"Eddie is a New York limo driver and a fanatical follower of the New York Knicks
professional basketball team. The team is struggling with a mediocre
record when, in mid-season, "Wild Bill" Burgess, the new owner, as a
public relations gimmick, stages an 'honorary coach' contest, which
Eddie wins. The fans love it, so "Wild Bill" fires the coach and hires
her. She takes the bunch of overpaid prima donnas that make up the team
and turns them around. But the owner hopes to move the team, now the
darling of the New York fans, to St. Louis. He may OWN the team, but it
BELONGS to the city and the fans!"
-courtesy Internet Movie Data Base
Fan Run Team
If only the Knicks would can Isiah Thomas and hold a contest. Then
maybe somebody with some passion could take over this team. While I'm
not a Knicks fan, the current state of the team is so embarrassing I
feel compelled to do something.
So how does one fix the Knicks? Well, the first step would probably
be to get new ownership but that's not going to happen. Barring that
the coach/GM Isiah Thomas needs to be dismissed immediately.
After that, the Knicks need to start dismantling this team from the
top down. Anyone with a contract over 3 years or over 25 needs to go.
David Lee and Renaldo Balkman form the foundation for the Knicks
future, but the Knicks have spent so much so unwisely they may not be
able to get those guys back.
I would do anything I could to trade away my big salaries for short
term contracts. Forget trying to get talent for talent, the Knicks need
to cut the bottom line and start the process of rebuilding. The
contenders are a good place to shop.
Teams like the Lakers, Rockets, Raptors, or Wizards are good places
to look. They're all on the edge looking to make that playoff push so
they would be willing to turn over some of their bench for a talent guy.
Then once the Knicks have spread their money back over multiple
young, semi-talented players they finally begin to move forward. But
they've got to save some money and pray for a miracle or it could be a
long time before we see the Knicks in the playoffs again.
Conclusion
But then again, I'm not a Knicks fan, so I'm more willing to part
with hope for a while. So, I'm wondering what others think the Knicks
should do. I highly doubt they could get Kobe but maybe you can work
out an appropriate scenario. What's more important for the Knicks, a
big splash or building for the future? I guess what I'm asking is, if
you ran the Knicks what would you do to get them out of this nightmare?
It's very appropriate now that Tom Brady was photographed wearing
that New York Yankees hat. The New England Patriots are to football
what the Yankees once were to baseball. The most dominant team whom
every one expected to win; most despising them, many embracing them.
The Patriots are the modern day dynasty in the NFL. They have Super
Stars like Randy Moss who exemplify the so-called "Patriot Way." They
have a head coach who despises his peers and thumbs his nose at the NFL
establishment. Their cockiness and arrogance is loved by their fans and
hated by their detractors.
America's Team
I've been a Cowboys fan since I was a young kid. Back then, I
couldn't understand why so many people hated them. Now, having lived in
New England since the late 90's, I understand. It' fun to hate
dynasties. I understand why so many people hated the Cowboys back then
and how that hatred resonates to today.
The hatred for the Patriots by most football fans is now at least as
strong as hatred for the Cowboys ever was. For that, I thank the
Patriots. Now, I and the fans of other teams have a common enemy. For
years, Bills fans and Steelers fans would come together against me and
my Dallas Cowboys... but no more. Now, we all three can unite against
the Patriots' fans who surround us. Finally, I can have a civil
discussion with many of my fellow NFL viewers.
Unstoppable Patriots
The New England Patriots haven't been simply winning games, they've
been dominating them. I've never liked Bill Belichick but this season
has really taken the cake. Not only did he get a slap on the wrist for
cheating, he decided to punish the rest of the league for getting
caught.
I'm all for trying to score. I'm all for trying to win. But there is
no honor in what Belichick was doing. I didn't really believe it when
people said they were running up the score, even against the Cowboys.
After all, it's professional sports. All the Patriots were doing was
moving down the field and scoring.
