Goodell Legislating Morality?

[Verdict]

In some ways, I really think that the Commish's power should be limited to imposing punishment for issues which directly affect the game of football on the field. Players are paid to be football players, not choirboys.

It is clear that Pac Man's judgment is very bad. He probably isn't going to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Does any of that really affect the game of football? If he were spend every dime of the money he makes playing football by making it rain in a strip club, what difference does it make to a fan? The answer is it doesn't. He should be able to do whatever he wants as long as he isn't in prison.

I don't buy the argument that negative off the field issues affect football. If it did, Jerry Springer wouldn't be a rich man due to airing others' dirty laundry.

Ok. My rant is officially over.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Springer has zero to do with football and the distractions that come with morons constantly getting in trouble.

Everytime a fool like Pacman gets in trouble his teammates are forced to answer questions and be talked to about stupid situations involving Pacman. That helps to cause focus to be lost.

I don't think Roger, or anyone else, expects everyone to be choir boys but demanding that they be a little less stupid with what they do, and how they act, is not Earth shattering.

 

[aikemirv]

Our society legislate morality every day.

Whats new?

This product is being sold to Dad's and kids. You better keep it somewhat clean and not open to thugs if you want it to prosper.

 

[InmanRoshi]

It's a dollars and cents issue, not a morality issue. The NBA is the poster child for how an entire league and brand can be tainted. The NBA right now has more young stars and more good teams than anytime in league history, but they're still having problems reaching mainstream audiences and drawing big ratings because of the thug image that has tainted the league over the last decade. The NFL owners, as smart business people, are trying to stop the same badboy thug behavior from soiling their brand. Goodell will throw out a thousand Pac Man Jones before he lets that happen. No one player is more important than the good of the league. Also, don't kid yourself, Goodell is just an employee of the 32 owners and he does nothing without their blessing.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

It's a dollars and cents issue, not a morality issue. The NBA is the poster child for how an entire league and brand can be tainted. The NBA right now has more young stars and more competitive teams than anytime in league history, but they're still having problems reaching mainstream audiences and drawing big ratings because of the thug image. The NFL, as smart business people, are trying to stop the same badboy thug behavior from soiling their brand. Goodell will throw out a thousand Pac Man Jones before he lets that happen, and don't kid yourself ... he's an employee of the 32 owners, and they all have his blessing and support.

Roshi is on the money with this post IMO.

Ultimatly, the Commish answers to the owners. I believe that there was always a plan in place. I honestly believe that the Owners picked Goodell for a reason. Rozelle was the guy to insure the NFL stuck. He created a product. His backround was Showbiz. He understood how to make the NFL a draw. Tags was a lawyer. His job was to insure that the NFL was set from a financial perspective. Essentially, create the business structure needed to make sure tht Rozelle's creation would last. Goodell is the stick. His job is to clean up the image of the NFL. To ensure that the product is suitable for American Consumption for years to come. The NFL stepped over a lot of bodies to become succesful, so to speak. They looked the other way for a long time in an effort to consolidate there structure. Now, it's time to clean up. That's Goodell. This is nothing new really. I think many have viewed it this way from the inception.

 

[jrumann59]

Rules are part of morality. So if he is trying to enforce rules good for him. The dictionary.com definitions of morality,

mo·ral·i·ty Audio Help /məˈrælɪti, mɔ-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[muh-ral-i-tee, maw-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural -ties for 4–6.
1. conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct.
2. moral quality or character.
3. virtue in sexual matters; chastity.
4. a doctrine or system of morals.
5. moral instruction; a moral lesson, precept, discourse, or utterance.
6. morality play.


Too many people are trying to tie morality to religious beliefs or actions, when all laws and most rules define what can and cannot be done, thus creating a moral compass to guide actions by.

 

[Biggems]

Well think of it like this.....let's say we are talking about trial lawyers here.....based on your belief, it is ok for the lawyer to do as he pleases outside that courtroom....that the firm or bar has no reason to punish him for his negative actions, unless they happen within the courtroom or office.

this is an improper way of thinking....

as an employee it is your duty to uphold the standards and values of your employer.....also, your employer has every right to take action against you if your negative actions cause the defamation of the company's name or character.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

It's a dollars and cents issue, not a morality issue. The NBA is the poster child for how an entire league and brand can be tainted. The NBA right now has more young stars and more good teams than anytime in league history, but they're still having problems reaching mainstream audiences and drawing big ratings because of the thug image that has tainted the league over the last decade. The NFL owners, as smart business people, are trying to stop the same badboy thug behavior from soiling their brand. Goodell will throw out a thousand Pac Man Jones before he lets that happen. No one player is more important than the good of the league. Also, don't kid yourself, Goodell is just an employee of the 32 owners and he does nothing without their blessing.

