Goodell right to want to do better by fans
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media during a press conference prior to Super Bowl LIV at the Hilton Miami Downtown on January 29, 2020 in Miami, Florida. Credit: Getty Images/Cliff Hawkins
Kudos to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell for finally listening to a voice of reason [“Roger: 17 games & safety,” Sports, Jan. 30].
During his annual pre-Super Bowl “State of the League” address, Goodell commented about the safety precautions the league has taken in recent years, saying, “We believe we have made the game safer and made it better.” But then he added an unexpected bombshell: “. . . and we believe we can reconstruct the season that is smart for the future of the game.”
As someone who for the last 14 years has been part of an effort to move the Super Bowl to a more fan-friendly day, Goodell is all but proclaiming that the NFL is strongly considering moving the Super Bowl to a more fan-friendly weekend, such as reconstructing the season to end on Presidents Day weekend so fans can finally have the next day off to relax and thoroughly enjoy the Super Bowl experience.
The suggestion has been to reconstruct the NFL schedule by starting with moving the Super Bowl to the mid-February Sunday of Presidents Day weekend (which butts up against baseball’s spring training) and working backward from there.
When implemented, this move will surely go down in NFL history as the best “smart” move under Goodell’s “it’s all about the fans” stewardship.
Eugene R. Dunn,
Medford