Then, ironically, it was what they did to the Washington Redskins
that moved me to hatred. The Patriots had been moving the ball down the
field but were stopped at the Washington 7. The Patriots were up 38-0
and it was time for them to simply kick a field goal.
Instead, Tom Brady scrambled for a the first down and later fired a
touchdown moving the score to 45-0. Later, the Patriots were again
stopped on third down. Again they went for it on fourth down and later
Matt Cassel did the same thing. That's when I bought in to the Patriots
running up the score and finally began to legitimately hate the Patriots.
Their Luck Just Doesn't Change
Not
only are the Patriots undefeated, it seems like the forces of the world
are helping them out. They seemingly get every call and almost every
bad play some how turns itself around for them.
That being
said, I feel that the Eagles, Ravens, and Colts all have themselves to
blame for their losses. Their respective defenses held the Patriots
vaunted offense down, for a while anyway. But their offenses just
couldn't capitalize on opportunities. The Patriots defense did little
to shut any of them down and they basically stopped themselves.
For
instance, this past weekend the Ravens were pretty much dominating the
Patriots. Willis McGahee just ran all over the Pats. Even when he
wasn't running, Boller often simply dumped the ball off to him and let
him use his feet to gain yards. However, when the Patriots finally started to stack the box the Ravens kept running.
Boller
wasn't doing that bad and the Patriots have trouble covering the middle
of the field. Tight Ends and slot receivers do fairly well against them
so there's no reason why the Ravens couldn't have started to gain 5-7
yards through the air. Then when the Patriots started to cover that
additional receiver/tight end again that's when you start to run again.
Instead,
the Ravens defense would hold the Patriots to have their offense do
absolutely nothing. When are teams going to learn, no lead is safe
against the Patriots? If you give Tom Brady the chance he will lead
them on a game winning drive. In order to beat the Pats teams have to
do what the Patriots were doing earlier in the year: run up the score.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The
Steelers still appear to be in the best position to hand the Patriots a
loss. The Ravens and Eagles have carved up the defense the past couple
of weeks but have failed to punch it in when it counts. The Steelers
have the weapons to do that.
Willie Parker will have a good day
against the Pats and if they start to load the box early Hines Ward and
Heath Ward can cut them up in the middle while Santonio Holmes keeps
them honest deep.
Meanwhile, on defense the Steelers are experts
at getting pressure on the quarterback. They may have to rush 4 or 5 to
do it but they certainly can. Troy Polamalu is, as always, the X-Factor
on defense and will be pivotal to the Steelers defensive plan.
The
problem is, the Patriots haven't preformed well in two straight weeks.
The chances of it happening a third consecutive week are very slim.
Another issue is that they're going to New England and that's always a
tough place to play.
Jets and Dolphins
I'm just
going to combine these two. The only way they win is if Tom Brady,
Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Laurance Maroney sit. Even then the games
will be close. I can guarantee that the starters won't sit against the
Jets as Belichick wants revenge on Mangenius for revealing that he was
cheating. Against the Dolphins I bet they don't sit either just because
Bill wants them to blow out two teams consecutively again.
New York Giants
I've
never believed in Eli Manning and until further notice I will continue
not to. However, at this point the first seed should be locked up for
the Pats and they just would be down right stupid to play their
starters.
Meanwhile, the Giants will be gunning for a playoff
spot and playing their New York hearts out. I think the Giants win this
game in a close one and the Patriots finish the season with one or two
losses.
Playoffs
Once the playoffs start it's really
any body's game. A healthy Colts team could defeat the Patriots but the
Patriots will be at the top of their game come playoff time. Besides
that, there are serious questions as to whether the Colts will be healthy.
The
Steelers could also beat them again but beating the Pats twice in New
England will be hard. To beat them in New England during the playoffs
will be almost impossible.
If we assume the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl then it's up to the NFC team to beat them.
It increasingly looks like either the Packers or Cowboys will be that team.
