Lock-Street, Week 2 - 9.16

It’s week two and still nothing in the NFL is definite. You can’t really get a solid glimpse of a team until at least week 6. Last week, we entered into the Luck and RG III era. We saw the Packers, Saints, Steelers, and Giants all lose. The Jets finally put up some points, and both Baltimore and Chicago appeared to have an offensive swag, while the Eagles appear to be stuck in another beginning of the year rut. Keep watching, keep listening, and keep drinking because there's nothing that goes with football better than alcohol. Well, sex is cool too.

1pm Baltimore (+2.5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles

I’ll start off by stating that the Eagles are not the imploding gaggle of underachieving individuals that squeaked out a win against a hapless Cleveland team. It was apparent that Vick (4 picks, 29 for 56, 317 yards, and 2 TDs=Rating of 51) was engulfed by a desire to torture every player on the Browns instead of play football. He is a natural born killer - of dogs that is - and thus will simply have mental issues against a team whose mascot is a canine. Karma's a bitch. Vick did prove two years ago that he can sling the rock (I’m not talking about crack), but he's still not accurate and teams have learned how to adapt to mobile QB’s since Vick’s inception in the league. You put several men on the line and keep him in a bubble so he has nowhere to go. He's as deadly running the ball as he is throwing on the move. This also does not bid well for LeSean ‘Shady’ McCoy. Their two best receivers are nursing injuries (D. Jacks and Maclain). On paper, the Eagles look to be a formable foe but they have some issues that need to addressed. Does anyone else remember a time when they started off slow? On the other side, the Baltimore Ravens are primed for excellence this year. Although the Ravens pass rush is not what it was last year, Vick is one hit from needing a wheelchair since their o-line is grade A garbage. The Ravens also seem to have a strong understanding of their offensive game plan, with one of the most underrated offenses in the game. Flacco, Rice, Leach, Bolden, T. Smith, Jones, Dickson, and Pitta have all proven they can change a game. The Eagles defense is overall weak. Yea, that’s right, I said it. They have great corners in Nnamdi and Rodgers-Cromartie, two great rushers in Babin and Cole, but lack decent LB’s besides DeMeco Ryan. Watch as Flacco (299 yards, 2 TD’s, 21 for 29) and the Ravens not only cover, but they win by a TD even at the Linc. (31-24 Ravens Win)

4:25pm Jets vs. Steelers (u41.5)

Last week’s Jets offensive show was an anomaly. They were playing against an over-hyped Bills defense and their field position at the start of each offensive series was a rarity caused by the inadequacy of Ryan Fitzpatrick (3 picks). After he received that overpriced contract extension, he has appeared to be the Ryan of old. Being a Harvard alum, you would think he would be smart enough to not throw in double-coverage. Now, Sanchez looked to be a polished sharpshooter destined to overcome the flack he has received since his rookie season (19 for 27, 266 yards, 3 TD’s). That said, old Marky Mark, Holmes, and Shonn ‘I’m overrated every year' Greene need to be afraid of an angry Steelers’ defense. They'll be hunting for blood after suffering a rough lost to the Broncos. The Steelers once again have a useless offensive line, Mendenhall and Redman are still not 100%, and it’s going to take Mike Wallace a few weeks to get into the NFL zone after holding out most of preseason. The new Human Plague is not going to be much of a factor if Big Ben gets raped all over the field and cannot sling him the ball. Big Ben will finally know the emotionally toll that ensues after being taken advantage of by big men. Watch for a hard fought, slightly sloppy, low scoring affair. (17-14 Steelers win)

8:25pm-Sunday Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49’s (O 46.5)

