In the NFL, the league is set up for the owners to make money. It is not set up for dynasties, it is not set up to do what's best for the sport of football, it is not set up to be a world sport.
Money, for the owners. Period.
With that being said, what is one of the ways the 32 teams keep their fans happy? By winning. If half the teams have a losing record in any given year, then the owners have to settle for selling their fans the HOPE of winning.
How's that you ask? You give the worst teams the best college players and turn that event into the NFL Draft. A 3 day prime time event with more viewers than most other live action sports. So the NFL's business model is: If you don't win this year, you'll surely win next year. (wink wink)
In the year 2012, the Haslams (Jimmy and Dee Haslam) bought the Cleveland Browns. Earlier this year, we here at Beacon of Speech made the argument that they were the worst owners currently in business in the NFL. If all teams have a salary cap and a salary floor and rotating schedules, Pete Rozelle's vision of parity should exist for nearly the whole league.
Somehow, the Cleveland Browns had the worst record between 2010 and 2019 at 42-117-1, nearly 10 games worse than the 31st worst team in the NFL. The Haslams' Browns ownership group couldn't figure out how to win in a league that is designed for you to win half the time. (2020 may be different.)
But on the flip side of the coin, the Haslams bought MLS' Columbus Crew in 2018 from the worst owner in that league, Anthony Precourt, and have made every correct decision since. The Haslams immediately announced that they were building a new soccer stadium, which will be opened next year, hired one of the 5 best soccer coaches in all of North America, in Caleb Porter, and just won the MLS Cup two days ago.
Unprecedented soccer success. In 2 years.
Absolutely stunning. I have to give credit to the Haslams.
Seriously. My mouth is agape.
Sarcastic kudos to CNN that gave the MLS Championship Game a 50 word article.
MLS Cup had a short article at the bottom of the ESPN homepage, right beneath the story of Vanderbilt's Female field goal kicker.
Today, around the various water coolers in this nation, America should be talking about the greatness of Argentina's Lucas Zelarayan. The Crew attacked and attacked, almost right from the kickoff, and the Haslam's off season pickup of Zelerayan from the top league in Mexico looked like an absolute genius move. Zelarayan put the Crew on top in the 25th minute and then iced the game late in the second half.
Couldn't find any glaring errors in the Haslams' Crew ownership template.
Editor's Note: Fred has turned into a jaded bastard in his old age and is seriously convinced that the Haslams have a diabolical plan to eliminate one NFL team from Ohio. Rarely is he at a loss for words. "I feel like a hawk that's flown into a window."
Maybe the Haslams simply ARE wealthy benefactors who've had a run of bad luck in the NFL.
We'll see...
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