*FAN SUBMISSION by Steve Toroni.*
Courtesy: NY Daily News
Let me start off by stating that I am without a doubt a fan of the National Football League. Like most men my age (25), I grew up watching greats such as Elway and Favre. I remember Randy Moss’s historic rookie season with the Vikings, as they made an unforgettable run deep into the playoffs. The NFL was at its peak headed into the new millennium, but I don’t think anyone could have foreseen the animal it is today. While the league was enthralled with great players and captivating football during this time, it is now plagued with pre-madonnas and foul play; both on and off the field. The NFL has become an organization which has no choice but to be questioned on its professionalism and there is only one party to blame; THE NFL.
In Feburary, Ray Rice, NFL superstar and Super Bowl champion, was caught on tape dragging his wife out of an elevator in what unmistakably looks like an act of criminal aftermath. The footage was the result of obvious brutal, unadulterated domestic violence. As far as most of the public is concerned, a 2- game break is a slap on the wrist. To put things in perspective, in 2012 the Patriots Jermaine Cunningham was suspended for 4 games for testing positive for Adderall. Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns is likely suspended for the entire upcoming season for recreationally smoking marijuana. It is inconsistency like this that makes one question the overall integrity of the NFL. The NFL; An association that has become a money making machine that generates billions of dollars and millions of fans every Sunday continues to insult the intelligence of its fans. Its time to be offended.
In 2007 the NFL had a great opportunity to display to the country that they were a no- nonsense industry. Michael Vick was implicated on federal charges for an underground dog fighting operation in April of that year. He served 21 months in prison for committing such a terrifying crime . Most people perceived the penalty of less than 2 years to be unjustifiable and even more of the general public believed that he should be banned completely from playing professional sports. However, the NFL welcomed Vick back with open arms in hopes that the citizens of the United States as well as the fans of football would soon forget that the man was responsible for the death of countless dogs. The National Football League failed to take a stand, ultimately losing my respect from a morality standpoint.
In what I like to refer to as “the dark period” of the NFL, the entire Referees Association underwent a lock out in 2012. During the respective off-season, NFL officials and the NFLRA were in an on-going labor dispute. By the time the scheduled opening kickoff rolled around there was no agreement set in place. Again, the NFL, the most popular and televised sports industry in the United States, did not take the opportunity to consider the one driving force that keeps the league above the rest; its fans. Instead of prolonging the start of the season to ensure the games( yeah, the actual game of football) were played and judged on a professional and fair scale, the league chose to proceed with replacement referees. Some of these officials’ experience ended at the high school level, yet the NFL thought that it would be substantial to put the potential outcome of a game in their hands. Consequently, the first 3 weeks of the season were filled with a slew of ludicrous officiating, that was capped off by one of the worst calls in sports history on Monday- Night football between the Packers and Seahawks after a game-deciding play.
I’ll restate, I am an avid fan of the NFL. I am looking forward to the 2014 season. I love the game of football and I look forward to enjoying a Sunday afternoon of pig skin. But, the passion I once had for the NFL and football is dissipating as the league continues to insult my intelligence. The monster that is the NFL is a money producing factory that most obviously has no remorse for exploiting its fans to make a buck. “We’re going to put a former superstar/federal criminal out on the field, and guess what? You’re going to watch it…This week, a High school referee with limited experience is going to make a few dreadful calls that will make you want to turn off the station. But you won’t. We are the beloved NFL…We consider domestic violence against women to be not that big of an issue. But, heres a pink, number 27 Ray Rice female- fitted jersey for purchase on our website.”
I don’t know what the solution is to the NFL’s condescending ways over the past decade, but to quote Howard Beale, the first responsibility of the fan is that “You’ve got to get mad.”