Conclusion
And
this is where my story comes full circle. In a fantastic irony America
could be relying on the once hated Dallas Cowboys to defeat the new
Goliath of the NFL. Whether or not the Cowboys can do it is a different
story.
DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis know how to put pressure on
the QB and Dallas D has tightened up since they played the Pats.
However, their coverage is still spotty and the Patriots look fully
capable of scoring at will against them. Things could be a little
different with a healthy Anthony Henry and Wade Phillips scheming to
take Williams out of coverage and have him attacking the line of
scrimmage.
Also, an important aspect could be a healthy Terry
Glenn. If Glenn can come back close to 100% and play against the
Patriots he could be a force. He'll stretch the field and open up
options for Owens, Witten, and Crayton.
Is there hope for the
good guys? A little bit. But the evil empire that is the New England
Patriots appeared unbeatable and they seem more and more like a team of
destiny.
If you're looking for a post gloating about Bonds facing up to thirty years in prison and how great the Federal government is and how well they patrol the lives of celebrities then just move on.
I can't believe that our tax dollars are being used to investigate steroids in baseball and that the justice department targeted Barry Bonds the way they did. The whole War on Drugs is a travesty and the fact that we're imprisoning people for using drugs is abhorrent. The fact that Congress is taking time to hold hearings about the personal lives of baseball players is disturbing and an overt assault on personal liberties. Barry Bonds should never have been put in the position he was in and he has earned my sincere sympathy.
Steroids in Baseball
Using steroids is against the rules of Major League Baseball. Using anabolic steroids is illegal under the Controlled Substance Act, just like using something like marijuana or cocaine.
Major League Baseball, as a private entity, has every right to regulate its players. Just like when you go to work for many companies you have to sign a form promising that you won't use drugs or alcohol in a way that would prohibit your work performance, the MLB regulates drug use that would enhance the performance of their athletes. The players agree to this in the collective bargaining agreement and that gives the MLB every right to terminate or otherwise punish violators.
Now the second part, the fact that its illegal, that's sticky. There are two questions that arise from the fact that anabolic steroids are illegal. First, why are they illegal? What does the state gain by prohibiting the use of steroids and persecuting those who use them? Second, does the Federal government have the authority to regulate steroid, or any other, drug use?
War on Drugs
The Battle Against Steroids can be lumped into the War on Drugs and the effort to regulate the usage of certain substances by individuals.
The first battle in the war on drugs was launched against opium in the late 1800's. The US government, knowing it didn't have the authority to ban it all together, restricted imports of opium from China. In 1914 the government attempted its first act of internally regulating drug distribution by regulating the production, importation, distribution, and usage of opiates and their byproducts. This simply imposed a tax on everyone involved in those various activities but some law enforcement officials began using the act to prosecute doctors who prescribed opiates.
Eventually, this was struck down by the US Supreme Court which ruled that the Federal government had no authority to regulate medical practice.
The next battle was the battle against alcohol. For several decades the "temperance movement" (the movement geared towards banning alcohol) had been gaining steam, getting severally localities to go "dry" (banning the selling and consumption of alcohol, but not necessarily the production). Then in 1919 the prohibition was nationalized.
Again, the Federal government recognized it didn't have the authority to simply ban alcohol so they changed the Constitution to do it. This measure was enacted to better society. The theory went that if nobody drank then all the evils that alcohol brought down on society would be cured. There was a strong feeling that the crime rate would drop because intoxication from alcohol would be gone.
Of course, the exact opposite happened. People began hoarding illegal alcohol. Prices for alcohol shot up and many people entered into the illegal business of importing, making, selling, transporting, and storing alcohol. This allowed crime bosses to rise to power in many cities and fractured law-enforcement. The act of drug prohibition saw an exponential increase in the corruption of local governments and witnessed such things as the Capone era in Chicago.
The idiocy of this amendment was seen by Congress and the twenty-first amendment was passed to repeal it. Once alcohol was legal again the black markets that used to handle it were broken up and crime rates dropped.
