Jeff Bezos didn’t must buy the Washington Commanders.
He already owns your total NFL.
Amazon wasn’t completely satisfied that its Prime Thursday Night time Soccer rankings had been down late ultimate season, so commissioner Roger Goodell whipped up the votes to appease his streaming confederate this spring — fan flexibility and participant safety points be damned.
Not even vehement protests from Giants co-owner John Mara might cease the league’s 32 householders from approving a measure which will allow the NFL and Amazon to flex video video games to Thursday Night time Soccer twice this season between Weeks 13 and 17.
It handed by the minimal number of votes, 24-8, at a Monday afternoon meeting in Minneapolis. That is on excessive of Goodell and the home house owners passing a measure in March that allowed the NFL to schedule teams for two Thursday Night time video video games in a single season as a substitute of 1.
The flexed Thursday video video games must be flexed a minimal of 28 days earlier to the date, which is further uncover than the beforehand proposed 15-day interval. And the rule change is billed as a “one-season trial.”
However inside the event that the NFL and Amazon don’t flex the two video video games to Thursday this season, the measure would maintain in place for 2024.
So now, a family of 4 should purchase tickets in August to a December Sunday recreation and uncover out in November that the game is now on a Thursday night.
“I’m disenchanted, however actually not stunned,” Mara knowledgeable NFL Community.
The worst part of the home house owners passing this vote is how blatant their self-interest stands above any concern for touring followers or late-season participant effectively being.
Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones, as an example, recognized that solely seven p.c of NFL followers have ever been in a stadium, according to NFL Community. In numerous phrases, the NFL’s message to ticket-buying followers is: Hold spending your money, nevertheless you’re not our priority.
Unforgettably, Mara revealed in March that Goodell and the league had mainly bypassed the NFL’s authorities council and effectively being and safety committee to attempt to strain by the measure for its streaming confederate.
“Sooner or later, can we please give some consideration to the people who find themselves coming to the video games?” an incredulous Mara said then. “Individuals make plans to go to those video games weeks and months prematurely. And 15 days forward of time to say, ‘Sorry, of us, that sport you have been planning on taking your children to Sunday at one o’clock, it’s now gonna be Thursday night time.’”
Many coaches and players are additionally snickering on the NFL’s rivals committee citing “participant security” as its function for proposing a kickoff rule change whereas the home house owners push by further temporary weeks and Thursday flexes on excessive of the comparatively new 17-game widespread season schedule.
The Giants, Jets, Packers, Bears, Raiders, Lions, Bengals and Steelers all voted in opposition to the flexing proposal, according to ESPN. Sadly, Mara couldn’t drum up one more “nay.”
The Jets and Amazon are fascinatingly entangled in each other’s fortunes before now yr.
An unwatchable Jaguars 19-3 win over the Jets in Week 16 (thanks fairly a bit, Zach Wilson!) was one in every of many many stinkers that led to lower Thursday rankings late ultimate season. In order that recreation helped catalyze three huge developments, it appears: an Aaron Rodgers commerce to the Jets, elevated Thursday appearances for teams, and the flexing of Thursday Night time Soccer.
The Jets moreover accepted the possibility to host the Miami Dolphins in Amazon’s first-ever Black Friday recreation this November whereas concurrently voting in opposition to the flexing measure.
But nonetheless, for nearly the entire league’s householders, a money-making confederate took priority above one thing on Monday which, as Mara said, is disappointing nevertheless not stunning.
()
Originally posted 2023-05-23 00:55:39.