Archive for the 'NFL' Category

Jason Whitlock - Thanks for Stepping Up, Again

Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star wrote what was the best and most talked about op-ed piece about the Don Imus/Rutgers women’s basketball scandal.

This week he held nothing back again, as he tackled the tragic death of Washington Redskins safety, Jason Taylor.

“Well, when shots are fired and a black man hits the pavement, there’s every statistical reason to believe another black man pulled the trigger. That’s not some negative, unfair stereotype. It’s a reality we’ve been living with, tolerating and rationalizing for far too long.

When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions.

Our new millennium strategy is to pray the Black KKK goes away or ignores us. How’s that working?

About as well as the attempt to shift attention away from this uniquely African-American crisis by focusing on an “injustice” the white media allegedly perpetrated against Sean Taylor.

Within hours of his death, there was a story circulating that members of the black press were complaining that news outlets were disrespecting Taylor’s victimhood by reporting on his troubled past

No disrespect to Taylor, but he controlled the way he would be remembered by the way he lived. His immature, undisciplined behavior with his employer, his run-ins with law enforcement, which included allegedly threatening a man with a loaded gun, and the fact a vehicle he owned was once sprayed with bullets are all pertinent details when you’ve been murdered.”

This excerpt doesn’t do the entire article justice. I’d strongly encourage you to read it in full.

NFL London Fog

Last Sunday the NFL played their first ever regular season game outside of the country. In conditions ideal for soccer, fans in attendance at London’s Wembley Stadium saw the poorest played game in the NFL this year.

The New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins, already suffering from jet lag, could barely keep their footing, much less complete a pass over 20 yards though the mud and rain.

Although they won’t admit it, I think the actual game fell short of the league’s expectations.

NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell has been open about his plans to globalize the NFL. Last week, he kicked around the idea of holding a Super Bowl in London, as well as adding expansion teams overseas.

Various media reports from London said the fans welcomed the game, but had little idea what was actually going on.

I admire Goodell’s ambitious attitude, but question what appears to be a move similar to the NBA’s backing of the WNBA. It seems the league has done little market research to determine attitudes and opportunity for bringing american football to London.

Prior to the game, the London Time’s quoted Goodell as saying, “Whenever you do something like this, you don’t know what the reaction will be.” In marketing 101, students learn that research comes before product development.

If Goodell is going to be successful, I think the league is going to have to be patient and be ready to make a big investment. It will take time for a society a half world away to adopt a game as complex football. 


About Allan Woodstrom

Minneapolis, MN, USA
Marketing and Communications Specialist
[AllanWoodstrom.com]

Marketing Breakdown

Read all of my marketing insights at MarketingBreakdown.com.
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