Tank's Take September 7, 2003

Why The NFL is King

This weekend the NFL kicks off its 84th season, a league which began as a group of ragamuffin teams in 1920 that has turned into the most famous league in the world.

The story of the NFL meteoric rise from obscurity to National Pastime is one of the biggest success stories in the history of sports. As recently as 1957 the NFL was a mere after thought on the sports radar. Baseball was the National Pastime; Boxing was perhaps the second biggest sport with horse racing a close third. Now the NFL is king and Baseball is struggling to get back what it once had. While Boxing and Horse Racing have become mere after thoughts on the sports radar.

Part of the success of the NFL has to do with the nature of the sport of football, played just once a week, and with a limited 16 game schedule, every game is important. In the NFL a 3-game losing streak could wipe out any team's season. Football itself was always a big sport in the Nation's Psyche, College football was among the most popular sports as far back as the 1920's when the Four Horseman of Notre Dame and the Galloping Ghost (Red Grange of Illinois) became national sports heroes thanks to famed sports writer Grantland Rice. However the NFL was viewed as a league of ruffians, as often the top stars of college football never even gave playing in the league a mere passing thought instead opting for careers in the business world.

A turning point for the NFL came in 1958 when the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants in the first ever overtime game for the NFL Championship. It was the first game ever televised nationally by NBC and finally gave the public a look at the NFL on the highest possible level.

The interest in that game helped lead to the formation of a rival league which in turn led to expansion which brought professional football into new markets. The AFL at first was seen as an illegitimate step child of the NFL would in short time establish itself as solid league as they began to lure stars away from the NFL including QB Joe Namath who signed a ground breaking deal with the New York Jets.

The NFL could have hunkered down and gone head to head with the AFL. However the league's commissioner Pete Roselle appointed in 1960 was also one of the best visionaries professional sports has ever seen, and he realized it would be better for the good of the sport to bring both leagues together and created the Super Bowl.

Through the first 2 years the Super Bowl was viewed as anticlimactic as the Green Bay Packers easily won them both. However, things would change in Super Bowl III when Namath led the Jets by the Colts who were 18-point favorites. Coming full circle in that game was Jets Coach Weeb Ewbank, who had was the same coach that led the Colts by the Giants in the famous overtime game a decade earlier.

Within a few years the Super Bowl would become bigger then the sport itself as countless millions around the world watch the game every year. The game itself even becomes an after thought some time as blowouts lead to water cooler talk about the commercials, which advertisers pay millions for a 30-second ad.

In a sense Super Bowl Sunday has become a National Holliday as just about every year it is the highest rated television program. Such unbelievable success only comes with super marketing and no league markets itself better the NFL. One may look just to Thursday where they had a large crowd gathered to see a free concert on the National Mall. Last year the NFL did the same with Time Square each with event creating more interest and buzz over the league, as they have now figured a way to make its opening weekend an event.

Marketing was a major tool used by Commissioner Pete Rosselle who guided the league during its growing stages until 1989. Part of the success of the NFL has to d with Roselle's handling of the player's union after the 1982 strike wiped out almost half the season Roselle decided to use replacement players when the players went back on strike in 1987. The use of replacements brought the players union to it's knees, and made it reluctant ever to threaten to strike again, as many players ended up crossing the line before the strike was aborted after just 3 weeks.

After Rosselle retired in 1989 Paul Tagliabue took over, and rode along the same track, riding the crest of the media explosion to groundbreaking billion dollar deals with the networks. The NFL is now the most accessible sport on television with every game available on Sunday Afternoon via satellite.

In bars all across the fruited plain fans gather in packs in front of televisions rooting for the favorite team weather they live 5 miles from the stadium or 3,000 miles. The accessibility of highlights and information as turned each of the NFL's 32 teams into national teams. Though satellite games exist for other sports now the brevity of the schedule has made it possible to be a fan of the Miami Dolphins in New York, and a fan of the Green Bay Packers in Southern California.

In addition to watching games live no league packages its highlights better then the NF, thanks to NFL Films, which has turned every teams', highlights film into an art form. For nearly 40 years NFL Films has gathered a library of cinematic quality of highlights, which has enabled the league to start its own network. Not bad for a league that plays once a week for 5-months.

