On Tue, 09 Jan 2007 02:36:26 GMT, iNFiDEL
no.com> wrote:
>First off, I enjoyed your comments. You managed to avoid insults and
>kept to logic, and I appreciate that.
>
>No doubt about it that the NFL is cashing in BIG TIME this year. The
>numbers don't lie. I credit them with fantastic marketing and agreements
>with a variety of media outlets. I honestly believe it would take
>massive and blatant cheating for several years to decimate the populace
>following the game.
>
>I get where you are coming from with your "big market / little market"
>concept. But it doesn't work that way in business. If I have a "cash
>cow", I promote and spend money on the "cash cow". It's a known profit
>center. I will invest in other R&D-type products, but I'm not
>sacrificing the cash cow. There are a few obvious cash cows in the NFL.
>The best way to figure that out is to look at small-time sellers of
>merchandise like LTD Commodities, or any other company that sells a
>variety of NFL Merchandise available in five or six team flavors. You'll
>typically find goods for the Cowboys, Packers, Eagles, Steelers and
>Giants. If there weren't "MORE" fans to sell it to, they wouldn't make
>it for those teams. I've never seen Seahawks, Bengals or Buffalo
>merchandise. I think that solidifies my point.
Heh... The only time there's a spike in Bengals merchandise is
Halloween.
I don't think that is the case. Green Bay has a big market? LA has a
bigger market, but they don't have a team.
It really has to do with the style on sales I think.
>
>I definitely don't believe the cheating was a one-time event. I've seen
>it happen many times, usually in the favor of one of the big market
>teams I've mentioned above. I remember several years back when the NY
>Jets were credited for a touchdown on the last play of the game against
>the Seahawks when Testaverde stretched for the end zone and was a SOLID,
>SOLID 2-3 yards short of the plain. They gave him the touchdown and the
>Jets went to the playoffs. The Seahawks were a VERY SMALL market back
>then and we got much worse treatment. This year we've received good
>treatment and I'd even say a few calls have gone our way that shouldn't
>have. Then again, we were up near the 12th most profitable market by
>total revenue the last I checked. Thus, the NFL has been more interested
>in leaving us alone and maybe even helping us out now and then.
Cheating hurts the league in one very large, and rarely talked about
aspect. I think as a revenue stream, it positively dwarfs
merchandising... The sports book.
Calls are calls. For what it's worth, I saw in the paper around here,
for the PIAA AA finals (PA's high school football championship), there
was a coach whining about a bad call about an injury (the clock
stopped, the team got a field goal off, and ended up winning the game
by 1 point).
What that coach fails to mention is, I saw a 22-yard pass reception
where the reciever never had posession. He dropped the ball, but the
ref was too busy looking at his feet.
Ref calls are something that needs to be adjusted to. Much like in
every other sport, each ref calls it a little differently. Some will
let you hold, others won't. And like I said, it's not like Seattle was
penalized a lot more than Pittsburgh.
- Roethligeberger did get the ball on the plane (that's how you spell
it btw) before Tatupu knocked him back... TD.
- The Stevens OPI call, the ref saw his arms lock, the defenders feet
jump backwards. That's known as a pushoff, and gets a flag.
- When a rusher is outside the body of a lineman, and the lineman has
his arms out keeping him from getting past, that's holding.
I don't think the refs want to be the center of attention. I'm sure
when you guys maintain your level of success for a while, you'll
realize that.
If you played sports at any level, you should know it helps to
realize what they're going to call and what they're not. If a ref is
going to whistle any contact between players (soccer in this case),
then you better watch it. If a ref is going to let you mug the guy
with the ball, then you do, and watch out when you have the ball.
>
>I hope we do make it the Superbowl. And, even if we lose, I'll chalk it
>up to another successful year. There's no shame in losing the big dance.
>And it's only a game, after all.
