An Open Letter to Commissioner Goodell

Dear "Commish,"

I saw an article on ESPN last week about you addressing the drop in NFL viewership.

You blamed a number of things; the debates, lack of competitiveness, and then you shifted the blame from things like the anthem protests and even said you're not really sure that you're actually losing viewers.

Well I can tell you, you are. And the problem starts with you.

You've lost your players, they don't like you. You come off as super unrelatable in interviews, so you lose the common fan. You're starting to lose the owners --- the only reason you even HAVE a job. You overstep your punishment bounds when you're angry...and then sometimes you do nothing. 

Like this week with Josh Brown. 

The Giants kicker ADMITTED to beating his wife. He thinks he's a God. He thinks she deserved it. 

YOU MOVED HER TO A DIFFERENT ROOM DURING THE PRO BOWL BECAUSE HE WAS HARASSING HER AND EVERYONE INVOLVED ACKNOWLEDGED SHE NEEDED SOME TYPE OF PROTECTION.

So how in the hell did he end up on any roster for this season?

And how is it a one week suspension for him?

Commissioner, I'm sure you're aware that for the first time in the last few years SNF is ranking #1 in TV ratings with the female demographic of 18-49 year olds. You have said yourself you have people analyzing loss of viewership.

Your shops sell tons of women's gear, probably even more than men's gear because guys will wear one jersey every game, and plenty women I know have to have a new outfit every week. (I'm one of those. I will very rarely repeat.)

Why in the world would you alienate that demographic?

You literally did not apologize for the uptick in calls for excessive celebration and unsportsmanlike conduct for guys celebrating on the field because they "are role models to young children everywhere."

Well guess what? I literally do not give one damn about whatever dance someone does in the end zone. I don't care if someone dances after sacking my quarterback. (I'm actually too busy yelling at someone on the offensive line.)

I do care that you just sent the message that beating women is not as bad as possibly deflating some footballs. 

That being a role model is simply limited to what people can see, not the admittance of their actions.

That I, as a female football fan, am only important to you as long as I'm buying bedazzled gear and tickets. Whatever it is that I do that continues to ensure you get your paychecks...and then your sleep well at night.

You can't preach about players being role models, and then drop the ball so royally.

If you really care about the NFL, and saving this league, then you'll step down. You'll let someone who hasn't lost every last shred of dignity they had left step in and try to save things. You would stop putting monetary profit above the wellbeing of your players and doing whatever it takes to preserve/increase those profits.

You would let someone who doesn't alienate a large part of it's fanbase by sending conflicting messages two year apart step in and clean up the mess you've made.

I think Sam Ponder summed it up best for me.

XOXO,

Kate

On the opposite side of the coin, Texans Wide Receiver DeAndre Hopkins is donating $1,000 for every touchdown he scores this month to raise awareness and provide assistance for DV victims. THIS is the link for the specific program he's supporting, but I encourage everyone to make a donation to any Domestic Violence Victim support program.  Many women are far too afraid to seek help or often feel powerless when they do. You can help. 

Thursday Night Football

Maybe it's because for the first time (...ever?) I'm actually paying attention to Thursday Night Football, but I realized this week just how incredibly stupid it is.

For those who don't personally know me and have stumbled across this blog, first, welcome, and second, you must know that I am a diehard Texans fan. It's a large (the only) reason why I actually am paying attention to TNF this week, along with the apparent tragedy that is, we picked navy blue color rush uniforms...and so did the Patriots. So these little beauties will not be making their 2016 debut.

(I say screw it- lets break em out for Deep Steel Sunday. They deserve to see a field.)

However, while I get the general discontent with being likely the only team that will not take the Thursday Night Football field in "color rush" uniforms in 2016, I just have a problem with the fact that NFL teams are taking the field on a Thursday night AT ALL.

You know for a league that's fighting a lot of backlash about caring about the safety of it's players-- enough that a major motion picture was made about what concussions are doing to ex players and how the league doesn't give a flying flip about it-- you would THINK they would take a step back and say, "is this potentially dangerous?"

"BUT KATE-- I READ AN ARTICLE THAT SAYS IT ISN'T BASED OFF GAME STATISTICS."

Yeah- so did I. A very very small sample size through the first 9 weeks of the season. Can you imagine how mad I would be if my team were already beat to hell-- which by the way, we are. We're currently missing 3 starters on the O-line-- and I had to play on short rest and prep in week 15? A time when nobody on the 53 man roster is feeling great.

Seriously, show me one NFL player that says in week 15 he's feeling great and I'll show you a damn liar.

We want guys to beat their bodies, and they do beat their bodies, to turn around and do it 96ish hours later?

Let's break down a normal NFL week.

Sunday- GAME DAY! they've stayed at a hotel the night before, rather home or away, they're up early, fed, at the field ready to go.
Monday- Treatments/Recovery/Start next game's film study.
Tuesday- off day, usually, but definitely some film study on your own. Do you want to be THAT guy that doesn't know what the heck is going on? Your mistakes are usually pretty public.
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday- practice/film/treatments
Saturday- walk through-- travel day/ general hotel day.

(Don't believe me? Here's a more detailed version.)

LATHER. RINSE. REPEAT.


Most NFL players will spend 20 hours a week looking at film. Let's go ahead and call that a conservative estimate. Some with their coaches, some on their own. Some teams have required quotas. Pretty much every team downloads film to your tablet now and time before bed, downtime on your couch, time on the treatment table is spent watching film.

Can you imagine squeezing your weeks worth of work into a few days?

And let's talk about those treatment tables...

Every elite coach, doctor, training facility, scientist, trainer...etc is in agreement that the most important component of performance is recovery. LITERALLY, THE MOST. YOU CANNOT GIVE FROM AN EMPTY BUCKET.


Look at this graphic, intended for baseball, but the most relevant to the point we're making here.

(Source: Ryan Faer**)


But the NFL has decided that this is not important, these are elite athletes, they can handle the unnecessary stress on their body and the potential dangers that come their way from performing at a suboptimal level for the sake of it taking over ANOTHER night on TV and making even more money.

Do you really want a still recovering from back surgery JJ Watt to play a game on such short rest so the NFL can make more money? I don't.

I wish I could tell everyone to boycott Thursday Night Football, to send a message that it's absurd that we're expecting this out of guys, but that would make me a hypocrite. I can't miss my Texans playing, especially with the QB situation that Belichick is currently in. (I don't wish injuries on anyone but my goodness grumpy Bill is my favorite Bill.) I can however say, that this is the only TNF I will be watching this year.

It seems insane to me that we're allowing a league to place money far above the potential safety of its employees’ wellbeing, but... this is the NFL we're talking about.


XOXO,
Kate




** Ryan is a really great resource for both training and nutrition with an emphasis in corrective exercises-- which I just love. If you are an athlete or have an athlete in the family, I can not recommend his blog enough. He's worked with both high school and elite professional athletes and is someone who puts out quality information for every level.