From the outside, "it appears that chaos reigns" in the NFL,
according to Timothy Smith of the N.Y. TIMES. But NFL
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue "considers the upheaval in the
league's economic and geographic landscape a natural consequence
of its success." Tagliabue: "Overall, I think that most of what
we're going through now is a product of growth, expansion and
success." When Tagliabue took office in '89, he had a five-point
"to do" list: 1) labor peace, 2) a lucrative TV deal, 3)
maintain the appeal of the game, 4) expand the league, and 5) new
stadiums as needed. As Smith notes, "it's the stadium issue that
threatens to turn the league upside down." Addressing Jerry
Jones' views on teams marketing themselves, Tagliabue said they
"aggravate the problem," but he did hold out hope for a
settlement on Jones' $750M antitrust suit against the league.
Tagliabue: "When you say Jerry wants to dismantle Properties, it
is a disservice to Jerry. Jerry wants to build something new,
which is what we have been doing here" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/17).
ABOUT THAT LABOR PEACE: Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie warns,
"Unless there's a way to cap signing-bonus amounts and the
percentage that teams can prorate, it's going to be a have and
have-not league." Lurie and other owners are asking NFLPA Exec
Dir Gene Upshaw to consider "major modifications" to the CBA,
including capping bonuses and eliminating the uncapped year in
'99. Lurie: "If you start to have a 'have' and 'have-not'
sport, the ratings will go down and player salaries will go down.
So it behooves Gene and the players to make decisions based on
maintaining popularity and fan support and TV ratings. ...
History is just right on there" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 11/17).
