How Twitter will Save the NFL

Full disclosure, I didn't come up with this idea on my own, I heard it from 'cousin Sal' while listening to the BS Report Pod Cast (which is great, by the way).

I think we learned a few things in the wake of the Jay Cutler ordeal.  Not the least of which is that as it turns out the media is not, in fact, the devil in the sports world.  We saw first hand that when given an unfiltered opportunity to express their feelings and opinions, a la twitter, that athletes will show their ass.  They don't need the media to 'spin' a story or misquote them, they get a chance to express their feelings immediately and without filter.  I was surprised to see how venomous the attacks against Cutler were, especially considering that they were coming from other current NFL players.  With that said, here's how twitter will eventually save the NFL.

It's nearly impossible to be an NFL fan right now and not know about the potential labor stoppage.  This weekend's Super Bowl could be that last NFL game that we see for a while if a deal doesn't get done.  When you listen to all the experts, it appears that if a deal doesn't get done by March (when the old agreement expires) then it might not get done for a long time.  Now, I don't know, or care, enough about the details to go through them here, but here's what makes some sense.  NFL players won't begin to lose paychecks until sometime in June.  They will continue to be paid until then.  So that's the magic month.  Start watching Twitter sometime around mid-June or early July and see what NFL players have to say.  We've already seen a few players come out with a public plea for a deal to get done.  Just wait until these same players start to not get paid.  Money motivates.  As soon as these dudes stop getting that check deposited into their accounts, they will start to get impatient.  DeMaurice Smith, the head of the NFLPA, had better be prepared to deal with some fall out if a deal isn't in place by June.  Players will start to tweet about their impatience and lack of confidence in the union and then Mr Smith will lose any perceived leverage that he has.  The bottom line is, the owners are going to get what they want.  The best you can hope for as a player is that you get a few concessions for agreeing to an 18 game schedule (which is a terrible idea, by the way).  I love football, I hope we don't miss anything, I hope there is a deal in place by March and things operate as normal.  But if not, watch the impact of Twitter, it will be significant.


TTFN.