In the 50's after years of taxing marijuana the Federal government began issuing stiff penalties on those possessing the drug. There was public perception that marijuana use led to insanity, criminality, and death. While this was eventually show to be absurd the government simply rewrote its justification for prohibiting marijuana stating it was "gateway drug."
Nixon described illicit drugs as the United States' enemy number one and began the modern War on Drugs and in 1970 the Controlled Substance Act was passed. Ever since a growing number of drugs have been added to the list and it continues to grow today.
In 1990 the Federal government added anabolic steroids to the Act in spite of objections from the Food and Drug Administration, Drug Enforcement Agency, American Medical Association, and National Institute on Drug Abuse. These agencies opposed this measure because steroids do not cause physical or psychological dependence. None the less, Congress bowed to political pressure and change the law.
With so much opposition, why did Congress make anabolic steroids illegal? The obvious reason is health concerns. Even though steroids are used to treat many diseases it has been shown to have a negative impact on the heart, cholesterol, and liver. For these reason many people felt steroids were dangerous and were worried about those health effects.
But this is a sad reason for making them illegal (ie. punishable by imprisonment). If a person is really concerned about the health effects of steroids then they shouldn't take them. There's no justification for forcing someone else who is willing to take those risks not to use steroids.
Then, of course, there is the unresolved question of whether or not the Federal government has the authority to prohibit drugs, especially prescription drugs, the way it does. Even though the Supreme Court has said that it doesn't, it continues to do so.
Former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor once stated that the Federal prohibition of drugs was a usurpation of its authority to regulate interstate commerce and that prohibition should be reserved to the states. Meanwhile, many have cited the fact that the Constitution does not grant the Federal government the right to prohibit personal conduct in such a way. There are numerous questions as to the legality of drug prohibition yet the American public complies with these laws nonetheless.
Congress in Sports
So now, after a couple decades or regulating the personal conduct of individuals we have the Federal government stepping in to enforce its drug policy. Bud Selig wasn't man enough to enforce his own rules and asked Uncle Sam to do it for him. Congress was more than happy to exercise the might of the Federal government and now Barry Bonds might be going to jail.
This is just sad. Instead of going after rapists, thieves, murders, legitimate criminals the resources of the Justice Department have been used to go after a drug user. What a waste. Barry Bonds was no threat to me or to anyone else. It's not like he was a raging alcoholic who went out driving after a hard night at the bar. All Barry did was use steroids to get an edge, and he (maybe) got caught. Big deal, that doesn't merit a prison sentence. The cell Barry Bonds will occupy will be a cell a child rapist or violent home invader will not and that's a terrible miscarriage of justice.
Conclusion
This is just another awful chapter in the long, sad history of the War on Drugs. People who've done nothing else but carry a little weed on them are in prison for life. Now, Barry Bonds who did nothing but use some steroids could be in jail for 30 years because he lied about it. We need to wake up and stop this idiotic assault on personal freedoms. The Federal government has no authority to tell Barry Bonds he can't use steroids. The Federal government should never have been involved in this who steroids issue. Let Major League Baseball patrol itself, and if it's too weak to do so then maybe someone will start a league that isn't.
This persecution of celebrity for their personal habits is disturbing. If the Federal government is willing to forgo cow-towing to all that money imagine what happens when they come after the middle class. How are we supposed to fight back when even the super rich can't? Sudafed has been moved behind the counter and it's only a matter of time before it's available through prescription only (if at all).
This whole situation is embarrassing for the "land of the free and home of the brave." The Federal government is taking steps to restrict our liberties more and more each day and the American public is doing absolutely nothing to stop it.
We're halfway through the season and I felt compelled to try my hand
again at a weekly piece. What I plan to do here is to list off my top
five NFL teams heading into this weekend. I'll give you my reasoning
and my general feeling about the team's.
