So, if the NFL is not to blame for the cancelled Super Bowl parties who is?
Look no further than the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
For years Vegas has been trying to buy one of those Super Bowl spots that are all the rage with the advertising community and their sponsors. And for years the NFL has been saying ?no.? But more than just refusing the request, the NFL makes no bones about why ? they consider Vegas to be dirty, and want no part of Sin City.
Is this hypocritical? Of course. Everyone knows that without sports betting the NFL would finish far down in the ratings. And with its? drug scandals and criminals on its? rosters it?s not like the NFL is squeaky clean itself, it?s not like they?re the Catholic Church (OK, bad example and a cheap shot there, but that?s what the product of a forced 8 years of Catholic school will get ya).
But the NFL owns the ball and they call the shots. They say you?re out and you just have to take it, right?
Not exactly. You can be stupid and do what Vegas did. The Convention Authority hired Las Vegas based ad agency R&R Partners. They put together a commercial telling the world all about the excitement surrounding the Super Bowl, the fans, the parties, the plays, the cheering, and the action ? then ended the spot by saying ?if only it was this exciting at the game in Houston.?
Then, as if this laughable attempt to make Vegas bigger than the actual event itself wasn?t ridiculous enough, as if this slap in the NFL?s face wasn?t sufficient enough to show them who was the boss, they found a loophole to exploit to get it televised in outside markets. Though they were again denied a national spot during the game, or the week leading up to it, they bought local spots in a few major markets, such as Los Angeles and New York.
They thought they were clever to rain on the NFL?s parade in this way. But the NFL retaliated. Instead of raining on Vegas? parade the NFL pissed all over it ? by hurting Vegas the only way you can ? they reached their customers. They angered the tourists who flew in for the parties.
Since the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is supposed to bring customers IN, and since the end result of their ignorance only succeeded in driving people OUT (you think the people who had their parties cancelled at the last minute are going to come to Vegas for the game next year?) a scapegoat was needed. And the blame was placed on the mean old NFL for being party poopers. Not quite the case, but better than accepting responsibility for the monumentally stupid act of pissing off the life-blood of Vegas, the tourists.
The other spin put on this was that the LVCVA and R&R Partners knew what they were doing by taking on the NFL in this manner. They hinted that it was a brilliant, planned move to create a buzz and gain free publicity as other media picked up on the controversy. Of course they are hoping no one asks the question, ?so what you?re saying is you allowed tourists to fly here to attend Super Bowl parties that you knew would be cancelled by the NFL? And, at the same time, in one fell swoop, ensured that we have zero chance of getting a Super Bowl spot for the next God knows how many years??
Yes, I?d say that was brilliant.
A long time ago there was only one phone company ? Ma Bell. It was ruled in the courts to be an illegal monopoly and was forced to break up. The NFL was also found guilty of being an illegal monopoly and you know what the plaintiffs got? The USFL was awarded one dollar in damages. That?s one greenback with Washington?s picture on it, four quarters, ten dimes, or one hundred pennies ? take it anyway you want and thank you for coming to court.
The phone company had to break up, the NFL was fined a dollar. Never underestimate the power of the NFL.
Vegas underestimated them and paid the price. By next year the NFL will close the loophole by leaning on the local markets. Instead of waiting patiently and trying to work with the NFL the city of Las Vegas took them on. They not only got spanked in public but also killed any possible chance of getting a Super Bowl spot in the future.
Whoever made the call at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to make those ads and buy the local spots should be fired, then tarred and feathered and run out of town. But he won?t be. Not too many even realize who is really to blame for the fiasco.
Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman had threatened to file suit against the NFL but has since backed off. They have no case and it would be an expensive loss of money that could be better spent elsewhere. For starters they could look into who authorized the expenditure to R & R and it?s President Billy Vassiliadis for Super Bowl ads that had no chance of ever running during the Super Bowl, ads they KNEW the NFL would NEVER run.
Then again, better not. Don?t want to chance having the LVCVA end up replacing any members like our city council had to in the Galardi scandal??.