In all honesty, I would not touch this game with someone else’s dick, but seeing how I need to evaluate at least 1 game at each time frame, I decided that the Over would be the most realistic to hit. The 49’s offense looked efficient against a Packers Team last week that sacked Cutler 7 times, forced 4 picks, and held the Bears to 168 total yards and 11 first downs. Last week Alex Smith threw for 211 yards, 2 TD’s, and was as efficient as an elite QB. Do I foresee him playing this way all year? No. But with new weapons Randy Moss and Mario ‘Super Bowl Legend’ Manningham playing with regulars like Crabtree and Davis, watch out world. Oh, and I’m not sure if you remember, but they have the Human Anvil Frank Gore running the ball. Last week, he ran for 112 yards and a TD. His back-up, Hunter? A respectable 41 yards. Last Week, The Lions might have lost but Stafford still managed to throw for 355 yards and 1 TD. Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson is still a beast even in a loss, with 111 yards; TE Pettigrew had 77 yards receiving, and Nate Burleson can still make plays. Seeing how Kevin Smith will once again have a garbage year, the Lions need to attack by air. The 49’s defense is good, but a top-tier offense can usually beat a top-tier defense. Plus, while Lions have some manimals up front in Suh, Avril, Vanden Bosch, and Tulloch, their secondary consists of nothing but back-ups on most squads. Watch out for a fun, high scoring romp. (28-21 49’s Win)

- Kyle

Fierce Man: The Haka

"The essential nature of the thing remains the primitive, the physical struggle; and however civilized a man is, it is his duty to be ready for such a contingency, which may any day arise." - Thomas Mann, MAGIC MOUNTAIN

The tribes of the South Pacific were some of the fiercest warriors in the history of the world. From the Maori in New Zealand to the Hawaiians (in fact distant cousins of the Maori) these natives were physically superior in every way to the pale limeys who would come to conquer them, a feat made feasible only with the help of modern technology.

At first, and for the longest time, "civilized" man thought these "savages" were inferior to them. They looked down upon these caramel-skinned warriors as fierce, no doubt, and strong, but obviously stupid since they hadn't discovered smelting and gunpowder and Christian guilt.

But the thing is, it wasn't because they were any less intelligent than their European counterparts that they didn't build a city of smokestacks, with black death running through the gutters and shit strewn along the sidewalk. It was because they were tough enough to survive in the harsh climes of islands ravaged by storms, volcanic eruption, and some of the deadliest animals on earth WITHOUT the help of advanced weaponry. They fought wars but didn't feel a need to INVENT new tools for battle, didn't have that nerdfare proclivity towards gadgetry and long-distance explosion. They fought with honor, prided themselves on the force of their muscle, the speed of their wits, and their ability with weapons that relied on little more than their own physical strength. And of course playing simple mindgames against their opponent. Perhaps they were savage, sure. But they were savage in the best way possible.

The Haka is a Maori dance they'd throw down before a battle to try and play mindgames with their enemies, similar to the old Scottish tradition of sending a naked bagpiper out in front but much more frightening because instead of a sheep's bladder being filled with and emptied of air, this was a lineup of fierce warriors showing off their muscles and power in perfect military coordination and telling you that, in fact, they will smack you around, crush you into the ground, and possibly eat you once they're done killing you. Even more, this war dance is showing you how and with what muscles they'll do it. This is the ultimate combination of battle, grace, creativity and psychological attack. Art and expression made into warfare.

As we know, war is only about 2/3rds physical. America didn't lose the Vietnam war because of any military or technological inferiority. We lost it because the Vietnamese were not afraid to die, nor were they afraid to slaughter any and everybody who got in their way; and even more, we lost it because Americans had sweethearts in Los Angeles and parents in Texas and parties in NYC to return to whether they won or lost while the Vietnamese knew loss would mean they had nowhere to go. And how many early American settlers were disheartened and discouraged by the cries of the Sioux or the Cheyenne or certainly the Comanches while trying to usurp their native hunting grounds? Hell, in spite of the union's great numbers and weaponry the Native Americans made a damn good run of it.

War cries have always been part and parcel of war, trying to psych out the opponents. But it takes a truly fierce, regimented society, like those of the South Pacific tribes, to make your psychological warfare into an organized, deliberate spectacle which, in its unison and intensity, would surely strike fear into the opponents (remember how scared you got of China when they performed that highly-orchestrated and organized drum session?). Americans had rebel yells but an organized death dance just moments before leaping into battle with cudgels and spears and massive clubs - that's nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Today the haka is only seen in traditional dances or occasionally weaved into pre-game warm-ups from teams like the All-Blacks.

