Is Roger Goodell Good For the NFL?

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Roger Goodell may be “fabulous good” for the NFL as a profit seeking corporation, but I think skinsfan69, rabaner, myself and the OP redski1 are all asking is he good for the NFL as the emissary of professional football….. the sport. I guess in the current era of football you can say that hes not being true to the what the sport has/had evolved into through the last 30+ years, at least that’s the way I feel, the way many “knowledgeable fans” feel, and most importantly most former and current players feel. I got no problems with making the NFL safer, in fact I think it’s a great thing, however not at the expense of the underlying sport.

I think forcing players to wear certain types of helmets (even if they look stupid), forcing players to wear pads on things like their elbows and knes, having higher standards on injury reporting, using league doctors to evaluate players where the conflict of interest is lowered, enforcing higher standards on field grass and turf along with other off the field changes in regulation should be priorities before rules are altered in the name of entertainment, revenue and supposedly “player safety”. And don’t let Rog trick you into thinking its about player safety. Its player longevity. Like any business getting the most out of depreciating assets leads to greater profitability, something Rodger strives to be fabulously good at.

It just seems the NFL is/has become entertainment first sport second. As a entertainment comparison, when the WWE made John Cena the face of their sport they alienated many of their fans that built the industry because they went too “PG” in the name of mass appeal and sales. Im not saying the NFL is doing the same, but its understandable why many fans and former players think Rog has been bad for the NFL…. the sport. Perhaps SC the issue guys like me have with goodell’s rule changing in the name of business is more along the lines of a sport, rather than entrainment, conundrum.

How is this a bad thing?

[mlmpetert]

I wouldnt say its a bad thing at all, depending on the purpose behind it. If the reason is to keep players on the field for 18 games albeit with the same amount of health issues, id prefer to keep the rules of the game unchanged and watch 16 more entertaining games then 18 diluted games.