Table of Contents
Problems
Over the current years, NFL has faced severe challenges relating to the business and the game itself. Concerning the game, there are anthem protests because the NFL owners try to make standing of players mandatory. Although the owners had previously joined the players in the sitting and kneel movement, they have now considered reversing the course to appease Trump to escape the tax laws. The players, therefore, have stood firm to embrace the kneeling movement to protest police brutality and racial injustices (Tiell et al. 363).
Also, handling of Domestic violence in NFL has been a significant problem over the past years. Most fans have turned away due to the problem. For instance, in 2014, Ray Rice received a suspension after the video captured the incidence of dragging his fiancée at New Jersey Casino complex (Hellen 2). The case tightened, and the backlash led the league to be strict on domestic violence.
In business, labor issues majorly involve wages and salaries, pensions, and healthcare benefits. However, NFL faces a dilemma in dealing with the labor issues. An average NFL player may play only for three years, but upon retirement, he may don’t get the pension (Sanson et al. 245). The ongoing labor problems had taken a severe financial toll. The payments in the league dropped and several networks cut.
Disappointing TV ratings have been a significant concern in the NFL business as a sport. The media executives have questioned whether there is too much football that the public does not like. The NFL game viewership has drastically reduced compared with the previous years. Despite the NFL’s effort in the marketing of the games, oversaturation has been the primary cause of decreased TV ratings.
Solutions
The protest is polarizing issues since the people think about the discrimination most of the time. Most of the time the players use games and the networks to speak about the social changes. The network should, therefore, report the protests without airing them. However, they should be careful about whom they serve. The networks should never ignore the protests but instead focus on the broadcast. The networks should not report the protest in a way that they inflame the viewers and advertisers rather than focusing on the needs of the players.
To solve the domestic violence issues, NFL has created conversions on the pressing problems with Joyful Heart Foundations. The league has achieved the act by airing a DV/SA PSA ad during the Super Bowl. Also, the NFL is expanding the awareness to promote the characters of the youths. The NFL has supported programs on domestic violence educating the players, coaches, and managers (Hellen 21). In 2014, they released “A call to caches program.
To solve labor issues, Tagliabue implemented an idea where labor strife could be resolved by merely establishing business opportunities. He, therefore, sued the bars which had purchased the satellite dishes to pick signals for NFL game. However, the solution came when the NFL started the “Sunday Ticket” that ensure DirecTV pays NFL $1.5 billion a year to access NFL games leading to the payment of various labor problems (Matthew 223.
NFL should, therefore, lower the numbers of games on the TNF and in London. The change in the supply and demand model has brought a challenge to NFL. Apart from the regular Sunday and Monday night, the league has expanded other weekdays to stream the games online. NFL should reduce the number of TNF games as the broadcast which is lengthy wears out most fans.
- Hellen.A.Drew. To protect the shield: Combatting Domestic Violence in the NFL. 2015. Pg 1-21.
- Matthew Futterman. Players: How Sport Became a Business. 2017. Pg 223.
- Sanson, Kevin, and Michael Curtin. Voices of Labor: Creativity, Craft, and Conflict in Global Hollywood. S .l.: University of California Press, 2017. Internet resource. pg 245
- Tiell, Bonnie, and Kelley Walton. Human Resources in Sports: A Managerial Approach. , 2017. pg 363 Print.