I remember it as if it was yesterday. It was a Sunday evening when the NFL flexed the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints game from a 1PM kick-off to a prime, 8:20PM kick-off. After all of the dust settled, it was becoming all a bit too much for me to handle.
I had to take a step back and let my mind wander as to why this was happening. Of course, the money had to be a major factor. We all know that, but it felt like the league was somewhat disrespecting the teams involved. It felt like the NFL just decided to make everyone take a back seat in this whole ordeal.
The whole situation genuinely made me mad. Teams were already working alongside each other to get the game designed, planned and ready to go — not to mention there are the fans that might’ve had to cancel flights and hotels.
It had an icky feeling whenever I thought of Roger Goodell and the company he’s helmed that made decisions favorable to the league and not its constituents. I mean here were two teams ready to go, refs ready to officiate, players ready to play and the league abruptly wheels it away from them.
It wasn’t fair and I made that vocalized. I voiced my outrage amongst my friends and colleagues over the cold and calculated manner the NFL as a whole approached this entire ordeal. It just rubbed me the wrong way that the league could do this to both teams “just because” and really not care how the teams responded.
It felt like the Eagles and Saints were just pawns in some giant chess game. The league was moving and shaking both teams around in ways that weren’t fair to either organization. Even with television viewership being down during the pandemic, flexing the game still felt like a selfish move.
Besides the imperiousness, it was very hard to shake the feeling of something bigger than just a simple switch of a game time. It felt like the league was a bit too powerful, and thus didn’t care for the impact their decisions had on others. To me, the switch from 1PM to 8:20PM was little more than a small example of how the NFL does business.
My mind kept telling me these decisions were made behind closed doors with little thought of how either team could prepare or adjust. It also felt rather paternalistic in a way; as if the league was just assuming the teams and fans would fall in line and take it as it’s served.
On further reflection, I become aware of how all this made us a bit powerless to the whole situation. It felt like the league was more powerful than anyone could have envisioned and that their decisions were becoming more and more intrusive.
When I hear people talk about the NFL flexing its muscle, I can only think back to when this all became more visible to me and how much things have shifted since then. Whether I agree or disagree with the league’s decision in this instance, I can at least agree that things were handled poorly.
For me, I’m becoming increasingly aware that the NFL just has its own way of going about things and often doesn’t care how it impacts everyone involved. It felt like the league had total control over what happened and what didn’t happen during this flexing.
It was also a great reminder of how powerful the league is and how they are continuing to hold more power every single day. This power affects everyone within the league, including players, coaches, organizations, fans, and of course, the league itself. The flexing of the Eagles and Saints game served as an example of this power and just how quickly the NFL can move and adjust when they feel it’s necessary.
It also made me question why the NFL flexed the game in the first place? I now think it was simply a reminder to not take anything for granted when it comes to the NFL and that sometimes things just don’t go as planned.
Sort of like a lesson to the fruits (us) of what can happen if we don’t pay attention to what the league is doing or thinking. We have to remain aware. It felt like the NFL was testing the waters and sending a message that the league will do whatever it wants, whenever it wants.
The whole ordeal still makes me a bit queasy to this day. But on the other end, I’m thankful that it served as a reminder of how powerful the NFL is and how things can veer off in non-traditional ways. It made me think about how much power is within the NFL as an organization and it definitely emboldened me to research and stay up to date on all the league’s functions and flexings.