The state of the NFL was examined by Allen Barra in
Sunday's N.Y. TIMES magazine under the header, "How Football
Got Sacked." Barra writes that "on the verge of another
'Stupor Sunday,' it might be time for a reassessment. ...
The dip in the TV ratings and those empty seats in the
Meadowlands may be forgotten in the rush of the coming Super
Bowl hype, but they're signaling a change in the American
way of life -- a change that the men at the top of the
football establishment will typically be the last to see
coming" (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, 1/12).
NEWS & NOTES: In Boston, Will McDonough notes a poll of
all 30 NFL teams indicates that 22 would vote for instant
replay, with eight teams against. 23 votes are needed to
approve replay's return. McDonough: "With the vote that
close, the issue will fall into the hands of commissioner
Paul Tagliabue" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/12).... The success of the
Jaguars and Panthers, and their effect on the cities of
Jacksonville and Charlotte, were profiled in Saturday's N.Y.
TIMES. The TIMES' Kevin Sack writes that, with the success
of the Panthers and Jaguars, "football is being embraced and
promoted for those upstart towns as a metaphor for civic
momentum" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/11).