Look no further than the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
For years Vegas has been trying to buy one of those Super Bowl spots that are all the rage with the advertising community and their sponsors. And for years the NFL has been saying ?no.? But more than just refusing the request, the NFL makes no bones about why ? they consider Vegas to be dirty, and want no part of Sin City.
Is this hypocritical? Of course. Everyone knows that without sports betting the NFL would finish far down in the ratings. And with its? drug scandals and criminals on its? rosters it?s not like the NFL is squeaky clean itself, it?s not like they?re the Catholic Church (OK, bad example and a cheap shot there, but that?s what the product of a forced 8 years of Catholic school will get ya).
But the NFL owns the ball and they call the shots. They say you?re out and you just have to take it, right?
Not exactly. You can be stupid and do what Vegas did. The Convention Authority hired Las Vegas based ad agency R&R Partners. They put together a commercial telling the world all about the excitement surrounding the Super Bowl, the fans, the parties, the plays, the cheering, and the action ? then ended the spot by saying ?if only it was this exciting at the game in Houston.?
Then, as if this laughable attempt to make Vegas bigger than the actual event itself wasn?t ridiculous enough, as if this slap in the NFL?s face wasn?t sufficient enough to show them who was the boss, they found a loophole to exploit to get it televised in outside markets. Though they were again denied a national spot during the game, or the week leading up to it, they bought local spots in a few major markets, such as Los Angeles and New York.
They thought they were clever to rain on the NFL?s parade in this way. But the NFL retaliated. Instead of raining on Vegas? parade the NFL pissed all over it ? by hurting Vegas the only way you can ? they reached their customers. They angered the tourists who flew in for the parties.
Since the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is supposed to bring customers IN, and since the end result of their ignorance only succeeded in driving people OUT (you think the people who had their parties cancelled at the last minute are going to come to Vegas for the game next year?) a scapegoat was needed. And the blame was placed on the mean old NFL for being party poopers. Not quite the case, but better than accepting responsibility for the monumentally stupid act of pissing off the life-blood of Vegas, the tourists.
The other spin put on this was that the LVCVA and R&R Partners knew what they were doing by taking on the NFL in this manner. They hinted that it was a brilliant, planned move to create a buzz and gain free publicity as other media picked up on the controversy. Of course they are hoping no one asks the question, ?so what you?re saying is you allowed tourists to fly here to attend Super Bowl parties that you knew would be cancelled by the NFL? And, at the same time, in one fell swoop, ensured that we have zero chance of getting a Super Bowl spot for the next God knows how many years??
Yes, I?d say that was brilliant.
A long time ago there was only one phone company ? Ma Bell. It was ruled in the courts to be an illegal monopoly and was forced to break up. The NFL was also found guilty of being an illegal monopoly and you know what the plaintiffs got? The USFL was awarded one dollar in damages. That?s one greenback with Washington?s picture on it, four quarters, ten dimes, or one hundred pennies ? take it anyway you want and thank you for coming to court.
The phone company had to break up, the NFL was fined a dollar. Never underestimate the power of the NFL.
Vegas underestimated them and paid the price. By next year the NFL will close the loophole by leaning on the local markets. Instead of waiting patiently and trying to work with the NFL the city of Las Vegas took them on. They not only got spanked in public but also killed any possible chance of getting a Super Bowl spot in the future.
Whoever made the call at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to make those ads and buy the local spots should be fired, then tarred and feathered and run out of town. But he won?t be. Not too many even realize who is really to blame for the fiasco.
Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman had threatened to file suit against the NFL but has since backed off. They have no case and it would be an expensive loss of money that could be better spent elsewhere. For starters they could look into who authorized the expenditure to R & R and it?s President Billy Vassiliadis for Super Bowl ads that had no chance of ever running during the Super Bowl, ads they KNEW the NFL would NEVER run.
Then again, better not. Don?t want to chance having the LVCVA end up replacing any members like our city council had to in the Galardi scandal??.