Besides the excitement of the game itself the pageantry and marketing has turned the league into the most successful in the world, as even preseason games out draw regular season pennant race games in baseball.

At one time baseball was the National Pastime, and it still is a sport that garners national interest despite its poor management that could give its own large list of what not to do against the NFL's extensive to do list for success. However, even if baseball didn't screw things up time and time again it would of had to eventual give its throne away to the NFL, which is king among sports and will likely be for a very longtime to come.

While the NFL is exploding in popularity College Football is struggling. All conditions exist with the brevity of the schedule, and excitement of every play in every game being very important. However, too often college games end up taking more than 4 hours to play.

Unlike the NFL, College Football stops the clock when a player goes out of bounds; the NFL only does so in the final 5 minutes of each half. In addition the clock stops in College after each first down. This lead to plotting long games that loses both their flow and momentum. The NCAA has many issues needed in fixing their organization and getting a National Championship playoff for Division 1A football. However, they also need to address the length of their games, and eliminate the automatic clop stoppage for first downs, and allow the clock to move when a ball goes out of bounds early in the game. There is no need for games to last 4 hours, as after a while fans interest will wane, and will continue to hurt the sport's ratings.

Hero of the Week: Boston Red Sox Manager Grady Little in showing his team nobody is bigger then the team, sat Manny Ramirez during Tuesday's Game against the Chicago White Sox. Ramirez who missed 4 games, including a key 3-game series with the New York Yankees, with a sore throat, and a doctors appointment was allegedly seen hanging out with Yankees infielder Enrique Wilson on Saturday Night. Little's 1-game punishment was rewarded as Manny's replacement Gabe Kapler made a game saving catch and hit the game winning homer. A night later Manny Ramirez was back and the lineup and instead of loafing like he normally did he played hard, and well, a lesson learned. A lesson many managers and coaches are to reluctant to do, but in this case has clearly worked, as the Boston Red Sox have the look of a Champion in the past week.

Geek of the Week: As read above Manny Ramirez is truly in line to be named Geek of the Week, however he is clearly trumped by trouble Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett. Unlike Ramirez, who appears to at least temporarily gotten the message, Clarett does not get it and its increasingly appearing like he never will. Already suspended for the early part of the season Clarett who has threatened to take the NFL to court to challenge the league's rules against leaving college before 3 years, has now put him in position where he could be suspended for the entire season. When given his 3-6 game suspension Clarett was told to keep a low profile s he was allowed to practice with the team. However apparently Maurice Clarett thought keep a low profile meant indulge in self promotion, as he walked up to a ESPN set outside the stadium for an interview and went around handing out autographs while supporters held signs reading free Maurice. This led Ohio State from barring him from practice as word has come he is refusing to cooperate with the NCAA investigation against him. This has the NCAA and the University considering making him sit out the entire year, which in turn has him talking about challenging the NFL rules again. Part of the problem is Clarett is somewhat jealous of his friend LeBron James who was the top draft pick out of High School in the NBA. However there are 2 problems, physically you need to be more mature in football, to handle the beating, which Clarett has shown in his freshman season could be an issue as he missed 3 games due to injuries. Secondly LeBron James was the most sought after player in the NBA draft, Maurice Clarett according to several scouts is not even in the top 5 players at his position in the country. Although in his mind he is god's gift to football, as he blew off a meeting with Hall of Famer Marcus Allen this summer. There are so many things Maurice Clarett needs to learn, and it appears there is no effort to understand them. This my friend is the recipe to failure. Sadly if he challenges the NFL in court he will likely win. However, if he does Maurice Clarett will be an immense failure in the NFL, which is fine by me. He may even be tied up in legal battles for several years that will also damage any potential career. Perhaps the best option for this self indulgent cry baby will be the CFL, but its doubtful; the overrated running back will even be a succeed up north thus ruining his chances for the big bucks. Maybe he should have learned what keep a low profile meant before walking around like BMOC last week. Oh well I guess its good he gets to eat humble pie, hopefully one day the Maurice Clarett story will serve as a warning to future freshman who's' heads get bigger the a Macy's Thanksgiving Day float.