Scott Garceau: NFL Nasty Bidness
When teams like the Ravens win championships we hear about family atmosphere, one heart beat, and the love that fueled said champions to the title. Fans who wear face paint and team colors line up to buy in for the magical ride. While your job and every-day life may be getting you down, your team is always there for you. It's one happy love fest with parades, keys to the city and trips to the White House (at least before sequestration).
What we have right here, right now at the Owings Mills castle is a failure to convey that warm, fuzzy, family feel.
Dr. Ozzie Newsome and company are ripping the heart out of the champions, that's bad enough but they're making us watch the procedure and we HATE the sight of Purple blood! Awkward moment when the Ravens rolled out the Purple carpet to watch the premiere of their Super Bowl DVD. Anquan Boldin had a starring role in the DVD, if Joe Flacco threw it he found a way to catch it.
He came up so big in the biggest game of them all. One problem, just hours earlier news broke that the star receiver was traded to the other team in the DVD for a bag of balls. The Ravens don't win the Lombardi trophy without Boldin. His reward... how 'bout a 2-million pay cut. Boldin refused the $2-million haircut so Jim Harbaugh gets Boldin, brother John gets a 6th round pick? Somebody call Family Services!
It was the beginning of the end of the Super Bowl XLVII champions. Paul Kruger cashed in Cleveland, enjoy South Beach Dannell Ellerbe. Bernard Pollard the hammer of the Ravens defense gets nailed, reportedly by coach Harbaugh who didn't like him as much as you fans did. Ed Reed is in Houston and Ray Lewis is in retirement, Bryant McKinnie and Vonta Leach and who knows who are in limbo. I'm starting to wonder if the Ravens can contend in '13 or bail the AFC North for The Catholic 7.
I feel for Raven fans who had about 15 minutes to enjoy the Super Bowl win. Fans were unpacking their New Orleans bags when they team announced that ticket prices were going up 10%. No problem, we've been convinced we must pay to remain competitive and have our picture taken with the Lombardi trophy. No knock on the Ravens, one of the best run organizations in the NFL, like the other 31 members of their football country club they're just playing by the rules.
In these dark days there's light just around the corner. In no time you'll be painting your face, putting on your $130 jersey and grabbing your $250 dollar StubHub ticket. It'll be another day in paradise as you cheer for the home team and maybe you'll forget all about the NFL's $10 billion dollar a year business, but for now there's no hiding the dirty bidness.
