Sports

Week 3 in the NFL has bench marked a new standard in the business of football; the introduction of the soap opera. The NFL has long been a story of highs and lows, triumphs and failures, and comebacks of many kinds. We’ve had players guarantee win’s, “The catch”, “The miracle at the Meadowlands”, “The music city Miracle”, an undefeated team scratched from the record books with one incredible catch, but no drama has ever been induced and hand fed like the soap opera the NFL has scripted and puppeteered this year… The year the NFL takes control of the business and treats it like a game.

It all started very coy (cue the melodramatic music). March 2^nd 2012 began the unraveling of America’s love interest with Bountygate. The commissioner and the rest of the NFL systematically destroyed the team that America had grown to love, the team that overcame a natural disaster to win the country’s heart and hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy. The NFL had created this storyline over the past 7 years; they created a romantic story for all of the country to root for. It was organic; it pulled on the heart strings of all Americans. They took a team and a city that was fraught with despair and destruction, gave us a reason to believe in the good of humanity and gave us a hero to root for; just to tear it down. Now they have created a monster, a foe, for all NFL fans to despise… They gave us a reason to side with them. Over the past 8 months, like an abusive relationship, they have made us believe that they know what’s best for us.

This season is poetry in motion. If Bountygate was the Iliad, the beginning of the NFL season is the Odyssey. The NFL initiated phase 2 in its new plan to monopolize the country’s beloved sport; replacement officials. Simply put, the term replacement official is a bit of an oxymoron. One of the most powerful corporations in the world has replaced the very checks and balances that keep its company running smoothly. This would be like running a world class restaurant with McDonald’s cooks, sure they can operate a microwave and a fryer, but they can’t perfectly execute a porterhouse, couscous or any one of the five mother sauces. More importantly, why would you want them to even try? These poor guys have been called up to the big league without even the chance to succeed. The NFL has created a villain, one for us to root against and blame our beloved team’s shortcomings on.

The NFL’s answer? A referee God. They have placed a sideline Ref that’s lone job is to communicate with another Ref upstairs to oversee that the Refs on the field are reffing correctly. Huh? So the official’s final call is divulged from a source that the public does not see, hear or know? The NFL has taken measures to make sure that the NFL’S product is the one that is on the field. The drama that has ensued from the replacement Refs is exactly what the NFL wants. Their ratings are up, they are in the headline of every story come the beginning of the week and fan’s just can’t get enough. Remember William Hung? American Idol rode that train wreck as far as they could, exactly like the NFL is doing with the replacement Refs.

So when does the madness end? The NFL has constructed a very powerful case to leverage themselves in the negotiations with the real refs. While the NFL keeps reporting on its continued negotiations, they continue to get to point the finger at the Refs union and the replacement Refs. Want better Refs? It’s the union’s fault they haven’t agreed on anything and they have forced us to use replacement Refs. The NFL can’t afford to pay pensions! That’s absurd… especially with all of the money they are raking in with the ratings increase and resurrected interest in the NFL. I’m sure the government will be looking into this soon enough, since they have their nose in every other national sport.

With every flag thrown, call missed or close FG decided, an anticipated meltdown ensues (see Belichik ). Dramatic finishes, underdogs and hero’s are in the past, the NFL had to commit to a new storyline, one to resurrect this corporation in a down economy. The business of football is a 10 Billion dollar industry and the commissioner can’t let its share holders down. Touché Roger Goodell, I’ll be tuning in again this week to watch the drama unfold!