Then I'll list off the top five NFL teams from the following sources:
Peter Schrager, Foxsports.com; Mike McAllister, ESPN.com; Jonathan Comey, ColdHardFootballFacts.com; and Dr. Z, SI.com.
Then I'll combine all our rankings and develop consensus rankings.
After that I'll probably tack on some notes with additional thoughts.
Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.
1. New England Patriots (9-0)
The reason should be obvious. Not only are they sole remaining
undefeated team in the league they have simply been dominating in their
victories. Besides the Colts game the Patriots haven't faced a
challenge all season. Even in Dallas once they got halfway through the
third quarter the game was over.
The Patriots have a cake schedule the rest of the way and run the
risk of going undefeated. Based on Bill Belichick's tactics late in
games that have already be won, I wouldn't be surprised to see Brady,
Moss, Welker, etc. playing extensively in the last several games of the
season. While that may be the right way to go undefeated if Tom Brady
gets hurt in one of those unnecessary games then the Patriots historic
season will be brought to an abrupt halt.
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-1)
The Colts had the game against the Patriots. Even without Marvin
Harrison, the Colts' offense put up enough points to over come the
league's highest scoring team. However, Marvin Harrison's absence ended
up costing the Colts the game. Several times the Colts came within
striking distance but could not score a TD. On play in particular, a
Gonzalez dropped ended a promising drive.
The next time these two teams meet Peyton Manning should have his
favorite weapon. If that's the case then the Colts could easily win
that game. But they didn't win this past Sunday and that drops them to
a very solid number 2 (really, more like 1.b.).
3. Dallas Cowboys (7-1)
The Cowboys crushed the Eagles this weekend to assert their
dominance in the NFC East. Of course, they've got a far greater
challenge when they travel to Giants stadium to take on the resurgent
New York Giants. This will be the battle for number one and could have
implications of home field advantage in the playoffs.
Dallas is cruising. They seem to be curing their first quarter
scoring woes and that does not bode well for opponents. Their defense
is also coming on and it appears they will finally have both starting
corners in the lineup soon. The Cowboys seem to be improving
week-to-week and they will be awfully hard to beat.
4. Green Bay Packers (7-1)
The Pack have a tough match up this week against the Vikings. Adrian
Peterson is simply ripping the league a new one and will test the young
Packers defense. On the other side of the ball the Pack are running
more but nothing that you could call a legit run game has developed.
That's going to be a problem (or so they've been saying for about 5
weeks now).
As much as I love Brett Favre it seems that he's a ticking time
bomb. As the level of competition increases the Pack will have to
answer with a running game. If they can't then Brett could easily slip
into "Bad Favre" and the Packers season might end before the playoffs
begin. However, they certainly seem on track for the playoffs and have
a stellar defense. If they can get their run game going then they could
beat the Cowboys later this month and supplant them as the NFC's team
to beat.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 5 touchdowns in the first half of last
weeks game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Pittsburgh Steelers
defense is still one of the toughest in the league. The combination of
a much stronger offense and an ever powerful defense will spell trouble
for Steelers opponents.
The Steelers appear to be the only legitimate threat left against
the Patriots in the regular season. Ben Roethlisberger is playing at
high level right now and has opened up this offense. If the defense can
attack Brady I believe that the Steelers offense can score on the Pats.
I also trust AFC teams much more than NFC teams so the Steelers get the
nod over the Giants.
- This discussion of the asterisks to be placed next to the Patriots
record if they go undefeated is ridiculous. It should be a foregone
conclusion. If we're going to consider placing an asterisks next to
Barry Bonds' record because we think he cheated then we must place an asterisks next to the Patriots' (read Belichick's) record because we know they (he) cheated.
- The best way for NBC to go green is to eliminate all the extras
around their football broadcasts. I mean, have Al Michaels do
play-by-play alone. John Madden produces enough Carbon Dioxide by
himself to melt a small ice berg, he will not be missed. Bob Costas is
an embarrassment to studio hosts everywhere and Cris Collinsworth has
to be one of the worst analysts/commentators I've ever heard. If NBC
just got rid of all these extras, they would reduce NBC's carbon
footprint significantly.