Perhaps because war, like most other things, has become gentrified, separated. We fight with drones, we use long-range weapons. A lot of the time soldiers die without even seeing the enemy who actually killed them, taking the personal nature out of war, turning man to man battles, the essence of conflict, from whose rubble modern society sprung. Even more, today a soldier's worth (with the exception of special forces, who are every bit the fierce savage warrior of the Maori, the Hawaiians, the Comanches, the Spartans, all rolled into one and equipped with the most powerful modern weaponry to boot, though apparently some are known to still scalp) is summed up with how well they can shoot a weapon and duck and cover while engaging. My point is that no long is physical toughness - that is, man stripped to his bare essentials and from there proving himself either a better or lesser killing machine based solely on what the gods gave him - a big factor in victory. And we have to lament the fact that the psychological thrill of showing your toughness through aggressive moves and fierce yelling is relegated to atavistic luaus and sporting matches.

Though Ray Lewis' own "haka" certainly inspires me to tear off some heads.

And when he starts yelling to folks - then just fuhgeddaboudit.

Maybe if we started bringing hakas to our life, to our daily wars and battle, we'd return to the former glory of tough, savage manhood as epitomized by those great tribes we subjugated with long guns so we could build tourist highrises and sheep farms.

- Ryan

Baseball’s Post-season Pre-season: When Small Market Teams Attack

The baseball season is the longest, most arduous in sports. Granted NFL players expose their bodies to excessively dismantling hits and a plague of post retirement ailments, but their 16 game regular season sprint is nothing compared to baseball’s 162-game marathon. Plus the NFL boasts 12 playoff teams, while baseball only has 10 so in the NFL an 8 game hot streak (50% of games) can be substantial and overcome a lack of skill in order to hydroplane into the 'dance'. In baseball, an 8 game hot streak isn't relevant enough to mean playoffs (4%). It is like comparing NASCAR to Drag Racing. Ok, so there's nothing more boring than NASCAR. Well, nothing besides cricket. I can state by extensive experience that the majority of Americans’ attention span has been decimated to the length of an ant and thus we enjoy the sports that provide instant gratification like football, basketball, and hockey. That said, there are still those individuals who understand the exceptional tradition inherent in baseball and while athleticism isn't transparent, there are minute details at play that require exceptional skills. Batter’s hand-to-eye coordination is untouched as they say the hardest thing in sports is to hit a round ball with a round bat. Playing every day in the heat of the summer takes exceptional endurance. Trying to steal a home run by lifting yourself off of a fence, turning a double, or laying-out for a ground play does take a high level of agility and yes, even athleticism. The days of crushing beers and eating countless hotdogs in bullpen is long gone.

For those of you who have lost their interest in this amazing sport due to inactivity during the games, the length of the season, and the inability of your franchise to be pertinent in the fall, I implore you to start watching. At least, make sure you watch during the playoff race The hunt for October is one of the most exciting times in all of sports. I mean, if you look at this year alone, this is the when the low payroll teams strike back. 5 of 10 teams have a payroll that's ranked 16th or lower in the MLB (Orioles, Nationals, Athletics, Braves, Rays). Also, add the contending Pirates, which I will because it's my blog, and that total comes to 6. Nothing better than parity in sports. This week, I will discuss the small market AL Playoff hunt. Next week, keep an eye out for the National League. After this article you'll want to watch Major League for the 333rd time and if you do not, Jobu will eat you

                                                  O’s Magic (79-62; 19th highest payroll)

-Will the real Baltimore Orioles please stand-up

There comes a time in everyone’s life where you simply shrug your shoulders in disbelief. While science has been able to eliminate countless questions, there are still aspects of this world that we simply cannot explain. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Why do you park in a driveway and drive on a parkway? Why does rain drop but snow falls? These complex questions have deteriorated the sanity of some of the most intelligent minds in history. Ok, so maybe I’m making that up, but the point I’m trying to make is that not everything has an answer. In fact, one of those questions is why are the Orioles so good?

