GIVE ME PARITY OR…
You can almost hear former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle paraphrasing Patrick Henry’s immortal line as Rozelle closed the deal on the AFL-NFL merger prior to the 1970 season. He must have shouted it from atop Olympus when he orchestrated the deal that distributed television revenue evenly among every last NFL franchise. And when free agency arrived — albeit shrouded with a salary cap — in 1993? Bliss . . . Rozelle’s dream a reality. Your local pro football team struggling? Don’t worry (be happy, said Rozelle). You’ve got next year, literally.
Let’s review a few facts:
I’ve always preferred pro football to the college game. I like the familiarity of the stars, the intradivisional rivalries, the relatively balanced schedule from one team to the next. And you know what? I liked the butt-kicking dynasties, and their foils. Remember the contempt Pittsburgh and Dallas held for one another in the Seventies, the Steelers always a stride ahead of “America’s Team”? Remember — way back — in the Eighties, when the Giants of Parcells, the Redskins of Gibbs, and the Bears of Ditka would knock snot bubbles out of one another every January? And how about those 49er Cowboy wars in the Nineties. With games like these, you felt like you had an annual Ali Frazier on the docket. Sorry, but this week’s conference championships — Raiders/Titans in the AFC, Eagles/Buccaneers in the NFC — just don’t measure up.
I suppose it’s a good thing that the “expansion” Cleveland Browns made the playoffs in only their fourth season back from the dead. But how are they, with a record of 9-7, any more deserving of a postseason slot than the Dolphins, Broncos, Saints, or defending champion Patriots, each of whom finished 9-7 themselves?
The NFL is watered down, folks. With eight divisions now, fully 25 percent of the league can call itself a division champion. (With a three-way tie in the AFC East, 10 teams finished 2002 in first place. And two of them missed the playoffs!) The modern economics of the game — Rozelle economics — have made the NFL the envy of the NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball. It’s a money-making goliath, no question. But for us fans? Sure, the 2001 Patriots were a made-for-Hollywood feel-good story. But what about the 2000 champs, the Baltimore Ravens? (Can you name five members of that team? There’s Ray Lewis, then . . . . ) The team was absolutely eviscerated by salary cap limitations. Back to earth, boys . . . someone else’s turn with the Lombardi Trophy.
The NFL has reached a point where last year’s Super Bowl winner may be vivid in the minds of fans far and wide. But ten years from now, twenty? (Ray who??) Dynasties and dodo birds . . . one of a kind.
THIS WEEK’S PICKS:
Titans 30, Raiders 24
Eagles 9, Buccaneers 3
