The on-field world of the National Football League can be engrossing and addicting. It's designed, at least, in theory, to be unpredictable in its results - making the five-month season something of a thrill ride for followers. That's why stadiums are sold out, and why the list of the most popular television broadcasts in a given year are absolutely dominated by NFL games.
Even so, the off-the-field activities can be fascinating as well - maybe not quite as fascinating as the games, but they have a huge impact on America's favorite sport. The NFL is all about growing the game, which translates to growing the profits for the owners. To be fair, the players also get a share of that money, so they usually aren't upset when revenues go up either. There's plenty of cash to go around.
The New York Times decided some years ago that the league itself and its dealings were worth covering on their own. Ken Belson picked up that assignment, and he's been on the job since then. It's not like he's had much down time during that span. What's more, he's been taking notes and writing stories about what has gone on over the years.
Now he's emptied the notebook and dusted off the files in order to write a book on those years, "Every Day is Sunday." It's a solid look back at what's been going on in that span and beyond.
The stars of the show are three different men. One, naturally, is the Commissioner. Roger Goodell by most standards has been effective in that role. He knows that his major goal is to keep the owners' accountants happy, and by all accounts he has done that. The value of NFL franchises has grown tremendously in recent years. Owners were never exactly candidates for financial aid, but lately only the super-super rich needed to apply to join the NFL club as entry fees (the cost of buying the team) has flown past $1 billion and into the mid-10 figures range. We might not be far from going into 11-figures ($10 billion) in the relatively near future.
There's some good background information here on Goodell, who never has been a particularly warm and fuzzy public figure. There have been some slips along the way, but they haven't forced the league to change course very often. It's good to read something about Goodell's personal story and his overall philosophy regarding the job.
Coming in just behind Goodell in terms of importance to the book are two owners: Jerry Jones and Bob Kraft. They take different approaches but are still the Biggest Dogs in a room full of them at owners' meetings. The personalities, however, are different. Jones is something of a rebel, always taking care to put the Dallas Cowboys first on his agenda - even if it may not go over well with his partners. Meanwhile, Kraft is more conciliatory. He often tries to bring parties together in the best interest of everyone. That can be thankless, but he's done it well. Both men are in the 80s, and both men have maintained their leadership spots for quite a while.
Colson dedicates a chapter to most of the big issues that have come up over the years, even going back in time. For example, the NFL's jump to Fox Sports in the 1990s had a seismic effect on the broadcasting landscape, and not just in sports. It proved to be a huge move for Fox as it tried (and succeeded) in becoming the fourth major broadcast network. There are stories about franchise moves, poor player behavior, collective bargaining, the Colin Kaepernick saga (which affected free speech standards and team/player relations), and the continued rise of the Super Bowl as a quasi-national holiday. That's a good list by anyone's standards.
Closer to home here in Buffalo, it was with some interest that there were a couple of references to Buffalo Bills' owner Terry Pegula along the way. It's interesting to see how Pegula has leaned on Jones for advice and guidance in several league matters since arriving in the Owners' Club. Pegula's predecessor, Ralph Wilson, didn't get along that well with Jones on policy matters involving the league, so the newcomer has flipped the script. At one point, Colson describes Pegula trying to solve a problem involving the league with a proposal at a meeting which was not only wrong, but almost painfully wrong. Terry has never been a particularly good speaker anyway, and it sounds like Pegula's opinion in league affairs has zero sway with anyone else in the league.
"Every Day is Sunday" may not have any great revelations in it about league affairs. Still, for those who haven't been paying attention to what's been going on with the league between Sundays, this is a good course on that subject. Meanwhile, those who do enjoy coverage of the NFL as a whole will find the behind-the-scenes information passed along at times to be quite interesting. Put those two aspects together, and the result is a worthwhile read for most football fans.
Four stars
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