The fighting Showalters from Baltimore have a -22 run differentially, but if the season ended today, they would win the AL East. For those of you who failed beginners math or lack any sports knowledge, this means that for the entire season, they have been outscored by 22 runs by their opponent. Their roster has been depleted due to extensive injury and their starting pitching staff looks vastly different than when they began the season. Every week the talking heads say the Orioles have been lucky, it’s a fluke, and they can't sustain this pace, but every week they prove that they're here to stay. They're 9th in runs scored, 8th in pitching ERA, 7th in batting ERA, and have the most errors in the AL. Nick Markakis just went down for at least 6 weeks. They brought youngsters like Machado up and stuck with journey men or players who started off terribly like Reynolds, Hardy, McLouth, and Chris Davis. So then what the hell is it? Seriously, can someone please tell me?


It doesn't seem to matter who's playing or the score since this team has adopted a blue collar, workman’s mentality under General Buck. They continue to fight until the last pitch is thrown. Now, they have great players that surround this squad of injured and lost such as Jones, Wieters, and the now-injured Markakis. Pitchers like Chen, Britton, and Hammels, when healthy, have played great especially as of late. Their closer, Jim Johnson, has had a spectacular year and is tied for a league lead 42 saves. They grind out each game with an injury prone squad and currently own the record for most wins in 1 run games this season. This stat proves their mental toughness. They are not nearly as soft as Michael Vick. This ability to overcome adversity and win the close ones is going to be important during the playoff push and in the possible playoffs. At this point, the Orioles are here to stay and those who are still skeptics are more in denial than Scientologists are of belonging to a cult.

                                                 Oakland A’s (81-60; 29th highest payroll)

-N-n-now th-that don’t kill me can make me stronger

So Moneyball comes out and they decide to have a great season. Maybe Brad Pitt’s performance willed them to victory, but they've been on two absolutely amazing tears that have supplanted them at the top of the Wild-Card. If they were in any other division in the AL, they'd be at the top of the heap, but currently they're stuck under those pesky Rangers.

Oakland’s offense has been offensive and their defense is even worse. They are 10th in runs, 13th in batting average, have the third most errors in the AL with 94, and the third worst fielding percentage. This offseason, they traded their most valuable pitchers in Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, and Andrew Bailey. They have used 17 rookies this year which is most in the Majors.

With last night’s win, they matched the second-longest road winning streak in franchise history. No big deal. I mean, they aren't just hot, they are en fuego and have won 20 of 25 games. This is unheard of for a team that can’t hit for shit. Unlike the Orioles, it is glaringly obvious that this team’s biggest strength is their pitching. They have the second lowest ERA in the AL (3.4), the second lowest opponent batting average with .242, and are simply just reiterating that pitching is the most important position in all of sports. You can’t lose if the other team doesn’t score, I think. Actually, wait let me add the one, subtract by 4, multiply by PI…Ok yea, I’m right.

                                              Tampa Bay Rays (25th highest payroll; 77-64)

-I can’t get no respect

I feel this franchise is more neglected than the third Manning. The last few years they've proven their ability to emerge from the deepest recesses of hell, also known as the AL East, and either made the playoffs or contended. They have the best farm system in baseball as they have great players without poaching while top tier teams pick apart the top players from the smaller teams as if they were crabs, leaving nothing more than the skeleton of dead franchises in their wake.

What else does Tamp have to do to get some fans? I mean this is a perennial playoff team who continues to inspire all of the small market teams to rise up and fight on. When my team, the Baltimore Orioles, have no shot by August, I root for the Rays as they do provide hope in a bleak world. While their hitting has been pretty lackluster, they have the best ERA in the AL (3.25) and the best opponent BA at .231. David Price could win the Cy-Young with the lowest ERA in all of baseball (2.54) and the most wins in the AL (17). Their second pitcher, Jeremy Hellickson, has the 8th best ERA at a very respectable 3.33. Their closer, Fernando Rodney, is tied with the most saves.

