No Fun League Strikes Again with Captain Morgan

by | Nov 12, 2009 | No Fun League

During the 3rd quarter of last Sunday nights Dallas Cowboys/Philadelphia Eagles game, Eagles TE Brent Celek scored an 11-yard touchdown, and promptly struck a pose intended to mimic the pose of Captain Morgan on their bottles of tasty spiced rum.

Celek was penalized 15-yards (thanks to teammate Jason Avant), but the league has now come down even harder–for once not fining the player involved, but announcing that any future similar poses would result in “significant” penalties.

The problem, in the league’s eyes, is that they caught wind that Captain Morgan had quietly been trying to encourage players to strike the pose, promising charitable donations made on behalf of the players that struck the pose.

“A company can’t pay a player to somehow promote it’s product on the field,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Yahoo! Sports this week. “Every league has the same rule. … It’s come up before, companies trying to use our games and then players for ambush marketing purposes.”

Of course, in the end, Captain Morgan still is getting plenty of publicity–while Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a non-profit which helps retired NFL players with various hardships after leaving the game, will likely now not get some sizable donations that may have been heading their way.

While it makes a certain amount of sense that the NFL wants to limit the kind of celebrations that may be rewarding players–especially if they’re not getting their cut–but one does wonder if it will be a difficult one to police.  After all, what’s to stop a company from making their logo the image of someone spiking a ball, or dumping Gatorade on someone, or some other common celebration that already exists?

And don’t even get me started on the league allowing celebrations in some stadiums that wouldn’t allowed in others…<cough>Lambeau Leap<cough>

NFL Changes Social Media Policy

by | Sep 3, 2009 | Business of Football, No Fun League

The National Football League, despite encouraging players to connect with fans with new media tools such as Twitter, has updated it’s social media policy to largely outlaw usage of such tools by players, coaches, and media during games.  The policy includes other social media tools, such as Facebook, and extends for 90 minutes before the game, and until post game interviews are done.

The new policy also includes representatives of players–so players like Chris Cooley, who regularly blogs throughout the year, including during the season and on game days, might be in hot water if his brother (who manages his site, and regularly posts there as well) are posting on game days.

(more…)

NFL policy on fines is a fraud

by | Dec 5, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts, No Fun League

Per KFAN-AM radio this evening:

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen fined $10,000 for using the ball as a prop during a celebration during Sunday night’s game against Chicago.

Chicago Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye fined $0 for his unpenalized late hit on Gus Frerotte.

Yes, Frerotte flopped a bit. But that hit was still about eight minutes after Frerotte threw the ball. The big money fines being handed out all season have been under the guise of “protecting defenseless players.” Which of these incidents carried more danger to any of the players in question?

NFL Director of Officiating Mike Pereira, this is a joke. If this information is accurate and this is how you are handing out fines, you and your policies are absolutely defenseless and fraudulent.

The Hypocritical NFL

by | Jul 23, 2008 | Business of Football, No Fun League

The NFL is all about money–money from ticket sales, money from jersey sales, money from the networks.  Money from the networks that they make by selling sponsorships and ads.  Often sponsorships and ads from beer companies.

However, when it comes to the players, beer and alcohol is a no no–at least for endorsements.  That’s why Charles Woodson can’t promote his wine, called TwentyFour.  The NFL apparently sent Woodson a letter, saying:

…any interviews supporting alcohol would be seen as an endorsement and “may have a detrimental effect on the great number of young fans who follow our game.”

Like the article we linked to, we find it amazing that the NFL can promote as much beer as they want, but a player can’t promote his own line of wine.  And yet we find it somewhat surprising that the simple act of having a wine isn’t enough ‘endorsement’ to get the league to put it’s foot down.

And we’re going to go out on a limb, and say that Woodson developed his taste for wine in his playing days in Oakland–not Green Bay.