Rant About a Letter to the NFL Commissioner

In letter to Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, 13 elected officials in Washington D.C are asking the NFL to provide free games to those in the “home city.”

"The policy leaves behind NFL fans across the country simply because they live outside cities to which the NFL has granted franchises," according to the letter from Senators Specter(R), Leahy(D), Reed(D), Whitehouse(D), Domenici (R), Enzi(R), Barrasso (R), Lieberman(I), Durbin(D), Salazar(D), Sanders(I), Allard(R), and Thune(R).

I am appalled!

I don’t completely agree with the NFL Network and do not think “buying” games is cool, but can the federal government to tell someone else how to run their business? The NFL is about making money, they can do whatever they want with their product. If the NFL wants to make all the games Pay-Per-View; than it is their choice.

Let’s take the WWE for example: Once a month the wrestling organization hosts a Pay-Per-View extravaganza, thereby blocking viewers from the “sport,” similar to what the NFL Network does. This effectively blocks two types of people: people who don’t have an avenue to purchase (those with basic cable or an antenna) and those who actually have to spend the $29.99 to pay for the event. What if the senators asked the WWE to allow those in the host city the Pay-Per-View event “free access” because they are hometown fans? Sounds like they wouldn’t be making money, but instead giving away a product they promote in order to make money.

Maybe I am over-reacting and/or don’t know what I am talking about, but I read these and see “government control.” I am all about free-access, but if the NFL or the little man on Main Street wants to allow smoking in his place of business, it is the owner’s decision, not anyone else. If they start losing business because no one is buying, than they will have to change the technique.

This will conclude my rant about how 13 US Senators should get back to work “rescuing” us from the recession, leave the NFL and other business owners alone and keep gas prices low.

Have a wonderful day.