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NFL Report: The Commissioner’s View -- Winter
2002-02 Like the rest of the nation, the NFL faces a host of new challenges as a result of what happened to our nation on September 11. It has been said that September 11 is “the day the world changed.” We feel the changes everyday. The first week of the
season seems a long time ago. We had played an exciting schedule of opening
games, with President Bush tossing the coin from the Rose Garden to help us
start the season. We were off to a big start. Then came September 11, and
suddenly we all were dealing with dramatically changed times and
uncertainties. Since then, the NFL and its teams have addressed an unprecedented set of issues, including the postponement of our week 2 games and the need to make security our number-one priority. Looking ahead, the ultimate question is: What are the implications of these current events on the NFL’s future? Some things, of necessity, will never be the same. For us, that starts with security. Experienced senior executives on our staff and with our clubs are focused on security and safety planning. We have retained world-class outside specialists to assist us. We will continue to invest significant resources in both security personnel and infrastructure. The business climate is a concern for everyone. But it is important to recognize what many experts say: (1) Predictions about the future of the economy are useless, and (2) the American economy, which is fundamentally sound, has been extremely resilient for the past 60 years. In our own corner of the world, there is good news. We remain the most attractive programming on television. Traffic on the NFL Internet network of club and league sites has increased dramatically in the first year of our new online partnership with AOL/Time Warner, Viacom, and CBS. Our consumer products business is on the rebound. Ticket sales and game attendance are holding their own. Most important, the game on the field continues to be highly competitive and exciting. Once again, we are presenting a season of surprises to NFL fans. The unpredictability of our games has become a clearly recognized strength of the league. Another area affected profoundly by the events of September 11 concerns leadership and value systems. Our role in society has given us special responsibilities. We have an opportunity to be leaders now by being positive and setting the right tone for the millions of people watching us. In many ways, we are the keepers of the nation’s mood. We also have an obligation to reflect important national values—the need for tolerance and diversity, for respect of others and their beliefs. It is our ongoing challenge, with new meaning today. A big test of our leadership will be how we present our postseason, especially the Super Bowl. Our goal is to have the best postseason and Super Bowl that the NFL ever has had. We have an opportunity to capture and lift the spirit of America. It will not be business as usual. We will do a lot of things differently, but we still expect the Super Bowl to be the number-one sporting event in America and a great experience for our fans. That is how we are approaching our new world. Of necessity,
we have changed how we operate, but we are going forward with renewed
strength to continue to be the best at what we do—to present great football
and to lift the national spirit through the unique role we play in our
communities.
Paul Tagliabue |