. Since then, the league has been given black eyes by the arrests and convitions of numerous players--and keep in mind, these aren't petty crimes being committed by backup tight ends and linemen. NFL stars Adam "Pacman" Jones, Tank Johnson, Chris Henry, Plaxico Burress, Brandon Marshall, Michael Vick, and Donte Stallworth are guilty of the following: fighting/shooting at strip clubs, possession of firearms, multiple failed drug tests and substance abuse policy violations, assault and battery of women, driving under the influence, manslaughter, and oh yeah--animal cruelty, namely the hanging and electrocuting of dogs. So how does the NFL fix the problem? Lifetime ban for any felony conviction and a minimum one year ban for any misdemeanor conviction. America is the country of second chances, but the NFL is an organization just like Coca Cola, Apple, and Nike with a brand to protect. If the NFL plans on keeping a clean brand image, it needs to rid itself of the bad apples. The league sends a terrible message to kids that convicted criminals can still make millions. Playing in the NFL isn't exactly a desk job, either--it's a highly lucrative lifestyle with incredible exposure. Next year, Michael Vick will make over a million dollars and has the chance to make five more after next season. So if I understand correctly, we could see Vick poolside at the Playboy Mansion pouring Cristal over bitches within a year? Try to tell me that's far out of the realm of possibility, too. Vick claims to be sorry for what he's done, but why wouldn't he be if he was set to make a milli like Lil Wayne? If somebody told me I was going to be taken out of prision and put in the spotlight to make a mil, I'd apologize for things I didn't even do! Snorting lines, poppin Pooky on the corner, mail fraud, tax evasion, pirating music online...I'd even apologize to Jesus on behalf of Pontius Pilate! Come on, bruh. The NFL needs to get its act together and start making examples of people so this ridiculous behavior will come to a halt.
Major League Baseball has a problem that it created on its own by turning a blind eye for years and focusing on ratings. Steroids were present in the league for years before commissioner Bud Selig put random testing in place in 2005 and most of the damage had already been done. It's embarrassing that the one league more stat-driven than any other now has a record book filled with imaginary asterisks because of steroids. The most prestigious records in all of sports--the single season (73) and career (762) homerun records--aren't even recognized by most because of record holder Barry Bonds' widely-held reputation as a cheat. Alex Rodriguez, the man in line to break the career homerun record, admitted this year he'd used steroids earlier in his career. It's almost like a bad season of 24 where the corruption starts at the top and no one is as he seems. The fix (which I believe should be done at corporations more often these days)--the commish needs to fire himself. Clean house at the top. Bud Selig cannot legitimately argue and grandstand against steroid use in the league while he reigns supreme because he used the publicity to take the league to the top in the late 90's. Next, release all the names on "The List" so fans know all the offenders, all at once. New management should then use a third-party adminstrator to randomly test players throughout the year and all test results made public. Offenders should be suspended for a minimum of one year so as to not impact the outcome of the remainder of that season. The Players Union shouldn't have much leverage here, either, since the players are the ones that turned the league into a walking punch line. As for records, we should keep all in place--no asterisks. For a time, steroids were not illegal, and we must assume everyone was using. Instead, view the records in a different context and use that context when considering a player's legacy, greatness, or Hall of Fame worthiness. Perhaps 500 homeruns isn't a justifiable benchmark for players of the steroid era? This issue has nearly killed the league, but new mandates can revive it.
It's a shame that the two most popular sports in America have such problems because average sports fans are practically held over a barrel. We can look beyond each league's problems and focus on the games rather than the shenanigans, or we can relegate ourselves to watching the NHL on Versus. Too many people will choose the former and the leagues will continue to operate business as usual. But without some serious regulation, the atrocities of felony and steroids will eventually do enough harm to make fans pass on their favorite pastimes.
No comments:
Post a Comment