Good Riddance
Do not count me as one of the many football fans sad to see Paul Tagliabue retire as NFL Commissioner.
To be fair, Tagliabue has been a good steward of the game. He oversaw labor peace for this entire term since taking over in 1989. The league is now making more money than ever before, with revenue sharing and well negotiated, well planned television contracts.
However, Tagliabue at heart was still a Redskins' season ticket holder. Which would have been fine if it did not impact the awarding of expansion franchises in 1993.
In 1993, the NFL was expanding to add two teams for the 1995. Baltimore was one of five finalists, along with Charlotte, Jacksonville, Memphis, and St. Louis. The Baltimore ownership groups were well financed, and well planned. The State of Maryland had arranged for a very lucrative stadium financing plan to be put in place. The city, along with St. Louis (which had already built the St. Louis Dome), were favorites in the expansion race. And it was during this time that the Patriots announced they were moving to Hartford, and the Bucs consider moving as well.
On October 26, Tagliabue announced that Charlotte had been awarded a team, and that everybody would come back in a month to decide on the other bid. When they came back, Jacksonville unexpectedly would be awarded the 30th franchise.
When asked about Baltimore's stadium bid, Tagliabue said that the city should build a museum. The Redskins season ticket holder was protecting the "claim" over Baltimore over Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke.
Tagliabue's decision to steer the expansion teams toward Charlotte and Jacksonville kicked off a franchise free-agency bonanza that left three NFL cities out in the cold with four teams pinballing around the country. Teams realized that Baltimore and St. Louis had good stadium deals in place; the Browns and Rams quickly filled those voids. The Oilers, realizing that a new stadium was hard to come by, jumped at the chance to skip town for Nashville. And the Raiders took the best offer they could get and moved back to Oakland.
Tagliabue's arrogant bias against Baltimore (and St. Louis, for that matter) led to a situation where loyal Browns fans lost their team, Houston had to be awarded an expansion franchise, a weak team still in Jacksonville, and several teams flirting with the idea of moving to Los Angeles, a market that has been without an NFL team since the 1994 season.
Tagliabue was a good commissioner for the NFL owners and players for financial considerations. But if you consider the stability of NFL teams during his tenure, his record on fan loyalty left something to be desired. And quite frankly, Baltimore fans will never forgive him for his condescending attitude against Charm City.
To be fair, Tagliabue has been a good steward of the game. He oversaw labor peace for this entire term since taking over in 1989. The league is now making more money than ever before, with revenue sharing and well negotiated, well planned television contracts.
However, Tagliabue at heart was still a Redskins' season ticket holder. Which would have been fine if it did not impact the awarding of expansion franchises in 1993.
In 1993, the NFL was expanding to add two teams for the 1995. Baltimore was one of five finalists, along with Charlotte, Jacksonville, Memphis, and St. Louis. The Baltimore ownership groups were well financed, and well planned. The State of Maryland had arranged for a very lucrative stadium financing plan to be put in place. The city, along with St. Louis (which had already built the St. Louis Dome), were favorites in the expansion race. And it was during this time that the Patriots announced they were moving to Hartford, and the Bucs consider moving as well.
On October 26, Tagliabue announced that Charlotte had been awarded a team, and that everybody would come back in a month to decide on the other bid. When they came back, Jacksonville unexpectedly would be awarded the 30th franchise.
When asked about Baltimore's stadium bid, Tagliabue said that the city should build a museum. The Redskins season ticket holder was protecting the "claim" over Baltimore over Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke.
Tagliabue's decision to steer the expansion teams toward Charlotte and Jacksonville kicked off a franchise free-agency bonanza that left three NFL cities out in the cold with four teams pinballing around the country. Teams realized that Baltimore and St. Louis had good stadium deals in place; the Browns and Rams quickly filled those voids. The Oilers, realizing that a new stadium was hard to come by, jumped at the chance to skip town for Nashville. And the Raiders took the best offer they could get and moved back to Oakland.
Tagliabue's arrogant bias against Baltimore (and St. Louis, for that matter) led to a situation where loyal Browns fans lost their team, Houston had to be awarded an expansion franchise, a weak team still in Jacksonville, and several teams flirting with the idea of moving to Los Angeles, a market that has been without an NFL team since the 1994 season.
Tagliabue was a good commissioner for the NFL owners and players for financial considerations. But if you consider the stability of NFL teams during his tenure, his record on fan loyalty left something to be desired. And quite frankly, Baltimore fans will never forgive him for his condescending attitude against Charm City.
posted by Brian Griffiths at 5:14 PM
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