They're really not a surprise anymore. They are a great organization. Too bad the damn fans in Florida can’t see this.

Next Week, the NL small markets in all of their glory

- Kyle

11 Years since the 11th - What's Happened in America since?

11 years ago today, 11 years on the 11^th, the only attack on mainland America by a foreign power since the war of 1812 was carried out not by Russia, not by Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan but instead by a couple disgruntled Saudis bankrolled by a member of a family friendly with the Bushes and specifically funded by our addiction to oil. This isn’t going to be some finger-pointing post but those are the simple facts. Certainly not gonna beat that dead horse of “Bush knew we were gonna get attacked and did nothing” or debate whether the government secretly set it up or whether Saddam Hussein had WMD’s that inspired Osama Bin Laden or the temperature at which thermite burns.

I just wanted to talk a little about what’s happened since. How has America changed since?

Directly afterwards America came together as it hadn’t in decades. Republican, Democrat, banker, farmer, we were all united against one enemy, those who would threaten our way of life. The goodwill was intoxicating. We went about our lives as if we hadn’t been shaken out of the suffocating comfort that is life for most people in America. We bought things, the American way and certainly that showed those terrorist bastards a thing or two. Fire fighter and cops risked and sacrificed their lives and their health and for that earned the title America’s heroes.

Muslim extremists were electrified by this victory. America quickly responded by routing the Taliban in, like, 4 weeks, when attention was turned to Iraq, not only allowing Afghanistan to backslide into the shitstorm it still is but also made Islamic extremists feel brazen, brave – Terrorist plots rose to a frightening number, everything from shoe bombs to London public transportation. Madrid. And all along we went along fighting Iraq, a war that from this post-game perspective looks like little more than the black sheep tryin’ to make papa proud by finishing his war. But hey, it stabilized them and now we have an – ally(?) in the middle-east. But the thing is, the terrorists aren’t a nation, they can’t be fought in any conventional sense. They're loyal to an ideal, not a capital, and as such it took changing theapproach to warfare to finally bring down the man who launched the heinous 9/11 attacks.

But that’s not the thought I want to leave you with.

On September 11, 2001, a terrorist strike motivated us to increased activity, to unity, to bouncing back and holding hands and working together to show America as the strong, beautiful nation it is if only to prove to the terrorists they didn’t win.

And it’s sad to think that now, 11 years later, America is more divided across party lines than ever; that the unscrupulous acts of Americans at companies like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and many other securities dealers, debt swappers, hedge funders, and corporate raiders caused much more havoc than those Saudi terrorists ever could. Because the terrorists destroyed our buildings but we destroyed our own lifeblood, our middle class and our economy.

So today, let us remember what happened when we were under attack, when we had to pull together. Remember what made this country great. And let us remember that the terrorists killed several thousand people but our own banks killed our way of life. 

Now we need to go forward to pledge one thing – no matter what happens in the election, and no matter what corner of the economy we work in, we will pull together to honor all who’ve come before us and try to pull this nation off the brink of implosion. Because if we don’t come together soon, the terrorists win.

Ryan

Obama-Romma: What's the Score Here? Wk 1

Politics. As ancient as one caveman rising to lead the other cavemen to overtake the neighboring cavemen. With recorded history stretching from Moses to Julius Caesar to Henry the 8th to George Washington to Dan Quayle (ughh) and beyond, this is one of the most central of all man's ambitions - that is, the quest for power, the vision of someday being the gleaming leader, and, finally, the hope that as a leader you will leave some sort of legacy that you left the world a better place, like Lincoln and the Roosevelts.

So, with the end of the DNC and the beginning of traveling stump speeches, the beautiful parade of kissing babies and asses that is the current American political election, the great Obama/Romney battle of 2012 has officially begun.

