Eventually, some smart lawyer will probably file a class action lawsuit against National Football League coaches for the way they coach in the last exhibitions of the preseason. The consumer protection lawsuit, on behalf of fans, would contend that the coaches don't really try to win, which fans (and advertisers) pay for them to do. The proof is evident by the star players the coaches don't use in the final exhibitions.
Incidentally, the NFL does not like the term "exhibition," but there are worse, more descriptive, adjectives available for such farces.
Take the exhibition between the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints on September 1, 2011. Final score: 32-9, Tennessee. It was 32-0 before the vaunted Saints offensive team scored a point in the fourth quarter. By that time, thousands of fans had left the Louisiana Superdome, despite having paid big bucks for their tickets.
Where Was Drew Brees?
Where was all-pro quarterback Drew Brees when the Saints needed him? Where was running back Pierre Thomas? Where was Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram? It was like a Britany Spears concert without Britany.
Brees and the other Saints starters were on the bench, or standing along the sideline. Saints coach Sean Payton had the weapons to change the coarse of the game, but he didn't use them. Think of a house burning and no one calling for help.
By halftime, with Tennessee leading 22-0, Saints fans got the drift of what was going on and began heading for the exits. Many missed a good, by Saints standards, halftime show.
The unusual number of kids in the stadium (probably recipients of tickets from season ticket holders too smart to go) became more interested in cotton candy, popcorn and another soft drink than the farce on the field.
Exhibition IV Tradition
And it's not just Payton. If he had broken the Exhibition IV tradition and sent in Brees and company, Tennessee coach Mike Munchak might have retaliated by sending in his starters. Then it would have been a real game, which is what fans paid for. After all, even the $100 end zone tickets said "Tennessee Titans vs New Orleans Saints," strongly implying the full strength of both teams.
The final exhibitions have become last tests for the guys trying to make the team before the dreaded player cuts a few days later. It's the final time fans will see about 20 of them. They'll be gone by the weekend.
After weeks of training, couldn't these players be evaluated on the practice field? Are the coaches really trying to evaluate so many of them while they're supposedly trying to win a game in front of paying fans? The fact is winning is not the primary object.
Okay to Risk Reserve Injuries?
NFL teams don't want to risk hurting their starters in Exhibition IV. But it's apparently okay for those job-seeking reserves to get hurt in a meaningless match since they probably wouldn't be playing anywhere next week anyway.
Sure, most fans know that they are going to see nothing but reserves in Exhibition IV. That's why a lot of season ticket holders give away their tickets for this mockery. And fans knew they were paying for this game when they bought season tickets. But in most cases, they had no choice. If they wanted season tickets, they had to pay for this thing too. Or they could do without the season tickets.
Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune put it this way a little after the ugly show in the Superdome, just one of a kind that last weekend of the preseason:
"No one wanted to be here."
"Other than the bottom-feeders on both depth charts, no one wanted to be here, and with good reason. Few exercises in pro sports are more meaningless or futile than the final exhibition of the NFL."
At least two season ticket holders said they only went because they hated to see their $100 tickets go unused. Eventually, the NFL will realize that it is hurting its own game by downgrading it this way.
Should coaches be sued for not trying to win? Or should it be their bosses, where the buck supposedly stops? Or should it be the NFL? The owners and the NFL have the deepest pockets. Coaches aren't poor either, but they would be the weakest targets and could easily be left hanging in the wind by owners who regularly fire them anyway.
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