>
>iNFiDEL
>
>
>
>
>Clip wrote:
>>> 80%% of the fans that didn't cheer for either team contributed to a poll on
>>> ESPN that decisively announced the game was decided by refs.
>>
>> First of all the number is wrong, it was more like 60%%. Secondly, that poll
>> was about as unscientific as it gets. I suppose everyone voted just once,
>> scout's honor? Yeah right. Third, 60%% of people don't know jack shit about
>> football - or are just plain all-around morons. That poll means exactly
>> nothing.
>>
>>> Superbowl XL will go down as the most pathetic and least deserved title in
>>> the history of the NFL.
>>
>> Bullshit. The only ones talking about it anymore are the tin-foil hat
>> crowd.
>>
>>> 1. The NFL cheated in Superbowl XL. The Seahawk market, which has grown
>>> significantly since, was too small and pathetic. The fans didn't even show
>>> up for the game in Detroit (I would know, I was there). The Bettis,
>>> Cowher, Steeler story was better and more lucrative. Any moron reviewing
>>> the game tape should be able to figure that out. Anyone that can't is a
>>> blind Steeler Fan.
>>
>> Wouldn't it make more sense for the NFL to hand the game to a small market
>> team, thus increasing their exposure and fan base and marketing and
>> merchandising? And parity? Isn't it all about parity? How many more
>> Steeler jerseys are gonna get sold from a fifth Lombardi win? Don't you
>> suppose the massive Steeler fan base is pretty much already set? What exact
>> benefit would the NFL have to gain by fixing the Superbowl for the Steelers?
>> Why would they care if Bettis gets a trophy or not? I mean, just having the
>> Steelers in a Superbowl guarantees a huge viewership and big $$$ for the
>> NFL. It doesn't matter who wins for them. Your argument makes no sense and
>> is in fact counter-intuitive.
>>
>>> 2. To backup claim #1 I'm constantly approached by fellow business
>>> travelers when I wear my Seahawks Gear on Sundays. I'm amazed at how many
>>> people come up to me only to say, "you were robbed in the Superbowl".
>>
>> I'm not amazed when I wear my Steelers jersey to work (I don't live anywhere
>> near Pittsburgh) and people congratulate me on yet another Superbowl win. I
>> am always amazed though by how many people are ignorant.
>>
>>> 3. The defeat didn't sicken me as much as the way it was handed to the
>>> Seahawks. For the sake of the sport I love to watch, I don't want to see
>>> ANY team blatantly cheated for or against. That takes all the fun and
>>> purpose away from all of us.
>>
>> But this year everything is on the up-and-up, right? It was a one-time
>> thing, one fixed game to get what, a trophy for Jerome? It was worth a
>> possible huge scandal and lost revenue to fix that one game, right? It was
>> worth risking the reputation of the sport that has become America's new
>> national pasttime? So that Jerome would get a trophy?
>>
>> So that Jerome would get a trophy?
>>
>> My God don't you see how stupid that would be?
>>
>>
>>> 4. It was great to see the refs to a good job in last nights game. There
>>> were several calls for and against the Hawks and they nailed them all
>>> perfectly and took the time to review every play that needed to be. Good
>>> for them. I just hope they can continue to call it fair for small market
>>> teams like Cincinnati and Buffalo, who may not bring the big "green" to
>>> the NFL, but have equally devoted fans.
>>
>> Yep, after that one-off fixed game, it's all better now.
>>
>> I feel dumber after reading your last paragraph.
>>
>>> It's time for us all to lay this issues to rest.
>>> Steelers Fans need to admit they were handed a gem.
>>
>> Yeah, expect a written statement to that effect, it should be on the Seattle
>> mayor's desk tomorrow.
>>
>> Here's hoping that you make it to the Superbowl again this year, only to be
>> embarrassed (again) by whichever AFC team makes it in. Get your excuses
>> ready. You'll need a new one. Since the league is on the up-and-up this
>> year, a crybaby cheater excuse won't cut it.
>>
>>
