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Sunday night in Atlanta, for the Cowboys-Falcons game, Roger Goodell said he was concerned TV was hurting the gate at games.
Seems unfair then that we would help out Yankees President Randy Levine, who figured StubHub was hurting sales of $850 tickets to Yankee games, but not similarly offer the NFL commissioner a hand. So, here goes:
1) Tickets to NFL games have become illogically expensive, easier and easier to reject.
2) In some NFL cities, additional PSL costs have driven out longtime subscribers, never to return.
3) Parking alone now costs as much or more than what tickets once cost. Tack on another 20-25 bucks for gas and tolls.
4) Must-buy exhibition games, at regular-season face-value costs, continue to stand in expensive testimony to the greed one must endure to sign on for “the NFL experience.”
5) More and more games — especially those played by winning teams — are being moved to prime time on school/work nights. That many of these night games are played outdoors in cold climates in November and December doesn’t matter to the NFL.
6) To attend a game means to be forced to endure more and longer play stoppages for TV commercials and the application of “instant” replay rules. Games that once ran 2:30 now are regularly moving in on 3:45 — and there are fewer plays than before, not more.
7) The NFL in-stadium and parking lot “experience” has become the entitled haven of inebriated, sloppy, profane and often violent “fans.” They get drunk immediately upon their arrival, remain drunk throughout the game, then drive home. Bring your kids/family to a game? Proceed at your own peril.
8) Games are now scheduled with only one thing in mind: What’s best for the TV networks that pay billions in rights fees. While Goodell has declared that “it’s all about the fans,” no game ever has been scheduled to serve ticket-holding fans’ best interests. And TV “flex game” time has arrived, earlier than before, making even bigger suckers out of ticket subscribers.
9) The NFL systemically, greedily and steadily has encouraged its best, multi-generational customers to live without attending games, to watch the games on TV.
To pay more and more and end to endure more and more to perform the chore of traveling to an NFL game, attending that game, then traveling home is becoming an assignment for idiots. Most people want to be paid for their work, not charged — and certainly not a bundle — to perform it.
Always happy to help.
Gruden’s bad technique: detail useless, overlook obvious
What Espn has allowed Jon Gruden to do to “Monday Night Football” …
Monday, Saints running back Chris Ivory took a handoff, faked straight ahead then made a nifty cut to the right and into the clear for a 22-yard touchdown. The last Eagle he had to beat was rookie safety David Simms, who, given Ivory had plenty of open space, had little chance.
Gruden: “Well, you hear about that 9-Technique that Philadelphia runs [on defense]. The guy that plays on the outside shoulder of the tight end, that time, Charles Brown, releases to the inside of the 9-Technique. Jeff Collins kicks it out. It’s a beautiful scheme run. And No. 21, Dave Simms, who was pressed into service, has to make that tackle.”
Got that?
Meanwhile, significant things that were hard to miss went unmentioned. When Cameron Jordan sacked Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, causing Vick to fumble, Cameron began to perform a me-dance — while the ball was bouncing free. Not a word about that from Gruden or Mike Tirico.
On a third-and-8 from his own 5-yard line, Vick called timeout. Why bother when a delay of game would cost Philadelphia just 2 1/2 yards? They missed that, too.
* Great stuff this week from regular-guy Jimmy Dolan.
First, there was the directive informing employees of all Dolan enterprises that if those trying to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy — perhaps they’re homeless, lost a relative, have no clothing or money or are unable to bathe — did not report to work, they would be docked a “personal or vacation day to cover the time off.”
As if everyone’s on vacation!
Sunday, because the Knicks played a day game, many MSG Network subscribers chose to watch NFL games during the day and the Knicks replay on MSG later that night. But typical Dolan Era negligence wrecked that plan. During the replay, the crawl along the bottom gave the final score.
Simms goes off ‘deep’ end
Noooo! Even Phil Simms now talks Pigskin Latin! Early in Steelers-Giants on Sunday, he said the Giants like to throw the ball “vertically, in other words, deep down the field.”
So why not say that: “The Giants like to throw deep”? Besides, throwing deep is more horizontal than vertical!
Simms, however, recovered. On a short TD dive by Andre Brown, Jim Nantz asked, “See enough there to say ‘touchdown?’” Simms: “I was too busy talking.”
* Before Steelers-Giants, CBS gave us the last two minutes of Dolphins-Colts — plenty of time for a large dose of Hollerin’ Kevin Harlan: “Both these teams, if the playoffs started today, would be in the playoffs, as wild cards.” Both teams were 4-3. The season wasn’t yet half-over!
* Follow the money! Had the NYC Marathon proceeded, the race’s primary sponsor, ING, would have taken a sustained and well-deserved beating. And if it’s really about New York and New Yorkers — as opposed to the availability of “elite [professional] runners” — it could have been delayed a week.
* For all of UConn’s scheduled basketball TV appearances, it is unlikely we will hear that its 11-percent grad rate is lowest in the nation — and that’s based on recruits given six years on full scholarships. Still, coach Jim Calhoun remains, by far, Connecticut’s highest paid public employee, plus pulls in a pile more in side deals, such as with Nike. Sick.
* Wednesday during NBC’s “Today,” Kathie Lee Gifford said she was quoting Yogi Berra with, “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.” Well, sorta.