They opened with acceptance monologues which swerved between what their opponent stands for and what they stand for, with a few nuggets of facts, a couple stretched truths, and even some boldfaced lies sprinkled in for good measure (and I won’t even get into the VP speeches, especially Ryan’s speech, as summarized in this article from Fox News).

For example, Romney pointed out that Obama didn’t pass the sweeping environmental protections he’d campaigned on, nor did he “fix” healthcare as he’d said he would. And the economy is still having some trouble. At the same time, Romney said, in his sweeping conclusion to his eyebrow-emotive speech (and I’m paraphrasing here) “Fuck the gays, fuck abortion, fuck teaching evolution and other contra-faith education (goodbye, sex ed), and fuck the environment and those damn bleeding-heart hippies.” Then he summarized with a brilliant statement (and I quote) “That United America will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our creator (is that Mormon Jesus or Christian Jesus – and is he the same as black and Mexican Jesus because if so, man Mitt’s confused) and connified by the constitution.” (By the way, what does “connified” mean?)

Obama, on the other hand, mostly uttered some liberal “we’re all in this together” bullshit because, I mean, if there’s anything I’ve learned from my 30 years as an American and especially my 10 years in the corporate workforce, we’re all on our own, with the exception of maybe some assistance from family and emotional support from friends, sure, people to commiserate with over the shitty condition of life but Americans being in this together? This country that was founded on the idea of equality and the rejection of European aristocracy and yet gave way to such American royalty as the Carnegies, the Rockefellers, the Astors, the Mellons, the Koch’s and the Hearsts? A country whose government subsidized the finance industry many times, from S&L to the TARP bailouts, which in turn benefitted only those wealthy enough to preside over or own stock in or through these establishments? The very industry which Obama himself gave bailouts to and now, 4 years later derivatives and CDO’s are still unregulated and nobody has gone to jail for the atrocities committed which included baits and switches and basic client manipulation – even lying in some cases.

Every week I’m gonna do a little analysis of each side’s talking points, from economy to health care to track record to the feasibility of what they’re pledging to do. Yes, I’m a bit more on the liberal side, admittedly so. But I’m gonna try to be as bi-partisan as possible and, yes, call out both sides on their bullshit.

But to start, here’s just one website (of many) to help you to understand and process the issues:

http://www.isidewith.com/obama-vs-romney-on-the-issues

It even has a little survey you can take to see who you side with. Check it out. Educate yourself. Because the bipartisanship of inheritance – that is, people who side with their parents’ political parties because it’s a lot easier than actually learning about the issues (dangerous, since the Republican and Democratic parties of 50 years ago are far different from the same parties today). And we're at a dangerous time in American history. The decline of all great civilizations begins with widening wealth gaps and specifically the disappearance of industrialism to make way for the growth of finance and trade as a country's primary GDP drivers. Do we want to be remembered as the generation that brought on the decline?

- Ryan

Summer's Over, Bring on Cold Surf

So I talked once before about the Jackson Bros and their epic board-sport-filled roadtrip from AK to Chile.

I've even checked in a few times here but I've been keeping up with them on my own time. Right now another seasonal migration in boardsports is happening, that from the surf to the mountains. Unless you can follow the summer around the world, winter for the average surfer means choosing between cold, burly surf or dusting off the snowboards and shralping some pow. And while it's certainly just a matter of tolerance, having grown up in the mid-Atlantic and occasionally surfing as late as Thanksgiving and as early as Easter I have to say there's nothing better than braving the cold and miserable for some tasty waves while everybody else is sitting around in sweaters falling into seasonal-depression-catatonia. That is, just because it's colder doesn't mean the surf season has to stop.

So what better segue into the winter than this sick episode of the Jackson boys and snowboard God Travis Rice surfing testes-shriveling AK waves accompanied by pro surfer Ian Walsh?

