- Joined
- Aug 27, 2006
- Messages
- 10,485
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- 14,525
Product Damage
The NFL's best example of discipline, focus, selflessness, and commitment to team play is tarnished and probably a lost cause for everyone except Pats fans. A huge lost opportunity. Like if a diversified business decided to trash its best product because it couldn't handle the success.
Corruption of Core Values
Fans, players, and employees of every team that has been unsuccessful will now blame it on the Patriots and their cheatin' ways, either due to a direct loss(es) on the field, or using the "when a butterfly flaps its wings over Tokyo" principle. Rather than serving as a positive model for our country (hard work, self sacrifice, "do your job" etc.) as sports should in health society, everything that happens in the NFL is now questionable and a model of unfairness, abuse of power, etc. It now encourages victimization, powerlessness, and finger pointing, rather than individual responsibility and optimism.
Future Revenue Stream Compromised
The NFL needs to attract new fans from the current generation of young people. As the parent of two Millennials, I'm pretty sure they've done irreparable harm to that effort, particularly among the young professional class, a huge revenue source. They just look at all this, shake their head in disgust, and move on to other things.
Employee Relations Fragmented
Racial tension has resurfaced and been fertilized as a result of the handling of suspensions around player behavior. Once again there's a group of powerful old white guys in charge of a justice system with a largely black population. The realities and perceptions on this are complex and Goodell and his advisors will always be two steps behind trying to understand it all. Black players are triggered by it (and evidence of that is just surfacing now). This is lost progress and was completely unnecessary.
Marketing Message Setback and Delay
The marketing of the product is set back by the % of media attention being given to the issues of fairness and integrity. In a purported attempt to "protect the integrity of the game" they have done immeasurable damage to it, and getting the media back to celebrating the product vs. questioning it is going to take a long time. Again, unnecessary and a huge opportunity lost.
Damage to Most Important Partnership
The established media machinery (ESPN, Mortenson, etc.), which supported the NFL marketing efforts so seamlessly, is now under attack by an emboldened media underclass (e.g. WEEI sports entertainers). This is as if the mediocre warriors in a tribe suddenly rose up to challenge the aging elite warriors. It isn't a natural generational turnover, it is a corrupted attempt at one which will ultimately fail but do a lot of harm in the process.
Customer Split
Its one thing to have rivalries between fans of the teams; that's a good thing for the product. But to have one segment of customers (Pats fans) so angry and solidified against the other customers (other team's fans) is just absurd. The only other time this shows up in business is when there is a massive, sudden resource shortage and customers have to compete for a product supply. If you make one group happy, you make the other group angry at you. It just isn't a healthy situation.
I'm sure there's more. This is a great case study in leadership for business schools everywhere. Way to go, CEO!
The NFL's best example of discipline, focus, selflessness, and commitment to team play is tarnished and probably a lost cause for everyone except Pats fans. A huge lost opportunity. Like if a diversified business decided to trash its best product because it couldn't handle the success.
Corruption of Core Values
Fans, players, and employees of every team that has been unsuccessful will now blame it on the Patriots and their cheatin' ways, either due to a direct loss(es) on the field, or using the "when a butterfly flaps its wings over Tokyo" principle. Rather than serving as a positive model for our country (hard work, self sacrifice, "do your job" etc.) as sports should in health society, everything that happens in the NFL is now questionable and a model of unfairness, abuse of power, etc. It now encourages victimization, powerlessness, and finger pointing, rather than individual responsibility and optimism.
Future Revenue Stream Compromised
The NFL needs to attract new fans from the current generation of young people. As the parent of two Millennials, I'm pretty sure they've done irreparable harm to that effort, particularly among the young professional class, a huge revenue source. They just look at all this, shake their head in disgust, and move on to other things.
Employee Relations Fragmented
Racial tension has resurfaced and been fertilized as a result of the handling of suspensions around player behavior. Once again there's a group of powerful old white guys in charge of a justice system with a largely black population. The realities and perceptions on this are complex and Goodell and his advisors will always be two steps behind trying to understand it all. Black players are triggered by it (and evidence of that is just surfacing now). This is lost progress and was completely unnecessary.
Marketing Message Setback and Delay
The marketing of the product is set back by the % of media attention being given to the issues of fairness and integrity. In a purported attempt to "protect the integrity of the game" they have done immeasurable damage to it, and getting the media back to celebrating the product vs. questioning it is going to take a long time. Again, unnecessary and a huge opportunity lost.
Damage to Most Important Partnership
The established media machinery (ESPN, Mortenson, etc.), which supported the NFL marketing efforts so seamlessly, is now under attack by an emboldened media underclass (e.g. WEEI sports entertainers). This is as if the mediocre warriors in a tribe suddenly rose up to challenge the aging elite warriors. It isn't a natural generational turnover, it is a corrupted attempt at one which will ultimately fail but do a lot of harm in the process.
Customer Split
Its one thing to have rivalries between fans of the teams; that's a good thing for the product. But to have one segment of customers (Pats fans) so angry and solidified against the other customers (other team's fans) is just absurd. The only other time this shows up in business is when there is a massive, sudden resource shortage and customers have to compete for a product supply. If you make one group happy, you make the other group angry at you. It just isn't a healthy situation.
I'm sure there's more. This is a great case study in leadership for business schools everywhere. Way to go, CEO!