Excellent post.

 

[khiladi]

It's a dollars and cents issue, not a morality issue. The NBA is the poster child for how an entire league and brand can be tainted. The NBA right now has more young stars and more good teams than anytime in league history, but they're still having problems reaching mainstream audiences and drawing big ratings because of the thug image that has tainted the league over the last decade. The NFL owners, as smart business people, are trying to stop the same badboy thug behavior from soiling their brand. Goodell will throw out a thousand Pac Man Jones before he lets that happen. No one player is more important than the good of the league. Also, don't kid yourself, Goodell is just an employee of the 32 owners and he does nothing without their blessing.

I don't know if it as the thug image compared to the quality of basketball sliding tremdously when high-school ballers started declaring for the NBA.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It's a dollars and cents issue, not a morality issue. The NBA is the poster child for how an entire league and brand can be tainted. The NBA right now has more young stars and more good teams than anytime in league history, but they're still having problems reaching mainstream audiences and drawing big ratings because of the thug image that has tainted the league over the last decade. The NFL owners, as smart business people, are trying to stop the same badboy thug behavior from soiling their brand. Goodell will throw out a thousand Pac Man Jones before he lets that happen. No one player is more important than the good of the league. Also, don't kid yourself, Goodell is just an employee of the 32 owners and he does nothing without their blessing.

Too bad the facts dont bear this out.

NBA ratings make huge gains
Adult males flock to ABC, ESPN, TNT
By JOHN DEMPSEY
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National TV audiences are flocking back to the NBA, led by double-digit gains in all the adult-male demographics on ABC, ESPN and TNT.

ESPN, which has earned season-to-date biggest bragging rights, is averaging 1.46 million total viewers for 53 games, a 12% jump over those watching for the same period for 2006-07. The network's three most important demos are up dramatically: Up by 44% in men 18 to 34, by 32% in M18-49 and by 28% in M25-54.

"It's the wild, wild West," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports, referring to one of the tightest races in the history of the Western Conference. Nine teams are jammed up within six games of one another as the National Basketball Assn. season rolls into its final six weeks before the playoffs.

Ed Desser, head of Desser Sports Media and a former top official in the NBA, said, "The competition is wide open. There are no prohibitive favorites," which will keep fans biting their nails until the season ends in mid-April.

A collection of factors is driving the revitalization of the league among television viewers:

* the resurgence of big-market teams including the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics;

* a flexible schedule that allows ABC and ESPN to switch to games involving playoff-bound teams;

* and the good will generated by having the Feb. 17 all-star game in New Orleans.

"From a public-relations and community-relations standpoint, the NBA gave a real boost to New Orleans and defused the negative publicity that came out of last year's All-Star game in Las Vegas," said David Carter, director of the Sports Business Institute at USC.

"A lot of people went to New Orleans for the game who wouldn't have visited the city otherwise," Desser said, noting all those he talked to were impressed at the city's comeback.

And don't rule out the influence of the 100-day writers strike, Desser said. The reruns that the networks were forced to schedule when they ran out of originals, he noted, "lowered the ratings of the competition," which boosted the Nielsen numbers for the exclusive primetime doubleheader on TNT every Thursday and the non-exclusive primetime games on ESPN (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).

For nine broadcasts to date on Sunday afternoon, ABC is up by 11% in total viewers, by 15% in both M18-34 and M18-49, and by 21% in M25-54.

TNT's gain is a solid 5% among total viewers for 40 games, but the increases are double digit the rest of the way: up by 22% in M18-34, by 16% in M18-49 and by 15% in M25-54.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981992.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

 

[burmafrd]

Typical Fuzzy, cherry picking what supports his arguement but ignoring HUGE things like the size of the audience. Its easy to have big jumps when your WHOLE AUDIENCE is only 1.5 million.

Tell me Fuzzy, what was the ratings for the Super Bowl? How many were watching?

Goodell did what was necessary. And was pretty much demanded by a HUGE majority of the players. AND the owners.

You don't like that? TOO BAD.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Basketball's highest ratings are probably no where near the middle of the road ratings for the NFL. I don't know that for a fact, or anything, just my gut instinct on the two leagues.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Basketball's highest ratings are probably no where near the middle of the road ratings for the NFL. I don't know that for a fact, or anything, just my gut instinct on the two leagues.

OTOH basketball has over 5 times as many games as football does. Moreso the finals of the NBA is at least 4 games and up to 7 compared to one for the NFL.

