Mark Leibovich, the author of the new release "Big Game," talked about the NFL's executive structure and said, "If you were looking for a CEO for these companies, you wouldn't pick Roger Goodell. Yet Roger Goodell has this job because his job is not to keep how many millions of shareholders happy, or however millions of fans happy, or however many thousands of players happy. It's to keep 32 owners happy." Leibovich said Goodell does that for the owners by "basically ... taking care of them and making them a lot more money which, when you own a monopoly in a football-loving country, has proven to be pretty easy" ("Recode Media with Peter Kafke," RECODE.com, 9/24).
CATCHING THEIR ATTENTION: Twenty-one out of 29 NHLers polled said that their concern about concussions "was in the 5-to-10 range" on a scale of 1-10. USA TODAY's Kevin Allen noted 20 players also said that they "don't believe there will be a lockout" in '20-21, while 14 said that escrow -- "in which the league holds a percentage of a player's pay to ensure owners don't exceed paying players more than spelled out" in the CBA -- was the "most important CBA issue to them." Nine of the players "listed Olympic participation" as their most important CBA issue, and five "chose hockey-related revenue," while one did not answer (USATODAY.com, 9/24).
BEATING THE HEAT: LVSPORTSBIZ.com's Alan Snel noted Las Vegas Motor Speedway is asking NASCAR and NBC to start its three September weekend races "later in the day" so they can "finish under the lights in cooler conditions." LVMS's Cup race earlier this month was run under triple-digit temperatures, and track officials are aware of the "triple-digit-degree heat" and its "impact on fans." However, with media-rights holders "paying millions of dollars for the race broadcast rights," NBC works with NASCAR to "set the race times" (LVSPORTSBIZ.com, 9/24).
