One of the reasons I was glued to the TV, among other things, was because I had fantasy football players participating in the games. A few in my season-long league with friends, (which by the way has a pretty nice chunk of change payout when the season ends,) and several players in my lineup on a daily fantasy site.
There were millions of Americans just like me watching these games, more invested in the games, having more fun watching the games, and generally caring more about it.
The big payout on my daily fantasy contest this week is a net profit of four dollars. I won’t lose sleep over the four dollars, but my Sunday was much more entertaining and the somewhat boring schedule became a lot more fun to watch.
So when I read the commissioner basically said that daily fantasy is about the money and season-long fantasy is only about the comradery and genuine love of the game, I beg to differ.
There is a rigorous debate on both sides regarding whether or not daily fantasy sports should be legal. The state of New York just banned it and more states may do so in the future.
But when NFL owners like Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones invest in it, the NFL airs 50 DraftKings commercials in the span of a three-hour football game, and the pre-game show is telling you who your best picks for the week are on DraftKings, it leads me to believe the commissioner is being hypocritical with his latest statements on daily fantasy games.
He seems to have no problem with DraftKings being “official partner” of the NFL, and essentially promoting their league by getting more viewers and spending money on advertising, but he’s SO CONCERNED about the well-being of his fans.
All this time that Goodell is considering how much he cares about the impact of daily fantasy games, “alleged” wife-beaters are allowed to wear the shield on their jersey and collect inordinate sums of money, being validated that they are valuable members of the league.
All this time that Goodell is worrying about Matt Medley placing a four-dollar bet on a DraftKings lineup, player after player is suffering from brain damage related to concussions, some leading to CTE and death, and the NFL is desperately trying to sweep under the rug, with settlement checks, the catastrophic impact that head injuries have on ex-NFL players’ lives.
All this time that Goodell is speaking at a forum in Minneapolis about DraftKings and FanDuel, is time he could be explaining what the league is doing with regards to the most injury-plagued season we have seen in recent memory. But player safety has never been higher, right commish?
He could be justifying why a piece of scum, I mean great pass-rusher on the edge, Greg Hardy is making $11 million this season.
But those topics don’t make the league look great. So let’s hear more about how much he cares about making sure the fans are not being taken advantage of. Like buying a $100 jersey, spending $60 a ticket, $10 a beer, and $6 for a hot dog isn’t highway robbery in itself.
Nevertheless, I’m not going to boycott the league, I’m not going to write a letter to the NFL offices that some secretary will shred without reading. I’m not going to drive to Dallas and picket outside the Cowboys game.
I’m going to set my lineup next Thursday, with the four dollars I win this week, and be glued to the TV hoping my players do well, because lord knows the Cleveland Browns don’t give me a reason to watch. And with more than half teams in the league with records of .500 or worse, I need something to keep me going.
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