Is Roger Goodell Good For the NFL?

[sportscurmudgeon]

Roger Goodell seems to be a double-edged sword for the league.

On his watch, the league has set humongous TV ratings records and since the bulk of the mone comes from TV, that has to be a big plus for him - - - even if he was not uniquely responsible for the soaring ratings.

On his watch, the league has taken a very proactive position - - bolstered by huge PR/communications efforts - - to protect its workforce (the players). That goes over well with the vast majority of adult fans.

On his watch, the NFL is on the brink of a work stoppage - - the first in two decades or so. That is not completely of his doing but it happened on his watch.

With regard to the "games in England", they make economic sense but no sense at all in any other dimension. Consider that the Cardinals are a strong candidate to be in the "London game" next year and it would be one of the Cards' home games. The Cards probably will not sell out more than once next season so a huge crowd in London (maybe 80,000 fans) makes economic sense for them. Of course the 12 hour flight each way from Phoenix to London and a half-dozen other factors make no sense for the Cards...

Is Roger Goodell good for the NFL? If they can pull off a CBA without losing any time in training camp, I would say the answer is YES on balance.