Goodbye to a blundering Tagliabue

Paul Tagliabue is stepping down after a 17-year run as the commissioner of the National Football League. The media is ushering him into retirement with laurels of praise for a job well done. The view from here, however, is that Tagliabue’s reign was splotched with many blunders.

Read the rest of Rob Bonter's latest column by going to the RX home page at www.therx.com

Charlie

:modemman:

RIP, He will be missed. Sure and I know how to dance

I think he's foolish, not for failing to, but for trying to put a team in LA; the city obviously doesn't give a crap about having an NFL team. He seems to think that the NFL is so high and mighty that no city could possibly fail to bow down.

I agree with most everything, but this is wacky tobacky material:

As kickers have become more proficient, the game has become less wide-open and less fan-friendly. We would like to see touchdowns count seven points, PATs eliminated and the value of field goals reduced from three to one point. Field goals converted in closer proximity to the goal posts would count more to reward teams for advancing the football.

One thing i do agree with Tag is expanding playoff teams to 16--BUT along with more expansion-- international too....That does not prolong the season at all.

All I can say is it's about F'n time!

Come on guys, you must be kidding. The NFL is about as valuable a franchise there is in the business world. A few teams are even reportedly worth a billion dollars now. Yeah more legalized gambling might have increased the ratings a tad, but come on does anyone really think that many people who would want to gamble on the games aren't already doing so? This isn't like poker, just waiting to be discovered.

As for the rest, Tags isn't exactly a miracle worker. The Commish is really just an employee for the owners in most cases. He couldn't have done much more on the rules, that needs pretty universal agreement with the owners. The LA franchise is just a fact of life; LA doesn't want a team and won't do a damn thing to bring one. If someone wants to risk losing a lot of money doing it they are welcome to try. But when the league makes you millions as long as you just have a decent stadium anywhere in the country why take the risk?

Not that he isn't above the hypocrisy, but lets be realistic here. We aren't the constituents the NFL cares about. The only group the NFL cares about significantly are its bankers. The bankers say Tags has been a screaming success. When he came in the league people were aghast at $200 million dollar sale prices on teams. People now don't flinch when a lousy team with a mediocre fan base sells for $550 million like the Falcons did some years ago.

Maybe the city of LA isn't willing to put up money but the fans sure would show up for a team in LA. This is the 2nd largest market in the country. If a team couldn't make a large profit here they couldn't do it anywhere.

There's more to the stink about LA not getting a team than just the city saying no. This is one of the biggest blunders in sports history.