This past weekend the NFL played its first
meaningful game off the North American continent. The game at Wembley
didn't seem to impressive to me, granted I did not watch the whole
game. The Dolphins are perhaps the worst team in the NFL and the Giants
seemed to play little better.
The conditions of Britain didn't
allow them to display their athletic prowess and resulted in a slow,
slug fest. Needless to say, I doubt the Brits were too impressed by
American Football's display.
There were a few things the NFL
could've done to ensure the game had been better and more well
received. While this certainly hasn't killed the NFL's international
expansion plan I think the NFL is moving in the wrong direction and I
think there are several things they could do differently and be
successful.
Giants vs Dolphins
This
game wasn't too impressive from my perspective. I get most of my news
from BBC Online and decided to check out the British reaction to the
game. It was decidedly mixed but I believe positive overall. Most of
the Brits who watched it on TV had the complaints we all knew they
would have: too slow, too much padding, too many breaks in the game.
Those who attended, however, seem to have felt differently. They said
it was a great experience and most seem to want to go back.
Finally,
some Americans, or maybe just British (American) Football fans, got in
on the discussion and discussed how our Football is similar to a chess
match. The offense and defene attempt to out think the other before
every play and position their pieces to give themselves and advantage.
Then you have a burst of action and the team that positioned themselves
best and executed their plan best wins.
I always find it
interesting to compare American fans to British fans. While they love
soccer and rugby because of its fast pace, Americans love football (I
believe) for the tension. Think about it, football is nothing but
tension. As a team marches down the field there is a slow build up to
climax. I think that's why we ignore the slowness. We like the tension
to build up and then explode. Maybe American Football is more like sex
than like chess; at least saying that would probably pique foreigners'
interest.
Mistake Across the Lake
The NFL's first
mistake was scheduling the Miami Dolphins against the New York Giants.
No, we didn't know the Dolphins would be this bad or that the Giants
would be playing so well but this game was meaningless. The teams don't
hate each other, and the disparity between the teams only made things
worse.
The league should have scheduled at leas an
interconference game that would pit teams of roughly equal value
against each other. Ideally, the league would have scheduled a
divisional game.
Now, football purists would be irate about
this but just slow down. The teams would have to, of course, be from
the East so the time difference wouldn't be as bad. But there is a very
easy way to negate the exhaustion excuse...I mean, factor.
Schedule
the weeks like this: Thursday night home game, Monday night game in
London, bye week. That way, the teams would have a long week to prepare
for the game (travel, adjust for time difference) and still get the bye
afterward. Of course, the teams would have to find practice facilities
to practice at but tell me the City of London wouldn't have found a way
to accommodate them.
NFL-FA Alliance
Another thing the NFL could have done to increase interest in
the game is basically align the Giants and Dolphins with British
Football Association teams. They would probably want to pick Premiere
League teams since that is the top-tier soccer league in Britain. You
could basically have a team like Chelsea "sponser" the Miami Dolphins
while Aresenal becomes the New York Giants "sponser." Creating "sister"
teams between the NFL and FA could help stir up the fan base as they
associate the teams together.
One of the things this association
could've done is have Chelsea players appear with Dolphins players and
hopefully introduce the British public to some of those players.
Meanwhile, Arsenal players would've appeared with guys like Eli Manning
and Jeremy Shockey. In this way, maybe the British public would learn
who the players are and maybe get a little more excited.
Super Bowl in London?
What
a horribly bad idea. The championship game should always be played in
the United States until further notice. Football is truly America's
game and until its popularity outside the nation equals its popularity
here then this game should stay within the States. While I'm all for
expanding the league outside the country the championship game should
stay right here...for now.
