Even The NFL is Not Recession Proof

Even though the common perception is that the cash cow known as the NFL could never be worried about money, apparently it is.

The league has cut fifteen percent of its staff, meaning 169 jobs were cut through buyouts and layoffs.  NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell even trimmed his own pay by twenty percent.  He was making $11 million dollars, not including bonuses he was set to receive for the 2008 year.

Obviously Goodell rolls in a lot of cash and can afford to give some of it back.  But it says a lot that he's taking a twenty percent pay cut for the good of the league.  The league also froze salaries for all employees for 2009, and expenses have been cut by twenty percent.

The NFL is concerned about whether its sponsors will be shelling out money for next season, and whether the auto industry which pays big money for commercial advertising can afford to continue doing so.  Playoff tickets will be reportedly cut in price by ten percent.  Even here in Chicago the Bears will not raise ticket prices, and maybe lower them to help fans afford to go to games.

If only the NFL made money off the millions of people who wager on their product.

It shows what a tough economic time we live in when even the NFL is struggling.  Kudos to Goodell for doling out some extra cash to help out his league.  But it will be interesting to see how sports are effected by the economic downturn in this country.  

Time Outs Are Destroying the NFL

You can't watch more than two minutes of an NFL game without a timeout.  It is egregious, obnoxious, and frustrating.

I understand advertising pays for the broadcast of the sport.  I do.  But the NFL can do things to limit the number of times I need to see coaches staring blankly at their laminate game plan on the sidelines.

Here's a suggestion for commissioner Roger Goodell:  put a thirty second time limit on coaches mulling over whether to challenge a play.    In tonight's game between the Bears and the Packers, the Bears punted a football inside the 15 yard line that appeared to hit Packers return man Will Blackmon.  As the ball caromed off his foot and towards the end zone, Bears cornerback Corey Graham saved the ball from going out of bounds by flinging it to back up running back Kevin Jones.  The former Lion then galloped into the end zone, believing that the Bears had scored a touchdown.  The play was called a touchback, as the referee's initial ruling was that the ball did not touch Blackmon.

Commercial break.

Five minutes later we come back, and Lovie Smith throws the red hankie on the ground.  Another time out.  Are you kidding me?

Five minutes later and we have the ruling that the play stands.  I don't even care what the ruling is anymore.  I'd just like to watch the game.

The timeouts are ridiculous.  Do we need a break after every kickoff?  Do we need a timeout after every change of possession?  It takes three and a half hours to watch sixty minutes of football.

What a joke.