The NFL’s handling of the 400 or so fans at the Super Bowl is officially awful. It’s just been a slow motion train wreck ever since word first leaked that there was a problem. It’s very unfortunate as well because it was really a fantastic game that capped off a great season of football. People will unfortunately remember this aspect of the game as much as the play on the field.
With $9 billion in revenue, the owners could pay each of these people their annual salary as compensation and it would barely dent the bottom line. But the fantastic wealth that owners enjoy didn’t come to them because they gave stuff away and I suspect that’s what we’re seeing in action here. It’s “penny-wise, pound foolish” personified. The thing is that the fans will get what they want in the end. There’s no other way for it to end, and the owner’s will only cement into the public conscience the massive PR hit every day they delay. Throw in the methodical nature that owners conduct NFL business so as to wring every last penny from their fan base and there’s just no excuse I can imagine.
On a slightly sadder note and zooming out a little, I wonder if we haven’t witnessed a peak in the game. The NFL enjoyed the most successful ratings season ever this year. The Super Bowl was the highest rated TV event in history (it eclipsed MASH and two previous Super Bowls). The playoffs were full of compelling games that were watchable to the end.
But now they’ve botched a fan-relationship; they’ve got a labor dispute on their hands; they’ve got lingering safety issues related to the game that most people believe they are unserious about. In short, they’ve got some major hurdles to deal with right now that will require difficult solutions. Including the very real threat of a shortened season. And make no mistake, a shortened season due to disagreements between millionaires and almost-billionaires will not set well with fans. See the last baseball strike. It will set the game back.
Uncertain times for America’s game. No doubt about it.