We are just seeing the first hints of light, as the 2004 season prepares to
dawn. Still, it is the past which echoes through
today's
newswire as we count down the days to the beginning of training camp.
The sudden retirement of Dolphin running back Ricky Williams brings back
memories of the legendary Jim Brown, who retired after the 1965 season to seek a
career in acting. In fact, the Palm Beach Post
even hints that Brown might have something to do with Williams' decision. In
Detroit, they're living the Barry Sanders surprise all over again as well.
Williams decision to retire also prompts Terry Pluto to ponder
what-if scenarios around the 1999 NFL Draft. While the Browns were overtly
circling quarterbacks, there was a constant thread of speculation that the team
might go in a different direction and pick Williams. As it turns out, the right
choice would have been about fifth on the team's list - Donovan McNabb. The
value of 20-20 hindsight has never been more apparent than when looking back at
the Browns first two drafts.
Another, more personal, echo from the past can be found
about halfway through Roger Brown's media column. After his comments on the
Indians rating success, the Plain Dealer's media watcher discusses the Browns
desire to completely produce their own TV programs, and how that will effect
their relationship with local TV station WKYC. Brown discusses the obvious
worries about the team's ability to be objective when covering itself.
That is a concern, and a very valid one. But I have another, because I
remember 1995.
Shortly after Art Modell declared his intention to move the team to
Baltimore, media coverage of Browns fans protests helped turn the move into an
issue that required the NFL to respond. The Sports Illustrated cover, with
Modell sucker-punching a dawg representing Browns fans, still can be seen in my
mind's eye.
Still, the NFL could use its muscle to silence the fans. I vividly remember
an ABC Monday Night Football game against the Steelers, when the network served
as a platform for the league's apologists. From the commentators excuse-making
for Modell's betrayal, to the refusal to show Browns and Steeler fans in the
stadium, the broadcast was a display of the league's sometimes ruthless use of
media power.
When was the last time you watched a football game where they never showed
fans in the stands? If you were watching that night, you saw one.
As much as we love the game, it is controlled by a giant business which is
always looking to push its profit margins higher.
An independent media has helped to keep the NFL monster under control in
times like the horrible winter of 1995. But what happens when the NFL controls
the media?
We've already seen it. We saw it on a Monday night in 1995.
Naturally, my worries are compounded by my job as managing editor here.
Bernie's Insiders is an independent media outlet and the NFL is a formidable
competitor with giant vaults of cash. But I worry even more about the future.
The more that the NFL directly controls the media, the less options fans will
have when something goes wrong. The less help fans will have to change things
and make their voices heard.
When big business and money is involved, at some point, push comes to shove.
As we've learned in Cleveland, when that happens, it's always the fans who
get shoved.
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LINK:
Today's
Newswire
URL: http://www.fanmonster.com/browns/news/btng_newswire.asp
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