The Broncos have "turned down the NFL's latest
invitation" to play in next season's American Bowl in
Vancouver, BC, not wanting "to expose themselves to another
five-game preseason" (Adam Schefter, DENVER POST, 8/13).
PRESEASON PANNED: The rash of big-name, preseason
injuries, has led the media to criticize the NFL's
exhibition season. A sampling: In Philadelphia, Rich
Hofmann writes "in one meaningless week, John Elway, Mark
Brunell and Kerry Collins went down, a Hall of Famer and two
of the game's rising stars" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 8/13).
In Greensboro, John Nagy writes that NFL's owners "ought to
have the guts to call an end to full-blown preseason games,"
staged only for "ravenous fans and TV revenue" (Greensboro
NEWS & RECORD, 8/13). In Dallas, Kevin Blackistone calls
preseason games "the most meaningless, unimportant football
competitions known to humankind." Blackistone: "It's time
the NFL either cuts out pre-season games ... or at least
cuts their number in half" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/13).
COVER BOYS: With Brett Favre and Peyton Manning on the
cover of ESQUIRE, Charles Pierce profiles the NFL's place in
society under the header, "Does Football Matter?" Pierce:
"The NFL goes serenely on, with the comfortable inertia of
general acceptance, rocking along, making port on time and
on schedule." Excerpts of Favre's new book "Favre: For the
Record," also appear in the issue (ESQUIRE, 9/97 issue).
