Are you ready for some football?

Same here.

My favorite season is back and, like all football fans, I can’t wait for the action to begin.

It was another fascinating offseason in the ever-competitive NFL, a time when each team was reborn in its own way, some dramatically and others in more subtle fashion. Italso was an offseason of progress for the league in several important ways, particularly in terms of stadiums and stability.

Now it’s time to play football again. Kickoff Weekend is here, and that means the next five months will be filled with the incomparable drama of the annual race to the Super Bowl.

As each season begins, I often am asked about the current priorities of the league. The important issues all revolve around the hub of the enterprise—the game on the field. In looking ahead to the 1997 season, here are some of the initiatives we will be working on while we all enjoy another season of great football:

• Collective Bargaining Agreement. There are at least four more NFL seasons of labor peace (1997-2000), but we are working now with the Players Association to extend and improve the agreement for the benefit of teams, players, and fans.

• Stadiums and League Development. Building on our recent success in developing stadium partnerships between NFL teams and their communities is a major priority. Our goal is for all our teams to play in state-of-the-art facilities in their existing markets. And our focus must include not only how to finance stadiums, but also how to build them to please and serve the fans. The stadium issue also plays a role in franchise development and our upcoming decisions on a team for Cleveland and our desire to return to Los Angeles.

• Television. A new series of NFL television contracts will be negotiated this fall. It is critically important that we continue to deliver great, innovative television that is widely accessible to the millions of fans who love our game.

• Personal Conduct. We have been working on a variety of programs to promote responsible behavior by everyone in the NFL. The message is simple: In our league, you have to play fair and play by the rules on and off the field. This initiative includes the environment at stadiums as it relates to the comfort and safety of our fans.

• Youth Football. Supporting the game at the amateur level is another key priority. Programs such as Punt, Pass & Kick, NFL Flag, the NFL High School Quarterback Challenge, our high school coaching awards, plus our eligibility rules that encourage college players to stay in school are designed to support a common goal: to ensure the appeal of the game to future generations.

If we continue to make progress in all these areas, we will strengthen the stability that serves as the underpinning of fan loyalty and tradition in sports.

At this point, I know what you’re thinking, and I agree. Enough of all the high-minded talk. Let’s play football!