NFL has put a price on social justice reform
Since the death of George Floyd triggered nationwide protests, Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped up and said the NFL condemned racism, should have listened to the concerns of players earlier and encouraged the rank and file to peacefully express themselves.
Roger that.
The obvious question right now is, how will the commissioner and the billionaire owners he answers to make good on that?
Let’s start with the hiring process.
The NFL is 70 percent black yet has only four minority head coaches in Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Anthony Lynn of the San Diego Chargers, Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins and Ron Rivera of the Washington Redskins.
There are just two black general managers – Andrew Barry of the Cleveland Browns and Chris Grier of the Dolphins.
Boosting those numbers would be a major step toward equality.
The peaceful player protests Goodell encouraged won’t be nearly as easy to navigate. Goodell never mentioned Colin Kaepernick by name after coming out in support of the players’ right to protest but it was a clear reference to Kaepernick and others who knelt during the national anthem to rally against racial inequality and police brutality.
The national anthem demonstrations weren’t popular during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Many Americans felt it was disrespectful to Armed Forces veterans and the sacrifices they made for the country. Players like Malcolm Jenkins say it wasn’t a slight of the military.
Coincidence or not the NFL saw a decline in TV viewership both years players rallied around Kaepernick taking a knee, per reports.
Viewership increased the last two seasons, at least partly because the national anthem protests were over.
Rarely have NFL players been
so mobilized and vocal over expressing their outrage over institutional racism.
To support change, the NFL said it would pour $250 million into social justice initiatives over the next 10 years to battle “systemic racism.”
Ten years just happens to be the length of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement struck with the players.
It’s also the length of the last TV contract the NFL signed with the networks and a variety of entities streaming the games. The league has begun negotiations on new deals. The current contract runs out in 2022.
The current TV deal is worth $27 billion. The new one will be worth significantly more per an NFL source because pro football is the strongest thing on TV. Just ask ABC, which is trying to get back into telecasting NFL games after sitting it out the last 15 years.
At any rate, the NFL will pay for those social justice programs with the increase in TV revenue. Even a slight drop in viewership in a non-pandemic season won’t dramatically affect the bottom line.
There’s a price for everything, and in the NFL, it come out of the TV revenue. That $250 million initiative for social equality programs already looks like a bargain.
There’s a lot of work to be done before the new TV deal happens including how to safely navigate through a season already impacted by the coronavirus.
On a teleconference Thursday Goodell reportedly said training camp is going to begin on time (July 28) and the expectation is the season will start as scheduled with fans in the seats, depending on local health regulations.
What’s not so clear is how the league intends to keep players safe from the highly contagious virus that’s proven deadly primarily to senior citizens and people with preexisting conditions.
While NFL sources said training camp rosters could be limited to alleviate overcrowding in locker rooms, teams likely will need a larger pool of players for the season because a positive test for the virus mean quarantines.
The preseason has all but officially been reduced from four to two games, the Hall of Fame game slated for early August already cancelled and the induction ceremony with
Eagles’ icon Harold Carmichael, among others. delayed until 2021.
With outbreaks of COVID-19 among football players working out on their own or in small groups in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California, the big question now is how the players use the leverage they have to make the league listen.
Jenkins, now a contributor to CNN, told the news agency the risk of contracting the virus is significant.
“I think until we get to the point where we have protocols in place and until we get to the place as a country where we feel safe doing it, we have to understand that football is a nonessential business,” Jenkins said. “And so, we don’t need to do it. So, the risk has to be really eliminated before I would feel comfortable with going back.”
Preliminary coronavirus distancing protocols mandate no spectators in the first three rows of stadium seating as a safety precaution to players.
Not a problem. On Thursday NFL owners reportedly approved a proposal to sell premium advertising in those areas.
In the NFL, there’s a price for everything.
Contact Bob Grotz at bgrotz@21stcenturymedia.com