A friend of mine who is a non-sports fan (yes, I do have some of those) made an interesting observation the other day as scrolling headlines on the TV above us continued to report news of the NFL’s latest black eye. My friend mentioned in passing, rather poetically “As their empire lay crumbling, all anyone could do was talk about balls.”
And he was right.
News of Deflate-gate has dominated the headlines for over a week. It was all any talking head on any television station could talk about. Who ordered the deflating? Did Tom Brady do it? Was it Bill Belichick? Who un-aired these godforsaken footballs that gave the New England Patriots such an unfair advantage over those poor Indianapolis Colts and how long had they been doing it?
The Patriots rarely fumble, studies showed. That must be the result of them tampering with the equipment, making the ball less fumble-able.
In his press conference immediately following news of Deflate-gate, Tom Brady downplayed the importance of the NFL’s latest mishandled scandal by saying “It’s not Isis. No one’s dying.” While tremendously inappropriate and voraciously insensitive, the gist of Brady’s comments was correct. We have now spent over a week obsessing about the pounds per square inch of an oblong leather object.
Everything else, including the game itself, has become of secondary importance.
My friend J-Dub hosts a series of posts he calls Signs We Are Near the End of Civilization. I would hereby like to enter deflated footballs into that discussion.
While I agree that rules regarding fair play should exist in professional sports, politics, business, etc., and violators of said rules should be penalized accordingly, such punishment should be carried out swiftly and consistently.
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think Brady and Belichick aren’t guilty of inappropriately tampering with their balls. Even ESPN jumped on the bandwagon. Quarterback-turned-analyst Mark Brunell was moved to tears in his disbelief of Brady’s alleged twisting of the truth.
This week, without any solid evidence (it has now been ten days since said balls were deflated), Patriots owner Bob Kraft has demanded the league issue his organization a formal apology when no proof can be found. Ironically, the entire incident has become an inflammatory and defamatory war of words.
Now the league allegedly has video evidence of someone deflating footballs. (I can’t believe I’m still talking about this). You can just smell TMZ working overtime. Why has this video not been released? Why has this person not been interviewed? Was he employed by the Patriots? And is this really the kind of discussion the NFL wants to have days before its biggest event?
I’m guessing not.
Either way, most of us have made our minds up and probably spent too much time doing so. I’m not here to tell you who to believe or why. It really matters not.
The fact that each team is responsible for submitting a dozen or so balls to referees before each game is a ridiculous rule to begin with and one that will likely change before the very next football game is played.
In a matter of days, we’ll have another Super Bowl with little talk about football, only footballs. If the Patriots cheated, then penalize them accordingly. If they didn’t, leave them alone. Either way, get to the bottom of it so we can all move on with our lives.
If there are systems in place that allow teams an unfair advantage, remove those systems so we can talk about the game without speculation or prejudice. After all, the Super Bowl is the greatest sporting event in the world.
Let’s keep it that way.
Chris
The NFL is riddled with incompetency from the top on down to the owners , head coaches and players under their union representation . Even as a Pats’ fan I am p#$sed , by the ongoing antics and the fact ,, that the team and organization now seems to writing this off as much ado about nothing . At the same time I also have to question the competency of the officials who presided over the game. WTF were they (referees) doing prior to the contest , if it’s mandated the game balls are meant to be inspected prior to the kick off ?
Tophatal …………….
Deflate-gate as a Sign we are near the end of civilization? That may need to happen.
Hmmm… Leave it to those living on the east side of the country to come up with new and innovative ways to cheat… LOL!
Deflated balls?
You mean Bruce Jenner?
Captain America morphing into Wonder Woman. JDub may be right, the end is near.
How do you know Belicheat is lying? His lips are moving…
As it appears once again the Patriots cheat anywhere and everywhere they can and since they rarely get caught and even less frequently get penalized then what is with all the furor? If slacker favoritist Goodell doesn’t want to do anything about it then he won’t. Next!! Move along folks…
@Dwindy you are so correct… but nothing is seen as amiss so long as the NFL is still printing coin by the hour… all the while fining Marshawn Lynch $25,000 for a crotch grab and then selling posters of said crotch grab themselves for $149.95 each.. Can you spell hypocrites?
@Bleed I LOL at fay Brucey Jenner… even fame whore mama Kardashian wants no part of his continuous feminization
Al…
How is that you explain a game, an institution, being ridiculed with incompetence (which I don’t necessarily disagree with) being the most watched sport in the country?
It’s thriving in spite of itself.
Dub…
I want credit.
Or at least a front row seat to the apocalypse.
Dwin…
Um… didn’t you just live over here a year ago?
Bleed…
No way Bruce Jenner’s got deflated balls.
At this point, I’m sure he’d have found a surgery to prevent that from occurring.
Tree…
I am dying to know what you’re doing for the Super Bowl.
Not sure what I wouldn’t give to be sitting in the La-Z-Boy next to you pounding a couple pops and yelling at the screen, while simultaneously making fun of everyone who wasn’t.
Chris Is it apathy on your part or what ? How the hell can you stand behind a product merely because of what you deem to be OK on the field , when its leadership is littered with imbeciles among the hierarchy and union alike ? I mean it’s almost as insane as the comment you made not so long ago, about racial inequality being on the decline .
I believe baseball even during segregation had its moments but I guess you’d suggest there was nothing wrong there , because it was a sign of the times ? WTF !
Tophatal …………
Chris
It’s popular makes it great ? Just like opinion polls really do point to a real trend . Tell me what part of the regular season to your mind was inspiring ? What was your take on the state of play within the NFC South ?
I see Warren Sapp left an indelible mark , after his stay in Arizona ? What better way to add to his legacy , as a douche than being arrested for soliciting a prostitute then being fired from his job with the NFL Network . Sapp can beat on his wife has his behavior overlooked by a hypocrite like Dungy who’s willing to go to bat for the likes of Vick and Ray Rice . That’s a league that kids can really look up to isn’t it ?
Tophatal ……….
Stand behind a product, Al?
Do you mean watch the Super Bowl just as you and another record-setting 114 million people did this year? Is that what you’re referring to? Or let me guess. You sat on your couch and protested the league and its behavior by not watching
I can enjoy the games, the sport, and still watch with a critical eye the actions of those involved with it, such as Warren Sapp.
He needs bail money, by the way.