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Since taking over as commissioner of the NFL in 2006, Roger Goodell has made the league’s image one of his top priorities.
The savvy Goodell realized that the success of his product is dependant on the public’s perception of it. If the NFL and its employees make the news for being arrested or violating drug policy it reflects badly on The Shield (the NFL’s logo). Therefore, goodell needed to eliminate this type of attention. If the game is made to be a family friendly than the league will appeal to a wider fan base and will succeed. The formula is quite simple, and one year after taking the job Goodell implemented the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.
Many high-profile players have been suspended in Goodell’s crusade against negative publicity. Initially the suspensions came in greater numbers as players were still getting used to the fact that they couldn’t get away with the sort of behavior that Goodell’s predecessor Paul Tagliabue tolerated.
Now his conduct policy is a few years old and players are less likely to create a controversy off the field having seen what the consequences will be (evidenced by a slight decrease in suspensions over the past year).
Still an uncertainty exists in the NFL right now that jeopardizes the league’s image and carries the potential to create irreversible damage to the league’s popularity. I’m speaking of the ongoing labor disputes between the owners and the players union.
In short, the lack of a new collective bargaining agreement has the league in limbo. The owners are attempting to keep a larger portion of the profits, which in the player’s eyes amounts to an 18 percent pay cut.
The whole situation seems microcosmic of Western society: there are billionaire owners arguing with millionaire players over dollars and cents. Situations like this provide the type of ammunition that critics of professional sports thrive on.
“It’s all about the money,” and “they only care about getting paid” are often heard by those who find themselves defending the pro games.
The NFL is now approaching the same fate suffered by the NBA and NHL in recent years. There is a large distinction that makes the NFL’s case unique though. Before the NHL and NBA locked out, the leagues were struggling to gain popularity. The lockout served as a period to make things right, and both saw an increase in fan involvement and success upon returning.
For the NFL, the game is as popular as ever. A lockout at this point would be the absolute worst scenario from a business perspective. It risks alienating and permanently losing some of the most loyal fans in sports.
It appears there will be no pro football next season. The major ramification that is a year without football equates to a year of lost revenue. Owners feel like this is their bargaining chip because they have the money to stay afloat amid a work stoppage and the players would be forced to cave in when they realized that they need the cash.
If this sounds completely ridiculous, it is. And this decadent dispute between the two sides has become the greatest possible threat to the image that Goodell has worked tirelessly to repair. The onus lies primarily on the owners and players union to reach an agreement but ultimately the NFL is Goodell’s responsibility.
Roger Goodell’s tenure as commission will be defined primarily by the image of the league when he leaves. This is the way he wants it. Thus far he’s done a good job, but it’s been pretty easy on him. Now his job becomes challenging. All of the suspensions he’s distributed in the name of integrity will mean nothing if he can’t find a solution to the ongoing labor disputes. The league will suffer. And by his own standards he will have failed.
