Thursday, January 05, 2006

Tagliabue, the Dictator?

The NFL got some bad press this week … and shockingly enough, it had nothing to do with Terrell Owens. Tagliabue and his cronies decided that during the half-time show – a show featuring the greatest rock and roll band in the world, that the 2000-or-so fans that will be enjoying the show on the field must be between 18 and 45 years old.

Now, I understand the logistics of this. The NFL (and the Stones) want to project themselves as young and hip. Having octogenarians keeling over on the field would be unsightly, and would probably add another15 minutes to the half-time show (what, with the removal of said carcasses).

However, the Stones have been around since 1962, and gained most of their popularity (and fans) in the earlier years. Sure, they continue to gain fans on a daily basis, but I’m guessing they have a large chunk of fans that are over the age of 45 (Mick is 62 for crying out loud).

Isn’t there grounds for some sort of lawsuit here? Has the NFL overstepped its bounds with this? Will this whole situation make people forget about the Janet Jackson “flat-tire” half-time disaster?

I’m sure the NFL will come through this fine, and yes, I’ll still watch the show (and no, I’ve lost no respect for the Stones – I mean, hey, I still think Mick is cool, even though he slept with David Bowie). I just get this feeling that Tagliabue is getting increasingly more drunk with power (I still have an issue with the NFL for strong-arming ESPN in canceling Playmakers). Someday, and it may be soon (see all the news stories about the problems the NFL is having with the players association over the new CBA), Tagliabue may find himself in a position similar to Hitler’s and Saddam’s last days (ass-up, ready for penetration).

1 comment:

The Rev said...

Actually, there is also no lawsuit to be had because the people being recruited are being asked to volunteer. No payment is being given for this. And from what I hear, they only get to be in the tunnel for the entire first half beforehand. They don't get to watch the game.

It's basically a casting call for a television segment, and casting calls require actors with age limits all the time even for the paid jobs.

The NFL has not overstepped it's bounds with this. There are plenty of other ways the NFL oversteps its bounds. This is not one of them.