Fox's James Brown interviewed NFL Commissioner Paul
Tagliabue yesterday on "franchise free agency." Tagliabue: "We
have to stop it. I think we have to stick with a game plan. We
had a game plan to keep the game great ... Getting some new
stadiums was part of the game plan because we need them in some
places." To fans in Cleveland: "The first thing I'd say is that
[Modell] hasn't left yet. We have policies, we have procedures.
We're going to see if the move is justified or not. ... We want
to keep a team in Cleveland. But you get these escalating costs,
you get these court decisions and you don't control everything
yourself." On reasons for the move: "It's not bad business
decisions, it's free agency. It's the porous nature of the
salary cap. ... If we get [free agency] back to where it belongs
where we can contain some of the costs with a better arrangement
under the cap, then we'll have stability and the fans will be the
winners" ("Fox NFL Sunday," 11/12).
NEWS & VIEWS: Will McDonough notes the growing "financial
gap" between teams and sees a "three-tiered ownership system."
TOTAL TEAM REVENUES
1990 1995
LOW REVENUE TEAMS $40M $55M
AVERAGE REVENUE $45M $66M
HIGH REVENUE TEAMS $52M $94M
McDonough notes the higher-end teams ("the ones with great
stadium deals") are growing at nearly three times the rate of
lower-end teams (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/12). Gary Myers reports the
NFL has formed a committee of GMs to "find a solution to the
signing bonus problem" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/12). BUSINESS WEEK
sees the NFL facing the prospect of two classes of teams, much
like baseball (BUSINESS WEEK, 11/20 issue). U.S. Rep. Martin
Hoke (D-OH) is preparing a "The Fan Freedom and Community Project
Act" that would allow teams to move, with the condition the
league promises to expand into vacated markets (Cleveland PLAIN
DEALER, 11/12). SCAPEGOAT: NEWSDAY's Bob Glauber recaps all
the ills facing the NFL and punctuates each with "It's all
Jerry's fault." According to Glauber, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones
"has become the crucible for everything that ails the NFL"
(NEWSDAY, 11/12). In Baltimore, Vito Stellino writes, "When in
doubt, blame Jerry Jones" (Baltimore SUN, 11/12). Bengals GM
Mike Brown, on the "Jerry Jones philosophy" he believes Modell
bought into: "Go where the buck is. If you don't, it's your
fault" (BOSTON HERALD, 11/12).
MARKET WATCH: AD AGE's Jeff Jensen examines the effect of
decentralized marketing and franchise shifts on corporate
relations. Jensen writes, if certain sponsorship categories are
farmed out to the teams, current NFL sponsors such as Coca-Cola,
True Value and Visa "would find it more difficult, if not
impossible, to execute the kind of high-profile national
promotions NFL fans have come to expect, because now they would
have to negotiate individual deals with each team for prices
that, added together, would exceed what they pay now"
(ADVERTISING AGE, 11/13 issue).
MORE COMMENTARY: ESPN's Sal Paolantonio examined NFL
franchise movement in Friday's "Cover Story." Harvard Law's Paul
Wieler: "What Art Modell wants to do is not be Jerry Jones in
getting Deion Sanders. He wants to be Jerry Jones in getting
dollars for himself" ("SportsCenter," 11/10). The issue is also
the subject of expansive profiles in the N.Y. DAILY NEWS, NEWSDAY
and the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Mike Lupica writes, "Now we find
out that even a packed house doesn't count in sports" (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 11/12). In S.F., Steve Wilstein blames the NFL, not
Modell: "Expansion -- not toothless votes, endless lawsuits or
federal legislation -- is one sure way the NFL can stop owners
from fleeing cities" (S.F. EXAMINER, 11/12). In L.A., Jim Murray
reviews the NFL's history of team movement, writing, "The NFL is
the only league in history that is double-parked with the motor
running" (L.A. TIMES, 11/12). In New York, Dave Anderson writes,
"In its compulsion for cash flow, [the NFL is] forgetting the
fans that made it big" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/12). In Dallas, Rock
Gosselin writes, "The NFL reminded Joe Fan this week just how
insignificant he has become" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/12). In
St. Louis, Jim Thomas refers to Tagliabue as "a gridiron version
of a third base coach" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 11/12).