Meaningful Games
While
many football purists (and the fans of the losing team) would complain
about this, the only way to generate excitement is to having meaningful
games. That means at least the two teams should be playing for
something (like home field advantage or a playoff spot or even just
bragging rights against a rival). This way, the players would focus on
the game and put on a great performance. American audiences would want
to watch this game and the intensity of the players would spread to the
crowds.
Personally, I think the NFL should've scheduled the Colts
vs Patriots game in London. That way, they could've at least guaranteed
a competitive game between two good teams. Plus, the chances were they
would be playing for home field advantage and the teams are rivals
already.
The Patriots-Colts game would've been intense and the
talents of each team would've shown in London. The people of London
would've seen the best American football teams there are competing. If
this game couldn't have generated excitement in the UK then no game
ever will.
NAFTA
However, I believe before we try to
extend the game over seas we should focus on North America. Mexico City
would embrace the NFL with open arms. Plus, the largest city in the
world would create a massive fan base.
A Cowboys vs 49ers game
would be huge there. Those two are probably the most popular teams in
the country. Maybe the game wouldn't have been so competitive this year
but the Mexican fans would've embraced it. Quite frankly, if the NFL
really wants Latinos to join in on the fun they're going to have to
market the Cowboys to them. America's Team used to play many of their
preseason games in Mexico City and the team is still popular there.
The
Niners aren't far behind, or might even be more popular, and they would
draw crowds as well. A game between this two teams could set up a match
between less well-known teams the following season (maybe the Cardinals
and Rams?). Given a game every year it would only be a matter of time
before Mexico City got its own team and became the first NFL
international team.
The second city for NFL expansion outside the
states is obviously Canada. While the CFL might not like it I doubt the
NFL liked it when the Canadians expanded into the States lo those many
years ago, so fuck them.
Moving on, Toronto's a pretty big town
and I'm sure they wouldn't mind holding an NFL game. Vancouver's
another option but I think Toronto's the most realistic. Maybe they
could start with a Buffalo Bills-Detroit Lions game (geographically
closest) and then games with less well known teams later.
Just
like with Mexico City, after a couple seasons of hosting games I'm
pretty sure an ownership team would want to put a team in there. Then
the league could expand simultaneously into Mexico City and Toronto;
this would require a restructuring of the league again but that will
give those billionaire owners something to do during their
all-expenses-paid meetings.
Conclusion
I like the
idea of the NFL expanding. They're talking about setting up a foreign
players academy at a University in Britain to build a pool of foreign
born players. Basically the league would pay their tuition through
school and they would come over here and play in the NFL.
But I
think the NFL can do a better job of expanding over seas. First, expand
on the continent first. Mexicans and Canadians are already familiar
with the game and there are players from both countries already in the
league. Expand there first. Second, in Europe American football was
embraced in Germany and we should be looking to go there next. Berlin
or Bonn or Frankfurt would be great hosts for NFL games. Germans stayed
loyal to NFL Europa long after other fans fell by the wayside, they
should be rewarded. Finally, the NFL has to move meaningful games
outside the United States (but not the Super Bowl just yet).
I
believe that the NFL can expand outside the States but isn't going
about it in the best way possible. Associating NFL teams with British
Soccer teams could help familiarize British fans to the sport.
Expanding in places where the seeds have already been planted would
also fast-track international expansion. Playing meaningful games would
also give unfamiliar spectators a real show to enjoy. I believe if the
NFL does these things it could very quickly be enjoying international
success.
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professional basketball team. The team is struggling with a mediocre
record when, in mid-season, "Wild Bill" Burgess, the new owner, as a
public relations gimmick, stages an 'honorary coach' contest, which
Eddie wins. The fans love it, so "Wild Bill" fires the coach and hires
her. She takes the bunch of overpaid prima donnas that make up the team
and turns them around. But the owner hopes to move the team, now the
darling of the New York fans, to St. Louis. He may OWN the team, but it
BELONGS to the city and the fans!"