Boy, do I not envy the NFL owners & everyone at 345 Park Avenue in New York.
Yesterday’s decision to make leading with the helmet- both on offense and defense- not only a 15 yard penalty, but also risk ejection, was met with instant knee-jerk insanity. I’d say the top-3 typical negative reactions were:
- Wussification of the NFL!
- May as well change it to Flag Football!
- How can you even tackle anymore?
I’d challenge you though, to take a moment and walk in the shoes of an NFL owner (I’d love to walk in those shoes straight to the ATM), as they face a major philosophical and financial dilemma: How can you please everybody in the current climate of the NFL?
Answer?
It’s impossible! The reality is that any change, or non-change, in the current set of league rules will result in just flat out pissing some fans off.
That just about sums it up, doesn’t it?
PREFACE: Let’s not get crazy political here, folks! I’m not looking to stir that pot! The following is simply a basic observation of the extremes represented by the NFL fans, based solely on my personal opinion of their general outlook in relation to the NFL! If you feel misrepresented? I’ll consider you the outlier and give you a high-five for being your own person!
Essentially, there are 2 groups of NFL fans in 2018: the Purists, and the Youth Movement.
The purist fans have long been watching not only the Ravens since 1996, but the NFL since well before that, and many would love to talk to you about the Baltimore Colts history that they’ve witnessed (always cool to hear). They believe defense is the key to winning a Super Bowl, and have no problem with a 9-6 victory, because only the number in the win column matters!
This group loves to see the bone-crunching hits. They want to hear the pop of a helmet from their seats up in the 500’s! And they couldn’t care less about player safety – after all, these athlete get paid millions of dollars to play a game for a living, and they understand the inherent risks in doing so!
Oh, and one more note – keep the politics out of football – the purists are here for strictly pigskin-centric, entertainment purposes!
Sound about right?
Text from former NFL linebacker: “Can’t believe how ridiculous this lowering of the head thing is. Go back and watch any game and you will see probably 30 to 50 examples of guys lowering their head on contact. A f——— mess. Why does the NFL want to self-destruct?”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 28, 2018
The youth movement has been on board since no earlier than the Ravens’ first Super Bowl run, but they were just kids back then. Now young adults, they enjoy watching the games, typically from home or a local pub, while they check fantasy scores, live-Tweet the game, and drink a few craft beers before catching an Uber home.
They’ve gone to a few games over the years, but it’s usually a corporate funded event – they either don’t have the disposable income to afford the steadily increasing tickets, or they’ve simply decided to allocate the money elsewhere. After all, it’s just a game!
The youth movement doesn’t look at their football team as strictly a team – they see 53 men that should have the freedom to express themselves as they wish – and if that means a political gesture? So be it! After all, you can’t say it’s wrong to kneel, but it’s okay to have open prayer circles on that same field, pre-game and post-game, right?
As for player safety, they see the current rules as outdated, and believe the league’s focus should be on improving the product (points! points! and more points!) while keeping the players’ health in mind all the while. What’s best for the players is best for the league!
Enter NFL Owners.
In one ear, the owners have the youth movement shouting that the current version of the NFL in unsafe, as players continue to show signs of CTE, and concussions are reaching a new all-time high (2017 broke the league year record). They believe changes need to be made to improve player safety, and there’s nothing that should be off limits. The new helmet rule is surely a step in the right direction, as it should prolong careers, lead to a similar rule/strategy in youth leagues around the country, and show players that owners truly value their well-being, as opposed to viewing them as nothing more than a paycheck and a number on a jersey that will eventually be replaced.
Meanwhile, the other ear is getting chewed out by the NFL purists, who are furious when the league actually takes measures to ensure the safety of players – moving the kickoff closer to midfield to (attempt) to ensure fewer returns, installing a new concussion protocol, and this most recent new rule in regards to leading with the crown of the helmet? It’s all crap! They feel these new rules are hurting the game, taking away from its core values, and in essence, turning the NFL into a flag football league. Again, the players knew what they signed up for, and if they don’t want to take on that risk? Go find a new job elsewhere!
Throw one more factor into the mix: the NFL players.
Indeed, the players share the same divide as fans, with many shouting for change, while others don’t want to take the hitting out of the game. And hell, in some cases their players lobbying for safety and keeping the game the way it is! How do you handle that?!
In essence, there’s no win for the owners and the league front office, and no solution that could possibly satiate the NFL fanbase (and players), as a whole. The purists will say the youth movement aren’t real football fans who only care about scoring more points, while the youth movement will say the purists are heathens for not caring about the safety of the players whose jersey they slap on every Sunday. Throw in social media, and you’ve just created the biggest headache the NFL has ever dealt with, and one not likely to go away any time soon.
It’s a rather curious case, for sure, and what we’re currently seeing is the league leaning in favor of the youth movement over the purists.
Why?
Simply put… the purists are a dying breed (ducks), and while the NFL surely doesn’t want to lose any fans, the focus appears to be on future-proofing the league. They want to make sure their appeal is to the youth movement that has 30-40 years to devote to the NFL, while grooming future generations, as opposed to catering to the purists who have about… (does math)… I’d say 10-20 years left (in terms of spending power, which is the major factor). They’re also focused on keeping their players happy and healthy, as it’s likely to help with bargaining chips when the next CBA hits in 2020. This is a league thinking with their head (and wallets) and not their heart like the fans do, and that’s why it feels so… off.
Of course, this future-proofing mentality isn’t exactly exclusive to the NFL, by the way. Just take a look around literally any major sport in the US and you’ll see leagues deviating from yesteryear rules, to an upgraded set of standards:
— NHL- created an automatic icing rule to lessen those full-speed crushing hits into the boards on a foot race. Plus it is working to eliminate fighting.
— MLB- increased/extended netting down the sidelines for fan safety, eyeing changes with mound visits and pitch clocks.
— NCAAF- personal fouls are reviewable and can lead to ejection & suspension.
Other major league sports are taking new and creative measures to improve the game at multiple levels, while taking away from it’s pure form, despite push back from fans.
Sound familiar?
Many may consider these decisions wrong, but it’s more like a necessary evil.
Take the new ‘Crown of the Helmet Hit’ rule for instance. It will without a doubt garner more penalties and controversy in its infancy, but as the league gets a better feel for it over time and players start to look at what/whom they are tackling as opposed to blindly leading with their helmet? The penalties will fade back to current levels and the drama will dissipate as well.
In the meantime, more penalties won’t necessarily mean a worse product either! It also means less crushing injuries to star players, as knees and heads will be safer than previous seasons, when helmets were used as a wrecking ball instead of a protective piece of gear.
But the justification won’t matter, as many purists will still view this as a weak decision that waters down the product on the field even further. And who are we to tell those folks what to think? Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and that’s no different when it comes to the topic of the NFL.
Back to the owners, who are simply stuck between a rock and a hard place.
They know they’re losing fans, but they also realize there’s absolutely nothing that they can do about it. They may have chosen the path of most resistance, but it’s a path that they must take if they want the league to sustain and remain for years to come.
