by Andy | Dec 10, 2010 | Hall of Fame, NFL History
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced plans to renovate a portion of its existing structure and expand from 83,000 square feet to 124,000 square feet in a $23.6 million project that will take two years to complete.
The “Future 50 Project” will wrap up during the 50th Anniversary of the hall’s opening and will lay the foundation for the building’s next 50 years of operations, according to a statement.
“The growth and accomplishments of the Pro Football Hall of Fame during its first 50 years are widely acclaimed,” said Steve Perry, president and executive director. “It’s great that we are able to build upon the success of the past and initiate this major project to set the stage for success in the future.”
The project will include: (more…)
by Andy | Nov 21, 2010 | Business of Football
Soon after my wife and I moved into the same house I was watching an NFL game in front of the basement television when she sat down beside me. She watched silently for a few minutes, then said “Who designed those terrible outfits?”
I don’t remember who was playing during that game. It might have been Detroit and Tampa Bay or some other out-of-market game I had on after watching the Vikings complete their game for the day.
With Nike taking over NFL uniforms sometime during the next couple seasons, there is a good chance any time she sits down with me to watch a game (a rare occurrence) that she’ll be saying the same thing more emphatically.
I found out recently that Nike was to soon take over the production of NFL jerseys from a post on the website for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, which indicated that the company planned to “dramatically” change the Vikings’ jerseys – and likely those of the other NFL teams.
This scared me a bit because Nike is responsible for the yellow/green/checkerboard hideous things resembling jerseys that the Oregon Ducks wear for their NCAA games. The different combinations could not possibly be more disgusting, ranging in ridiculousness from banana yellow to something (I think) slightly darker than baby poop green, some of which have checkerboard designs on the shoulder pads and knees. I think the Ducks are the best team in college football this season. I think their uniforms are the worst college football has seen since I’ve been watching football.
Well, something called BusinessInsider.com has published potential uniforms for each of the NFL’s 32 teams. Reportedly they are fake, according to sports business reporting guru Darren Rovell’s twitter status.
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by Andy | Nov 4, 2010 | 2010 season, NFL Random Thoughts
Picture 1998. Randy Moss is a rookie. He’s ticked. Twenty teams passed on him in the draft before Minnesota took him in the draft. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. All season long he runs straight down the field. Randall Cunningham wings the ball deep. As often as not Moss catches it for a big play.
Moss tallied 17 touchdowns that season, tied for the second most prolific of his amazing and enigmatic career.
Now it’s 2010. He’s definitely no longer a rookie but Randy Moss, despite having lost a step or two, is still extremely athletic and able to trick defensive backs into thinking he has no chance to make a play only to suddenly snag the ball before it hits the turf … when he wants to. Will the Tennessee Titans figure out a way to coax the mercurial wide receiver into maximizing those talents this season now that they have claimed Moss off waivers?
Time will tell. But there are some interesting similarities between his situation in 1998 and his situation now that lead me to believe Jeff Fisher and the titans might have a chance to make this move really pay off.
Randall Cunningham was the Vikings quarterback most of 1998. He was not always the most accurate passer, nor was he always adept at reading defenses. But he was incredibly athletic, moving around to make plays, and he had a fantastic arm. I remember watching some of those long passes rainbow through the air seemingly forever, which gave Moss time to make a move, speed up, slow down, come back to the ball or do something else spectacular in order to make a play.
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by Andy | Oct 19, 2010 | Business of Football
It’s really annoying and stupefying to me that during a time when the country’s economy is teetering somewhere between stagnant and borderline recovery that the billionaire owners of NFL franchises and the NFL Players Association, which represents many, many millionaire players, can’t come together on a deal that makes sense for both sides.
For more than a year now the rhetoric going back and forth has led me to believe that neither side is all that interested in meeting in the middle to get a deal done.
I don’t really have a side in this fight. There’s plenty of damn money to go around. Figure out how to slice the pie and make sure there is a season in 2011. That’s the only thing I care about.
I found it more than a little ridiculous that the NFLPA took the time to get into a snit with three fans over the twitter handle @NFLLockout. The union attempted to negotiate with the three fans, who, according to Darren Rovell’s story here attached, had used the account to post updates on labor negotiations and occasionally tweak people involved with the league who make ridiculous statements, such as when Anquan Boldin allegedly said players aren’t really as rich as they seem because they have to pay taxes.
That brilliant one-liner, again uttered during a time when the country’s unemployment rate is as high as it’s been in years, reminded me a lot of the old Patrick Ewing line from the NBA lockout a few years back about how yes, players make a lot of money but they spend a lot too. Thank you, Mr. Einstein.
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by Andy | Oct 12, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts
Everyone who pays attention knows there’s a sleazy side of professional sports. College players and agents and money under the table …
Sports Illustrated has an account from Josh Luchs, formerly an NFL agent, where he comes clean on what it took for him to get started in the business and on his exit as well.
I can’t do it any more justice than the story did itself. Click here to go to the story.
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