NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell was everywhere in the Bay Area during Super Bowl 50, and those close to him stressed that he is in complete control at the league. I was curious about how his comportment might be different from last year in Arizona, where he was under duress amid whispers that his leadership was in jeopardy.
As Goodell himself stated during the week, the league needs to get better, so let’s start with elements he hasn’t nailed down. His State of the League address was criticized for sounding stiff, scripted and tone-deaf. One columnist called it “glib.” After 9 1/2 years as commissioner, it’s surprising that hasn’t improved. He still doesn’t convincingly offer a solution or path on the concussion crisis, and his comment when defending youth participation in tackle football — “There’s risk in sitting on the couch.” — was panned. His answer on relocation — “We want to work to try to keep our teams where they are.” — is a head scratcher for St. Louis, which did try to keep their team while arguments could be made that Oakland and San Diego have not.
Touting a “tri-cast” (broadcast, NFL Network, OTT) of its “Thursday Night Football” package sounded a bit wonkish and disconnected. Would fans listening really care?
NFL changing structure
to for-profit disappointing
Today is the filing deadline for the NFL’s tax return to the Internal Revenue Service, complete with the salaries of top executives, including Commissioner Roger Goodell. And it will be the last, at least the last one the league has to disclose publicly.
Over the years, the NFL was unfairly criticized by politicians, journalists and fans for “not paying taxes” because it filed as a not-for-profit. How could the NFL not pay taxes and then compensate Goodell more than $30 million annually? Those were the angry sound bites. But the NFL paid taxes, all 32 teams. Think of the league office as the trade group for the oil industry. The oil companies that fund that organization pay taxes, the trade group doesn’t. That’s how the NFL worked, and one benefit of this structure for the public is the returns are disclosed.
The NHL is now the only of the big four sports leagues to file as a not-for-profit. The NBA never filed that way, and MLB changed its status in the late 2000s when reports emerged of then-Commissioner Bud Selig’s compensation.
It was a ritual for our NFL reporter, Daniel Kaplan, to sit with the NFL and go over the returns. We had been covering the returns long before the salaries ballooned, but the NFL saw no reason to change our arrangement.But the NFL finally threw up its hands and decided to change its structure to a for-profit.
Two things strike me about this change, which means we won’t know what the NFL pays its top executives. One is ignore the echo chamber. The cries that the NFL doesn’t pay taxes come every year by those who know better. The politicians who made this an issue should be called to the carpet because they made things worse. Sure, the NFL could have rebutted the charges better; and when politicians made their meritless claims, too often there was little opposition.
But with two veteran D.C. hands now on board at the NFL — Cynthia Hogan, former counsel to Vice President Joe Biden, and Joe Lockhart, former White House press secretary for President Clinton— the league likely would have attacked the issue vigorously. After today that won’t be necessary. That is unfortunate because it is good to know what a league pays its commissioner. It serves as a barometer for how owners feel about their leader. Unfortunately, the latest news on Goodell’s pay will be the last. That’s disappointing.
— Abraham D. Madkour
I
guess I understand why the league is pushing forward on Deflategate, but I can’t understand that there isn’t a better solution (i.e., remove the personal focus on
Tom Brady), because the issue is a clear loser for Goodell.
But as for those questions about his leadership viability from a year ago, let’s put those to rest. Twelve months later, sources close to the league portrayed a commissioner who is “steadfast” and someone who “lets all this bullshit just roll off his back.” Insiders rave about working for him and his management style; ownership sources admire his communication and work ethic. “I don’t know how he does it,” one said of his work pace. “The key during Super Bowl is you’ll see he leaves events at night fairly early.”
He has put the challenge of an open Los Angeles market behind him; insiders told me he commandingly moved that issue forward. “It could have been a brutal bloodbath [among owners], but it wasn’t, and while everyone wasn’t happy, he deserves credit for getting it through. Everyone now sees Inglewood as the absolute best choice,” one told me. That is a huge time drain off the league and allows it to focus on other areas of growing the game.
In addition, any perception of a personal rift with Robert Kraft wasn’t evident, as sources told me the commissioner and the Patriots owner worked very closely on the “Thursday Night Football” package without any visible signs of a fissure in their relationship.
Outside of league policy, what struck me the most over Super Bowl week is how good Goodell can be when he’s in a comfortable setting. At both the NFL Women’s Summit and its 1st & Future event at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Goodell was in his comfort zone: engaging, confident, humble and sincere, yet quick with humor. New NFL communications czar, Joe Lockhart, is challenged with presenting that side of Goodell to the public, where the NFL commissioner has a lot of ground to make up. It made me think of Texans owner Bob McNair’s comment about Goodell’s public face and his handlers restricting his comments in the excellent piece by The New York Times’ Mark Leibovich, when McNair said, “We’d like to see him more relaxed and smiling and answering the questions.”
A more comfortable, non-scripted Goodell in public would go a long way to improving the image of league leadership.
> A SUCCESSFUL 50TH: In September, I visited Santa Clara and took in preparations for Super Bowl 50. I believed Levi’s Stadium would play well and that the two concerns related to the game’s success were familiar: traffic and weather. After spending five days in the Bay Area for the title game earlier this month, the region very successfully passed what was its first Super Bowl test since 1983.
Most of my meetings were in San Francisco in a compact footprint, and foot traffic swelled during the week, but I got around with ease. Uber fares surged, and traffic around Super Bowl City was at times overwhelming. But on game day, traffic moved fine and entry to the stadium and the concourses inside flowed. The sun-splashed day and bright-blue sky created a visual that harked back to earlier Super Bowls held on a gleaming late California afternoon.
The event played well locally, too, as the San Francisco Chronicle touted the benefits of the Super Bowl in a front-page piece and lauded the financial model behind Levi’s Stadium in an editorial on game day. Chronicle columnist Ann Killion, not easily convinced, called the event “successful enough for the NFL to consider the 49ers for a future bid.”
Whether the Bay Area joins the Super Bowl rotation remains to be seen. It should, but the line of suitors is deep. Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, North Texas and Houston are being joined by Inglewood and others where stadiums still need to be developed. But congratulations to Daniel Lurie, Keith Bruce, Pat Gallagher and the team at the host committee for delivering a 50th Super Bowl game to be proud of.
> SOMETHING TO BUILD ON: The most impressive part of Super Bowl weekend in Arizona last year for me was Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis’ inspirational speech after being named the Walter Payton Man of the Year. This award is a true winner and something the NFL should continue to build up. I loved how this year Davis, in uniform, presented the award to Anquan Boldin on the field before Super Bowl kickoff. I wanted to hear from Boldin — even briefly — at that time and would hope the NFL would consider allowing the recipient to say a few remarks before the packed stadium. The three finalists this year — Eli Manning, Ben Watson and Boldin — gave genuine and emphatic comments on the Friday before the game, showcasing the positive examples players can serve. This award should only continue to grow in stature.
Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