This is the thing that people might fail to understand about what's so great with these extreme sports. It's that on top of the cool art-meets-athleticism of the thing, they've also got this whole adventure-and-travel-meets-sport thing. Part of the fun of snowboarding is going to new places, seeing new mountains, riding new conditions, and always searching for that perfect line. In surfing you're looking for the perfect wave though you're also looking for those perfect days where environment is idyll. For example, in this ep they get to surf overhead peelers while staring up at majestic Alaskan spires. Pretty epic. Oh yeah, and it ends with a snow pond skimming party session at Alyeska.

So as you dust off those neoprene booties and hood for the winter, take heart. Even cold water surf is better than going to your job. Seriously.

Happy Friday.

- Ryan

Art Modell: The Image of Progression

No great has ever been unanimously beloved. There are many out there who say Steve Jobs was an asshole. The Warren Buffetts and Donald Trumps of the world have a track record that continues to increase how many enemies they have. Even the great Abraham Lincoln was shot. So it's no surprise that the recently deceased Art Modell might be one of the most loved and hated men in sports history.

Art Modell died early this morning at the age of 87. In those 87 years he became one of the most integral figures in the biggest sport in the US. While there's half a state (Ohio) that currently disagrees, his legacy should not be diminished. In 1967 he became the only elected NFL president in league history and served three years. In 1968, as the chairman of the Owners Labor Committee (1968), he contributed to successfully negotiating the NFL’s first players’ CBA. He was a vital negotiator in launching Monday Night Football and volunteered his Browns to host the inaugural game. He was also important in serving on the NFL-AFL merging committee, and assisted in establishing NFL Films. He had the foresight to understand how vastly the sport could flourish by negotiating league television contracts in order to raise awareness by expanding viewership. Essentially, he was instrumental in growing the sport into the power house it is today.

Modell’s television contract negotiations caused the NFL to supplant baseball as the most televised sport in America in 1965. The merger with the NFL-AFL birthed the Super Bowl, which is the second most watched annual sporting event in the world. No Big Deal. Currently, the NFL is breaking the bank with television based revenue. As DeMaurice Smith (Executive Director of NFLPA) stated publicly, ‘My hat’s off to Roger Goodell. Television is locked up until 2014 to the tune of about $5 billion a year.’ That’s a lot of dip, I guess… Last year, the Super Bowl had around 111.3 (In millions) viewers according to the Nielsen ratings. The Super Bowl has been turned into a holiday.

As an owner for 43 seasons between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, Art had 24 teams with winning records, 18 playoff teams, and 2 NFL Championships (1964 Cleveland Browns and 2000 Baltimore Ravens). He has been a vital figure in the NFL for decades.

The problem is that his illustrious career has been stained by moving a floundering franchise (Cleveland Browns) to what is now one of the most passionate markets in the league, the Baltimore Ravens. I can understand Cleveland’s disdain for this man as the feeling is similar to Baltimore’s opinion of Jim Irsay moving the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis. That said, the circumstances were extremely different. Modell was honest and respectful during a move that simply made economic sense. He was open about his decision and left the city of Cleveland with their name and records. That city has been through a lot in sports but he didn’t rub it in their faces like Lebron’s “Decision”. They were able to get the franchise back anyway. Irsay, an arrogant drunk, moved the team in middle of the night, immortalized by the infamous Mayflower moving truck pictures. He took the name and records to Indianapolis, stabbing an already injured fan base. Johnny Unitas went to his death angry that his Baltimore Colts records were in a trophy case in Indianapolis. Irsay was also simply an asshole and was disliked because of his personality before his reprehensible act.

Art Modell was a great man who should have made it into the Hall of Fame already and should not be a bridesmaid every year. Imagine the NFL without Monday Night Football, the Super Bowl, or the ability to watch it on TV. Imagine what would have happened if the AFL-NFL merger never occurred. Not only have his decisions increased exposure, but the revenue brought in has allowed the league to continue to grow. I have 6 TV’s in my apartment, 2 of which are in the living room, and each has a game on when available. Art Modell, I salute you. If there is football in the afterlife, I’m sure he would be asked to consult for it.




-Kyle