OFFICIAL FAVRE SEXT SCANDAL ROCKS SPORTS WORLD

[Scott Campbell]

Steve, no offense, but take a statistics course and come back. Harris Interactive is one of the most highly respected market research firms in existence. Of course the results are "theoretical." They didn't survey every American. A random sampling of 2,000+ individuals brings a very high degree of confidence in projecting the results to the population in question with very small margin of error.

I think you can completely throw those statistics out. They're from July, and irrelevant after his latest escapades. IMO

[vince]

I read that twice PB and I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not, but it's about more than sales of Favre merchandise. Favre's image as the pre-eminent NFL icon impact the NFL's image in general around the world, which impacts revenues in many different areas.

Favre's image impacts the NFL brand worldwide more than any other player (for better or worse), which affects all NFL product sales, not just Favre merchandise. When the largest and most impactful face of your brand gets beat down, it has an effect.

[vince]

I think you can completely throw those statistics out. They're from July, and irrelevant after his latest escapades. IMO

Those statistics have no doubt changed significantly, which is the whole point.

[pbmax]

I read that twice PB and I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not ....

Sorry, that's my writing style; long and confusing.

I am not agreeing. Either to direct dollar sales (where it seems we are in agreement on figures at least) or image/icon status. I think he was the icon, but has been passed by this decade. His time extended from maybe from the 2nd or 3rd MVP year to the end of the 12-4 seasons. I think his impact, except for TV and regular followers of football has been overstated, especially in recent years. His image brought him to the like of Wrangler, Rayovac, Sears and Visa.

He has already admitted to sending the texts. Anything else that drops is just a larger hole in the facade, not a new one. He might still be third in the public eye (behind Brady, Manning) but football, but I don't think individuals affect the NFL in this case like they do in basketball. And unlike the scandals in baseball (McGwire. Bonds) this does not seem endemic to the game. Its one guy screwing up.

That is not to say that the league wouldn't like to sweep this under the rug. Its just a question of whether it will stay there.

[steve823]

Steve, no offense, but take a statistics course and come back. Harris Interactive is one of the most highly respected market research firms in existence. Of course the results are "theoretical." They didn't survey every American. A random sampling of 2,000+ individuals brings a very high degree of confidence in projecting the results to the population in question with very small margin of error.

First off, you cant base an argument solely off of statistics. I'm not trying to say you're wrong and "attack you" ,but I'm just not a fan of statistics. I didn't have much time to read everything thoroughly because I was in a rush before, but did they get the random people from different areas? Obviously geographical location plays a big role in who people like and what their responses will be. The site may be a good resource, but I still don't think statistics are reliable since a lot are inaccurate.

Also, you have to think that Favre would have dropped after all the negative media he's gotten about the Sterger thing and you would guess people are getting tired of his act. Of course you're going to always have people who adore him ,but in my opinion he's nowhere near an icon in the NFL anymore. Around 2003 he was ,but things have changed since then.

[vince]

I don't think individuals affect the NFL in this case like they do in basketball. And unlike the scandals in baseball (McGwire. Bonds) this does not seem endemic to the game. Its one guy screwing up.

That is not to say that the league wouldn't like to sweep this under the rug. Its just a question of whether it will stay there.

Goodell and the Personal Conduct Clause disagree with that. It's all about protecting the NFL's brand.

[pbmax]

Goodell and the Personal Conduct Clause disagree with that. It's all about protecting the NFL's brand.

But don't you think that Policy was in response to the aggregate of problems the league was having when he took over? Remember all the comparisons to the NBA that made the NFL look like the league of thugs and criminals? I agree that he is concerned about the image of the enterprise being tarnished by the employees, but I don't think one player can spray that much mud.

In some ways, Favre has always inoculated his public image by freely admitting his past. I am not saying he is completely honest, but his past is pretty well documented.

[sharpe1027]

I think Houshmandzadeh is a biggest name in the NFL.

[vince]

But don't you think that Policy was in response to the aggregate of problems the league was having when he took over? Remember all the comparisons to the NBA that made the NFL look like the league of thugs and criminals? I agree that he is concerned about the image of the enterprise being tarnished by the employees, but I don't think one player can spray that much mud.

In some ways, Favre has always inoculated his public image by freely admitting his past. I am not saying he is completely honest, but his past is pretty well documented.

I think what has made Favre so transcendent is his past - overcoming the vicoden addiction with an MVP and Super Bowl season, his dad's death, wife's cancer, etc. Along with is durability and childlike affection for the game, his problems are what football fans and non-football fans can relate to.

I'm not saying that any one player can have a multi-billion dollar impact on the NFL's image. People try all the time, but it's impossible to quantify the value of a brand, much less what impact an instance such as this may have on one, but it's still real. A lot of investment is put into brand management and for good reason.

In this case, if the NFL could make Favre the innocent victim of a money-hungry whore and restore his image/value to the league, I think they would. It doesn't appear they're goint to be able to do that. No one knows how much that's worth, but it's real.

[Pugger]

I think Houshmandzadeh is a biggest name in the NFL.

[Patler]

Brett Favre is the biggest name in football - probably in the history of football from a marketing standpoint. He transcends the game from a marketing perspective and brings reach into new and global markets unlike anyone else. He's an American icon on par with Jordan and Woods. His play this year doesn't change that a bunch IMO. A sexual harassment judgement hurts it though. The NFL would love to exonerate him with their judgment here, but it doesn't look to me like they'll be able to.

I hope you mean this facetiously.

[vince]

I hope you mean this facetiously.

No I'm serious. For about 15 consecutive years, Brett Favre was the most popular player in the league. That's not just my opinion, that's according to the independent market research of Harris Interactive.

The way he overcame personal challenges, the poignant and almost miraculous performance after his father's death for example, put him on a status in the world of sports with Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Market research proves that. So does the unprecedented attention he garners in the media. They know what they're doing. He brought more marketing and brand building impact to the league than any other player for a longer period of time than anyone probably in the history of the game.

He's pretty much thrown that down the toilet in the last couple years and in particular with his public infidelity attempts and croc shots. If the NFL could debunk this story through their "investigation" they would.

[Guiness]

The real joke is how long this continues to go on while the league 'investigates'. Can they stretch it out another 3-4 weeks so they don't have to break his streak with a suspension, without losing any modicum of respectability?

I think they'll say to hell with respectability, delay it, he'll retire, and they'll announce the suspension after that. That way, he can retire with an unbroken streak. A couple years from now, no one will remember that the league dragged their feet, but everyone would remember if the streak was broken.

Only thing I see screwing this up is if Sterger decides to kick up a fuss, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out a back room deal has already been cut, just not announced.

[mmmdk]

The real joke is how long this continues to go on while the league 'investigates'. Can they stretch it out another 3-4 weeks so they don't have to break his streak with a suspension, without losing any modicum of respectability?

I think they'll say to hell with respectability, delay it, he'll retire, and they'll announce the suspension after that. That way, he can retire with an unbroken streak. A couple years from now, no one will remember that the league dragged their feet, but everyone would remember if the streak was broken.

Only thing I see screwing this up is if Sterger decides to kick up a fuss, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out a back room deal has already been cut, just not announced.

Ya think they're texting each other 'bout dat backroom deal?

[Fritz]

No, they're sexting!