Herr Goodell wants uniformity.

[OSUFan_88]

Quote: Originally Posted by The C

It isn't worth fining a player over anything unless it conflicts with a sponsor or poses a health risk. Player X wants to wear short socks? Let him. It won't hurt anybody. Player Y has his jersey untucked? Who gives a damn. It isn't worthy of a fine because it does nothing to the NFL or anyone. While fining isn't some great injustice, it's just ****ing stupid.

I agree it's stupid, but still...it's only $5,000, which to a player would be like a $50 fine.

[The C]

Quote: Originally Posted by OSUFan_88

I agree it's stupid, but still...it's only $5,000, which to a player would be like a $50 fine.

While true, I'd rather they not lose the money.

Unless they can write this off as a charity donation.

[JBH3]

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

And like I said, you can have uniformity without micromanaging down to the milimeter. There is no revenue to be lost because of the length of a player's towel or whether his pants cover the knee or not.

Perhaps the length of a towell depends on whether or not it's covering a branded logo? Hmmm...like WAZZ's post mentions.

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

Not to that extent, unless you're in the military. You may have a suit & tie dress code at work in a business environment but you're not having the color of your tie or the cut of your suit dictated to you.

Well at work at my desk job...am I sponsored by Dockers?

It's all about sponsorship.

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

And before you ask....yes, i've served in the military. Honorably Discharged as a Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5) in the USCG from 02-06 with a 6 month TAD tour in the Persian Gulf in 03. So spare me the condascension.

The Coast Guard is the military? J/K .

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

The fans have by and large expressed disgust at the league's attempts to clamp down on in-game individuality. You want to know why corporations pay to advertise with the NFL? Because fans are watching. Fans and players make the league, not the NFL's investors. If fans didn't show up or tune in on Sunday, the NFL would fold on Monday. And I'd LOVE to see the NFL take a hardline stance and threaten guys like Brady or Manning with banishment is they didn't "get in line". People watch because of the talent, not because they're in love with the NFL shield.

Yet the fans still attend games in droves. Take Redskins fans for example, since Snyder has taken over ownership everything has increased in price exponentially. Yet, they still have a HUGE waiting list for season tickets, and draw a very sizeable crowd for the league's largest venue.

IF the league did take a hardline stance what would Peyton and Brady do?

The NBA PA tried this years ago, and players started going broke and had no choice to come back.

The Peyton's and Brady's, ones w/ endorsements, who may or may not manage their money well but have more than the avg. player wouldn't even be affected. They'd likely be left or forced back into work because a vast majority of players w/o their salaries would be put in the hurt locker.

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

That's a poor example............a guy who just got out of federal prison and a guy who just killed somebody. Yeah....that's a real accurate representation of the NFL player base.

Really it is? What else, like a vast majority of these players, be doing right now if not for football?

Vick and Stallworth I'm sure realize that their best quality of life comes from being a football player, but due to personal transgressions and bad decisions they may have pissed it all away.

Quote: Originally Posted by WazzuRC

Somewhat off-topic but I was sitting with the Director of Sponorships for Washington State Athletics during a televised football game and he fielded 4 different calls from Nike reps wondering why the quarterback's ankles were taped covering the Nike logo. They were showing his footwork and you couldn't see the Nike logo on-screen since he had taped ankles. So multimillion dollar corporations do get pissed at really small details.

Thanks for this!

[N51_rob]

My whole thing is in corporate america you are expected to dress a certain way. Suit, tie etc. I get that and I understand that. They don't say only black suits, white shirts and black ties. They give some leeway for individuals. The NFL isn't like that. There should be guidelines with room for the player to interpret. In the two pictures I posted earlier neither of those players looks to be trying to subvert the rules for personal attention.

JBH, your Clinton Portis references are spot on. I can support the rules in cases where a player is trying to promote himself through his uniform. That is where the fines should be left. Larry and Donovan's "uniform infractions" IMO shouldn't be.

I get this being fined.

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by The C

While true, I'd rather they not lose the money. Unless they can write this off as a charity donation.

They don't have to lose a dime. I'd be more outraged if it was something like asking them to waste time going over all these rules and going out of their way to make sure every detail was addressed. All they're asked to do is NOT do anything different than what the people paid to know this stuff tell them to do. It's simple. It's easier to follow the rules than to break them. Since players would break them anyway, it'll cost them money to go through that extra effort.