I will not argue that football is the top sport in the US but to say that the NBA isnt becasue of its image is just baseless nonsense.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Typical Fuzzy, cherry picking what supports his arguement but ignoring HUGE things like the size of the audience. Its easy to have big jumps when your WHOLE AUDIENCE is only 1.5 million.

Tell me Fuzzy, what was the ratings for the Super Bowl? How many were watching?

Goodell did what was necessary. And was pretty much demanded by a HUGE majority of the players. AND the owners.

You don't like that? TOO BAD.

You know you accuse me of cherry picking when i did nothing of the sort and then turn around and make up the number 1.5 million. Its not quite hypocritical but it sure is close. Do you even know what it measn to cherry pick stats?

He said that basketball couldnt get to viewers despite the tremendous basketball being played lately becasue of the NBA's image. that was false.

Deal with it.

And another thing posing a question that you have no idea what the answer is nor what the relative situation is in the other league is pointless.

 

[Verdict]

Springer has zero to do with football and the distractions that come with morons constantly getting in trouble.

Everytime a fool like Pacman gets in trouble his teammates are forced to answer questions and be talked to about stupid situations involving Pacman. That helps to cause focus to be lost.

I don't think Roger, or anyone else, expects everyone to be choir boys but demanding that they be a little less stupid with what they do, and how they act, is not Earth shattering.

If they were that much of a distraction they would be cut by their team.

 

[Verdict]

Our society legislate morality every day.

Whats new?

This product is being sold to Dad's and kids. You better keep it somewhat clean and not open to thugs if you want it to prosper.

I will have to differ with you to some degree. Winning is what sells. There is a high degree of correlation between successful franchises (winning) and merchandise sales for that organization.

 

[Verdict]

It's a dollars and cents issue, not a morality issue. The NBA is the poster child for how an entire league and brand can be tainted. The NBA right now has more young stars and more good teams than anytime in league history, but they're still having problems reaching mainstream audiences and drawing big ratings because of the thug image that has tainted the league over the last decade. The NFL owners, as smart business people, are trying to stop the same badboy thug behavior from soiling their brand. Goodell will throw out a thousand Pac Man Jones before he lets that happen. No one player is more important than the good of the league. Also, don't kid yourself, Goodell is just an employee of the 32 owners and he does nothing without their blessing.

Thiat is possible, but a much larger issue about the NBA is officiating. Superstars get preferred treatment by officials, and I think that really affects the integrity of the game. I think the way QB's are treated by the NFL (with kid gloves) does more to adversely impact the game than the Pac Man's and Michael Vicks of the world do.

 

[joseephuss]

I will have to differ with you to some degree. Winning is what sells. There is a high degree of correlation between successful franchises (winning) and merchandise sales for that organization.

Do the Spurs sell? I know they didn't pull ratings last year in the NBA Finals. Does their merchandise sell?

The NBA has a thug image. I don't necessarily think it is deserved, but it seems to be an image problem with them. The NFL I believe has a higher percentage of players that get in trouble off the field, but they deal with it and have dealt with it in a different way than the NBA. This may have some impact on the popularity between the two sports. That is among many other things. There are a lot of factors.

It is not just Commissioner Goodell that is making these decisions. He has the backing of the owners, GMs, coaches and players. The players stepped up and really pushed for some type of punishment for the Pacmans of the league. They may not agree with the length of the suspensions, but they did want something done. The really have not fought the suspensions through the NFLPA on behalf of these players, either.

 

[Verdict]

Well think of it like this.....let's say we are talking about trial lawyers here.....based on your belief, it is ok for the lawyer to do as he pleases outside that courtroom....that the firm or bar has no reason to punish him for his negative actions, unless they happen within the courtroom or office.

this is an improper way of thinking....

as an employee it is your duty to uphold the standards and values of your employer.....also, your employer has every right to take action against you if your negative actions cause the defamation of the company's name or character.

Despite the fact what you are talking about is routinely done, I am a staunch opponent of it for the most part unless it directly affects that person's ability to practice law.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

as an employee it is your duty to uphold the standards and values of your employer.....also, your employer has every right to take action against you if your negative actions cause the defamation of the company's name or character.

This is nice in an ideal world but I am sorry in todays day and age it just doesnt work. Situations like that need to be reciprocal. If not for the fact that employeres can and do fire, layoff or whatever you want to call it employees as a matter of course then I might degree.

Companies routinely fire tenured employees rather then allow their benefits to mature or to simply replace them with a younger and cheaper option. In todays day and age employees are statisitcs on a balance sheet and as such there is no reciprocity. If they do not care about you then why should you care about them?

It is the Age of the Bobs.