NFL Football

[scottmitchell74]

We found out on March 13, 2020 which businesses were deemed essential and which ones weren't. People like you who worked in essential businesses had to continue to report to work throughout the pandemic and people employed in non-essential businesses stayed home. Sports and other entertainment worldwide shut down on March 13, 2020 just like all sorts of other non-essential businesses. Generally speaking, essential businesses continue to operate uninterrupted after work-place fatalities while non-essential businesses often shut down.

Also, consider the reaction of a locally owned, mom-and-pop hardware store to a workplace fatality to the reaction of Home Depot.

Good points. For clarity: you're equating the Sports Leagues to mom & pops?

I do however side with the thought that there really are no non-essential jobs.

The state the economy is in and how disrupted everything still is points to how important each job is.

The entertainment industry employs what? Millions of people worldwide? Important to all of them.

I fully fully understand, sympathize, and empathize with both teams and especially the Bills, but I'm struggling with the idea of a wholesale stoppage when literally millions of people were vested to some degree.

In this case The NFL/Teams/Players were damned no matter what.

[jazzcyclist]

He made his decision because it is a billion-dollar business. In today's atmosphere, he would have created a PR nightmare by just finishing the game. If Hamlin had died on top of that, it would have become a firestorm.

The biggest problem with leaders today is too many of them make decisions based on PR and social media instead of what's in the best interest of people involved.

[jazzcyclist]

Good points. For clarity: you're equating the Sports Leagues to mom & pops?

I do however side with the thought that there really are no non-essential jobs.

The state the economy is in and how disrupted everything still is points to how important each job is.

The entertainment industry employs what? Millions of people worldwide? Important to all of them.

I fully fully understand, sympathize, and empathize with both teams and especially the Bills, but I'm struggling with the idea of a wholesale stoppage when literally millions of people were vested to some degree.

In this case The NFL/Teams/Players were damned no matter what.

I equate each franchise with mom-and-pop stores, not the whole league. The decision to suspend play on Monday night was driven by the 2 teams involved, not Roger Goodell. I'll bet if this had happened in the first quarter in one of the Sunday noon games, all of the other games would have still been played that day and Monday night's game too.

[scottmitchell74]

I equate each franchise with mom-and-pop stores, not the whole league. The decision to suspend play on Monday night was driven by the 2 teams involved, not Roger Goodell. I'll bet if this had happened in the first quarter in one of the Sunday noon games, all of the other games would have still been played that day and Monday night's game too.

Gotcha

[J Rorick]

The biggest problem with leaders today is too many of them make decisions based on PR and social media instead of what's in the best interest of people involved.

Can't say I disagree with you.

[J Rorick]

I equate each franchise with mom-and-pop stores, not the whole league. The decision to suspend play on Monday night was driven by the 2 teams involved, not Roger Goodell. I'll bet if this had happened in the first quarter in one of the Sunday noon games, all of the other games would have still been played that day and Monday night's game too.

You might be correct. BUT even if the game were played during the Sunday games, I'd be surprised that it would have continued if the Buffalo/Cincinnati players had the same reaction they did on Monday evening. And I have no inkling that their reaction would have been any different. Who knows what reaction other teams would have had under the identical circumstances? But hard to believe that the Bills & Bengals are the 2 most sensitive franchises in the NFL.

[TN1965]

A far more recent flashback from 2019.

Athletics: Jamaica's Campbell told he had 'died' after collapse in New York | Reuters

[bambam1729]

He made his decision because it is a billion-dollar business. In today's atmosphere, he would have created a PR nightmare by just finishing the game. If Hamlin had died on top of that, it would have become a firestorm.

Pete Rozelle later said that the biggest mistake he ever made as NFL Commissioner was playing the full slate of games on the Sunday after JFK was killed. If you remember the AFL cancelled all their games on that day.

[bambam1729]

Flashback from 1986.

Flo Hyman - Wikipedia

On January 24, 1986, Hyman collapsed while sitting on the sidelines after being substituted out in a game against Hitachi in Matsue City. She told her team to keep fighting, then moments later slid to the floor. She was pronounced dead at 9:36 that evening.

Hyman's death was from a dissecting aortic aneurysm, which was related to her underlying medical condition called Marfan's Syndrome. A syndrome also felt to be shared, in retrospect, by Abraham Lincoln.

[jazzcyclist]

You might be correct. BUT even if the game were played during the Sunday games, I'd be surprised that it would have continued if the Buffalo/Cincinnati players had the same reaction they did on Monday evening. And I have no inkling that their reaction would have been any different. Who knows what reaction other teams would have had under the identical circumstances? But hard to believe that the Bills & Bengals are the 2 most sensitive franchises in the NFL.

I disagree. There's no way the other 14 games would have been shut down or suspended even if he had died on the field. In thev1995 Tour de France, Fsbio Casertelli died after he crashed on a descent and though the next day's stage was neutralized while cyclists grieved, all of the other races taking place at the time were unaffected.

[jazzcyclist]

Pete Rozelle later said that the biggest mistake he ever made as NFL Commissioner was playing the full slate of games on the Sunday after JFK was killed. If you remember the AFL cancelled all their games on that day.

And yet the NFL survived this "PR disaster".

[scottmitchell74]

This is when this site is at its best: people bouncing thoughts and opinions off each other in good nature and good faith. I was nervous to bring this topic up about Hamlin but it's been good.

Woo!!

[bambam1729]

I disagree. There's no way the other 14 games would have been shut down or suspended even if he had died on the field. In thev1995 Tour de France, Fsbio Casertelli died after he crashed on a descent and though the next day's stage was neutralized while cyclists grieved, all of the other races taking place at the time were unaffected.

The next day's stage was neutralized but the peleton allowed Lance Armstrong to go ahead at the end for the stage victory. This was Lance pre-cancer and pre-dominance. They allowed him to win because he was Casartelli's teammate and close friend. As he crossed the finish line he pointed to the sky remembering Casartelli.

[Atticus]

Taylor said as both teams were trying to process the situation on their own sidelines after Hamlin left the field, he decided to speak with Bills coach Sean McDermott and the officials and discuss a next plan of action. "When I got over there, the first thing [McDermott] said was, 'I need to be at the hospital with Damar and I shouldn't be coaching this game,' " Taylor said Wednesday. "That, to me, provides all the clarity.

Thanks for sharing that. Made my day.

[Trickstat]

I disagree. There's no way the other 14 games would have been shut down or suspended even if he had died on the field. In thev1995 Tour de France, Fsbio Casertelli died after he crashed on a descent and though the next day's stage was neutralized while cyclists grieved, all of the other races taking place at the time were unaffected.

All those other cycle races had in common were that they were part of the same sport but those other 14 games are part of the same league as the one where the incident occurred.