Who's going to bring the pressure to make the NFL cave?

[Xenomorph]

Because from the business side of things, these are the articles that matter:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/09/25/70001101/1#.UGHNKrKPUl8

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Maybe if Vegas refuses to take bets on NFL games...

 

[Xenomorph]

Why would Vegas care?

Vegas doesn't care who wins. They only want to make the line so that 50% of the money is placed on each team.

But assuming Vegas would stop taking NFL bets (which is preposterous), why would the NFL even care about that? Gambling on games isn't part of their revenue stream.

 

[PONYfun]

Goodell is a puppet of the owners. The owners only care about the bottom line. RG can go around preaching the protection of "the shield" and the NFL brand, but at the end of the day the legitimacy of the league has no bearing on any of his decisions, including this one. For that reason, the power essentially rests with the consumers. Unless the teams start losing money, they aren't going to do anything about it.

I agree, the one "lobby" (for lack of a better term) that could change things are bookmakers. But they won't do anything until they lose money as well. And I don't see that happening right now.

 

[GloryDawg]

I think Vegas will figure out a way to compensate for the Refs in the lines.

 

[codeDawg]

Liability lawyers. What started as a injury risk mitigation strategy (I refuse to call it player safety), has turned into a pissing match. At some point someone is going to point out the potential liability of these refs being out there and it is going to come down to numbers. If it doesn't, somebody is going to get hurt, sue for failure to protect the players, and Goodell will be forced to take the fall. The story line around him with this and the Saints case will justify his removal.

 

[Xenomorph]

Goodell's removal?... Good God..

Check into how much value has been added to not only the league but individual franchises under Goodell's watch. They're closer to erecting a bronze statue of his cock on Park Avenue than they are removing him.

I get that you're bitter over the Saint's situation, but at least TRY to view the big picture.

 

[WrapItDog]

 

[codeDawg]

The big picture is a multi-billion dollar liability around long-term player injury that is the root of the Saints case (bounty) and the lockout (full-time vs. part-time refs). Goodell's job is to prevent that liability from becoming a judgement in a court of law. If he does allow that to happen as a result of a $4 million dollar pissing match with the referees, you bet his head will be the one on the block.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Ea$y.... the TV network$. Just follow the money.

 

[WrapItDog]

On Dan Patrick he said 68% of the money was bet on the packers. There was an estimated 150 million dollars bet world wide on the packers. The line was Packers -3 1/2. The blown call swung the bet from a win to a lose. A lot of gamblers/fans are pissed and won't be watching or gambling on this BS.

 

[tenureplan]

**Black Helicopter Warning**

Maybe some of these bad calls aren't bad calls at all. Perhaps some of these officials are in Vegas' pocket and get paid off if they can make the game swing the way Vegas wants.

They know that their jobs are just temporary, so what's stopping them from getting bought?

I made the comment last night that it was getting "boxing bad". Maybe that statement is more true than I thought.