[JBH3]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jet Sufferer

It's a business. Isn't that what the players say when they hold out for more money?? It's a multi-billion dollar business, the NFL has a right to set standards, it's an exclusive club and marketed as such, very successfully I might add. The NFL is helping a lot of people make a lot of money. Look up the DEFINITION of "uniform". 1. identical or consistent, as from example to example, place to place, or moment to moment: uniform spelling; a uniform building code. 2. without variations in detail: uniform output; a uniform surface. 3. constant; unvarying; undeviating: uniform kindness; uniform velocity. 4. constituting part of a uniform: to be issued uniform shoes. 5. Mathematics. occurring in a manner independent of some variable, parameter, function, etc.: a uniform bound. –noun 6. an identifying outfit or style of dress worn by the members of a given profession, organization, or rank. 7. a word used in communications to represent the letter U. –verb (used with object) 8. to make uniform or standard. 9. to clothe in or furnish with a uniform. So the NFL wants UNIFORMITY in their uniforms. Well, I guess that makes them Nazi's and Goodell Hitler as implied by the "Herr Goodell" title of this thread. You want to be an individual, do it on your own time. When you're granted the PRIVILEGE of playing in the National Football League, they would like their UNIFORMS to be UNIFORM for 3 hours on Sunday, Oh the horror!!!!!! It's a TEAM sport, not an individuality look at me show, Goodell isn't making them laser off their tattoos. The NFL tailors THEIR product to make it look the best for television. I always think of the NFL films slow motion shot of the Dallas Cowboys in the 70's on offense coming to the line of scrimmage, every player moving perfectly in time, uniforms perfect, coming set together, all moving perfectly at the snap of the ball. You were facing a machine, everyone's uniform was perfect, they were drilled, disciplined and calculating. Sloppy uniforms just don't look right when you're part of a machine, a TEAM. Sports are big business, free agents, etc. Ever hear the phrase "you root for the uniform"? Well you do, that's YOUR team, the team you've been rooting for since you were a kid. Now you've got new guys on "YOUR" team every year, some you like, some you don't, but it's still "YOUR" team. Look at all the war analogies in football (not exactly fair to guys who actually risk DYING in war, but I digress). The battle in the trenches, the bomb, the fighting for every yard, field position, Football is War, etc. Football is the most militaristic sport, uniforms matter to the military and they matter in football. These guys have all the time in the world to be individuals with Twitter, etc., like you mentioned. Many guys resent the publicity whores because they're SUPPOSED to be a team. Some "rebels" cry because they can't advertise themselves on the NFL's dime, boo hoo. How many people are buying the 360 version of Madden over the PS3 because the helmets shine better on the 360????? Look at the tons of uniform questions and threads on here, some of you actually agree with the NFL and don't even know it, you've grown to love the uniforms and the uniformity they have always strived for. Who doesn't love to look down the line and see these, beautiful shiny helmets facing one another, poised to battle. Good for the NFL, they've always done it right, and their strategy has made Football the NEW national past time, overtaking baseball, which years ago, seemed impossible.

Quote: Originally Posted by wwharton

So Goodell should go to battle with corporate sponsors playing a financial game of chicken so that players can wear the hats they want on the sideline or some colored tape on their shoes? Bottom line is, there are people being paid on every team to make sure that every player is dressed properly. Players have to actually go out of their way to violate any of these rules. The level of detail in each rule is to eliminate any loophole that some "me first" player will go to extra lengths to find. The amount of the fine is to discourage that same "me first" player from saying "Screw these rules, I make enough to ignore them." It's really that simple. Cooley was probably laughing at them more than being upset about them. Waiters at TGIF probably laugh at the "flare" they have to wear with their striped shirts, and the trash collectors probably laugh at the puke green body suits they have to wear. It's a job, and these are job requirements. Deal with them or get another job. It doesn't even matter if they are a factor of the good ole boys or if there is legit merit to each and every rule that they feel (rightfully so) there's no reason to fill us in on. Either bc of or despite these rules, we all watch and love the NFL and hold it above other sports and it continues to grow.

YESSSSSSSSS!

Voices of reason.

[J0nnD0ugh]

Quote: Originally Posted by MassNole

No but I could be held in contempt and ultimately spend time in lockup so I would say my liberty being on the line is more severe than a small fine (given the level of compensation).

Which is understandable since you are 1) in a more serious occupation, & 2) have more choices to keep you w/in the standard.

Quote: Originally Posted by Freelance

THEY....OWN....THE....LEAGUE!!

DID....I...SAY...THEY....DIDN'T?!?!?!?

Never. Not once, did I say they didn't have the right to dictate how the players dressed. I'm not going to sit here & defend something I never said or a point I never tried to make.

Quote:

They aren't imposing anything. They are enforcing a dress code.

Dude. "Impose" & "enforce" mean the same thing.

Quote:

If you go to work in a corporate office with your dress shirt hanging out and tie on backwards, they'll send you home.

Get this in your head since you are obviously too lazy to read what I said.

I never said there should be zero rules.

Quote: Originally Posted by WazzuRC

Somewhat off-topic but I was sitting with the Director of Sponorships for Washington State Athletics during a televised football game and he fielded 4 different calls from Nike reps wondering why the quarterback's ankles were taped covering the Nike logo. They were showing his footwork and you couldn't see the Nike logo on-screen since he had taped ankles. So multimillion dollar corporations do get pissed at really small details.

I'm sure they do. And on the rare occasions a high schooler has a closeup on TV, I'm sure the execs want to get something for their money.

But we're talking the NFL. They would give their firstborn to be involved w/the league & wouldn't play hardball w/the league. That's their meal ticket. There is only one NFL. There are a number of apparel companies.

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by J0nnD0ugh

I'm sure they do. And on the rare occasions a high schooler has a closeup on TV, I'm sure the execs want to get something for their money. But we're talking the NFL. They would give their firstborn to be involved w/the league & wouldn't play hardball w/the league. That's their meal ticket. There is only one NFL. There are a number of apparel companies.

To be clear, your point here then is that Goodell should go to battle with these companies giving them millions if not billions of dollars over years so the players can have the right to wear a different hat on the sideline or something else as insignificant as that? From the other side of the argument, I can't imagine you think it's worth the time and energy when you can just tell your employees to "do this" and get the multi million dollar check while avoiding the hassle of changing every single uniform or shoe worn by players and sold in stores.