This column deals with sports. I suppose that would mean that this column belongs on the back page. However, it has nothing to do with Troy Davis, Dan McCarney or tearing down goals posts, so maybe it belongs here.

On the other hand, my column does not deal with slacking Tom Osborne and the Nebraska football program, so maybe it doesn’t belong here, either. But this is my spot, so I guess I’ll put it here.

But enough about location, how about some substance, huh? I love football. I like to play in the front yard at my friend’s house; I like to get involved in fantasy football leagues. But most of all, I like to watch the teams of the National Football League compete each Sunday (and Monday night, as it happens).

I know I’m not alone. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch of the imagination to picture people all across the nation sitting in front of the tube on Sunday afternoon, consuming unbelievable amounts of potato chips and soda while rooting for their favorite team. It happens, at least where I’m from.

I would hate to see anything happen to the NFL, something that is a source of entertainment for sports fans across the globe. Sports fans have had their faith put in question by the other three major professional organizations (Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League) by labor strikes and lockouts, whereas the NFL has shown no signs for fans to worry about a shortage of action.

However, Jerry Jones, the “maverick” owner (not my words, although I do agree with them) of the Dallas Cowboys, is well on his way to completing the circle of treason in professional sports.

I should disclose the fact that I hate the Dallas Cowboys, which may make this seem a little biased, but this is an opinion column, so if I feel the need to tear the Cowboys organization to shreds, I have that option. However, I will discipline myself to blasting the latest “genius” idea by the owner of this organization.

Jones recently made a move to sell Pepsi products in Texas Stadium, home of the Cowboys. Big deal, right? Well, the NFL has an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola, which Jones obviously feels he is above. Yet Jones made the deal, and seems pretty confident that he will get away with this breach of contract.

I am not devoting all of this space to a huge soda controversy, so please continue. After the carbonated beverage move, Jones said that he has a way for the league to become much more profitable. I can’t blame him for his intentions, or at least the ones that he will make public. Is there an owner of a corporation that wouldn’t like to see a larger profit?

At this point, the money brought in from such things as sports paraphernalia is shared equally among the 30 teams in the league. It is all part of a revenue-sharing agreement within the league. Jones wants to do away with this. He feels that each team should shop around their logo, finding corporate sponsors to help with the promotion of each team. And then each team would pocket whatever money their logo brings in.

Last year, the Cowboys were responsible for 25 percent of all merchandise sold. I guess that’s what two Super Bowl wins in the last three years will do for a team’s popularity. However, they only received an equal share of the money, which ended up being just a little over 3 percent. Hardly seems fair, huh?

But if we went with Jones and his ideas, I don’t think the league would be very profitable at all. Sure, for teams like the Cowboys and other successful teams, it would mean serious profits because they are successful. Sales of their merchandise are good across the country. Less successful or flat-out pitiful teams are lucky to see good sales in their own region.

Without the even distribution of the revenue, less successful teams would have to start dumping big-name players to stay afloat financially. Some would probably fold. How fun would an eight-team league be?

Also, some teams are located in small markets. How many sponsors are going to take on these teams? While Dallas has found the lucrative sponsor in Nike, smaller markets like New Orleans or Seattle would probably be lucky if Shasta was interested in sponsoring them, due to the lesser populations in these cities. Not to mention the fact that they’re not very good teams.

It’s a wonder Jones didn’t have this incredible idea a few years ago, when Dallas only managed one win in the entire 1989 season. Most Cowboys fans had gone into hibernation that year. Dallas Cowboys’ T-shirts were as out of style as parachute pants.

So if Jones wants to bite the hand that once fed him, it’s his choice. I just think he’s biting off more than he can chew. And if he’s going to destroy the NFL by doing so, I hope he chokes on it.

---

Tim Frerking is a junior in journalism mass communication from Pomeroy.