BAD BIZ, NFL
League refused to slow down even as coronavirus shut down everything
Roger Goodell, and the NFL owners, were not concerned about the terrible optics surrounding free agents agreeing to multimillion-dollar deals while millions of people were suffering, losing their jobs and businesses, in the wake of the spreading coronavirus.
While other leagues (NBA, MLB, NHL) were scrambling to deal with the impact of the pandemic, it was business as usual for the NFL, no matter how bad it looked.
Goodell captured the sports media landscape and threw a feast for the media seals. First came the legal tampering period for negotiations on Monday. Then, on Wednesday, free agents could officially sign with new teams. In the middle of all this was the saga of mega free agent Tom Brady. The only hiccup for the league was having to say it wouldn’t be inviting half the Free World to its April Draft in Las Vegas.
Other than that, there was no pause for the cause. No thought about how this NFL Greed Fest marched on in the middle of tragedy, sorrow and anxiety.
It was all NFL all the time on all media platforms. Goodell received little pushback or criticism for keeping the NFL on schedule. There was a lot of air and space to fill inside the Valley of the Stupid and other media precincts. Gasbags, reporters and other commentators were so grateful to have NFL stuff percolating, they were not about to criticize the arrogance and insensitivity of a league that was providing a flood of legitimate sports news while other sources were shutdown.
The final days and hours of the Brady situation playing out was a bonus for the league. Speculation of where he would wind up had provided months of material. The NFL couldn’t have scripted it any better. With reality closing in, and the guessing turning to the reality of Brady going to Tampa Bay, the league was generating, in terms of news, pure gold.
Goodell’s strategy to keep the league on track, in the middle of a worldwide crisis, is arrogant. Yet it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge the brilliance — in a business sense — of it. What outlets benefit by a concentration of NFL news? That would be the NFL Network (owned by the league’s owners) and ESPN, one of the league’s national TV partners. It would not be a reach to suggest there more eyeballs than usual on those two networks last week.
And all the Brady news led to a run on the Bucs box office by fans looking to buy season tickets, even though the economy is in the toilet.
No doubt Goodell loves those “optics.”
BROADCAST BUCKS
If the NFL season does not start on time, and games are cancelled due to the corona virus fallout, will Tony Romo start collecting his $18 million per year salary from CBS anyway?
What about SNY’s Keith Hernandez, Gary Cohen and Ron Darling? Will they collect their full salaries if MLB is forced to go to a shorter schedule?
And all the MSG (Knicks, Rangers) broadcasters and YES voices (Yankees, Nets) what about them?
Industry sources said most broadcaster contracts include a “force majeure” (French for “superior force”) clause. It’s “a contract provision that allows the network to suspend or terminate its obligations when certain circumstances (like an act of God) beyond their control arise.”
The “circumstances” surrounding the coronavirus, and its impact on sports schedules, would appear to apply, big-time, here, despite what some agents might contend. So, unless the broadcasters have benevolent/ generous bosses there could be plenty of voices not collecting a full salary this season.
Yet there’s a chance the mouths could make up some of the financial shortfall if a network uses them in programming to replace the cancelled live game telecasts.
TAMPA GOES PRIMETIME
Now that Brady is moving his act south to Tampa, how will NFL schedule Gnomes maximize the new Bucs quarterback’s exposure?
Besides a bushel of Sunday and Monday night games, look for the Bucs to play a handful of 4 p.m. contests next fall.
With the Patriots kicking off at 1 p.m. in Foxborough, this will enable the Fox affiliate in Boston to beam Brady’s Buccaneers to his former hometown market where interest will be sky high.
BIG LOSS FOR HBO
At the end of this month, a great one is moving on.
Rick Bernstein, after nearly 40 years at HBO Sports, 20 as executive producer, will close out his career at the premium cable network and set his sights on projects that interest him.
In a business full of blowhards and egomaniacs, Bernstein was calm and genuine, even in the wild world of boxing, when he was inside the highpressure production truck, during some of boxing’s most historic events.
Bernstein touched everything at HBO Sports; ground breaking documentaries, World Championship Boxing, Inside the NFL. He was the producer for the greatest three-man booth in the history of sports television — Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, George Foreman . He paired with Ross Greenburg to form a legendary creative team that made all HBO Sports productions look and sound like major events.
The only quality these cats produced was high quality.
Bernstein leaves HBO Sports with a vast legacy. One he richly deserves.
AROUND THE DIAL
Some “marquee” names have been able to hide behind the coronavirus. When we last looked, James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan was embroiled in controversy with Spike Lee. When we last looked, Leon Rose was starting his reign as Knicks prez. Now, neither Dolan or Rose is under any scrutiny. Someone needs to check up on them. … Glad ESPN-98.7’s Chris Carlin is getting some regular play at 7 p.m. each night. Sure beats listening to the Knicks lose. Not so sure that movie bracket thing he did was better than Carlin making fun of himself on a nightly basis. … Has anyone been able to stay awake during Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa’s 6 p.m.-6:30 p.m. show on WFAN?