So we already knew that the NFL was king, especially when it comes to marketing and branding. The immense popularity the NFL is experiencing is all the evidence one needs. But even this move is something to be marvelled at by die hard and casual observers alike. As I am sure all of you have heard, the NFL lockout is over and a normally 5 month offseason of activity has been condensed into two weeks. This is pretty obvious since every sports outlet is leading with each signing, trade and rumor coming from the 32 teams. On EsPN's website, 6 of the 11 headlines involve the NFL, including the top 2. What is strange about this is that normally this would be a few days that baseball gets the spotlight with their trade deadline looming this Sunday. However, the NFL is stealing that spotlight and it is no coincidence.
How many of you realized or even saw any coverage of the Hall of Fame ceremonies from Cooperstown last weekend? If you weren't trying to follow it, you probably didn't see much and that's because last weekend it was basically announced that a deal was done for the NFL. By conveniently coming to this agreement at the end of last week and beginning their offseason this week, the NFL is overshadowing baseball on two of it's big events, Hall of Fame induction and the trade deadline. Baseball only gets about 5 times a year to shine: opening day, all-star game, HOF induction, trade deadline and the World Series. Now, thanks to the marketing genius that is the NFL, they are losing two of those times. Make no mistake, the NFL knew exactly what it was doing with the timing of their agreement. If you look at the new CBA you'll realize that, while there are some changes, nothing major got done. Obviously, the money is always the biggest issue. In the new deal, the owners now get 53% of the revenue rather than the 50-50 split of the old deal. Sounds like a win for the owners, right? But in turn the salary cap was raised with a higher minimum now in place, so players will be making more money. Plus, more money is being put into retired player benefits, so that money the owners are getting will be going to the players later in their lives. To me, this basically sounds like a wash. The rookie wage scale was something both sides wanted, it was just a matter of getting the owners to agree to push that money toward the veterans and not completely remove it from the equation. There are also changes to the amount of practice time teams get and how they can use it. Basically, it'll be easier for the players now as there will no longer be two-a-days. But let's be honest, the money is and always will be the main issue, and it really isn't changing much. Am I to believe this type of deal really couldn't have been reached in April or May? Now, before you yell at me that there is no way the NFL would want a lockout, you're right, they wouldn't. No league wants to take that risk. However, once the NFL realized that the lockout was inevitable, it certainly used it to its' advantage. The lockout kept the NFL in the news constantly, and now with the huge buzz around the league due to the shortened free agency period, it is all anyone is talking about. There is talk that the way this "conveniently" played out, the NFL could gain from it. Expectations are that preseason games will see their highest attendance ever. Fans are rejoicing that there will be a season, which, honestly, was never in doubt. Direct TV is even getting in on the act by giving the Sunday Ticket package free to new subscribers if they only sign up for the second level package. This is obviously being done with the NFL's blessing but will only help to bolster the goodwill the NFL is gaining with fans. And in reality, the NFL didn't deny their fans anything. Only one preseason game is lost, and that isn't even a game that season ticket holders are forced to buy. It's the Hall of Fame game in Canton, so the only people hurt are those in Stark County, Ohio. Ever since the NFL climbed into bed with the Mickey Mouse of sports networks, the arrogance of both the league and EsPN have grown. This move certainly takes the cake, but I must reluctantly applaud them. It was a stroke of marketing genius to be able to dominate the sports landscape all summer long.
The twitter picks of the day are muddling along at .500, but since we either pick underdogs or very small favorites, we are actually a bit ahead. Today has a full slate of baseball so plenty of winners out there. Tonight I like the Florida Marlins at +145 against the Braves. Beachy has been shaky for Atlanta and the Marlins have been one of the best teams in the league this month. Enjoy that value and good luck, but remember, never bet what you cant afford to lose.
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