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The NFL continues to fail women while profiteering off breast cancer

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by bigpern23, Oct 5, 2014.

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  1. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    You're a smart guy, so I'm sure you understand outsourcing. Hiring a company to handle the POS and provide the services you noted to make the transaction seamless is not the same as being the retailer, particularly as it pertains to this discussion.

    As someone who works in this space, I can tell you that my company would never consider itself the retailer. We are a service provider to merchants, and we act as a liaison between our clients and the consumer.
     
    bigpern23, Oct 5, 2014
    #13
  2. cjericho

    cjericho Well-Known Member

    When Vick got locked up my buddy (he has a german sherpard) said he wanted to get a shitzsu or poodle and put a Vick jersey on it and walk him to watch people's reactions.
     
    cjericho, Oct 5, 2014
    #14
  3. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    It seems unseemly, but retailing such as this isn't as profitable as all that. That "half goes to the retailer" sounds like profit, but that's gross, not net.
     
    doctorquant, Oct 6, 2014
    #15
  4. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    The product on the field in October looks like shit.
     
    poindexter, Oct 6, 2014
    #16
  5. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    I think that still misses the point. The NFL is only putting 8 percent of that revenue toward fighting cancer. This is a revenue stream, not an awareness campaign.
     
    bigpern23, Oct 6, 2014
    #17
  6. RecoveringJournalist

    RecoveringJournalist Well-Known Member

    That breakdown is definitely not what you want to see for any charity, but is probably typical of most athlete's charities.

    That's not an excuse. The NFL makes it seem like all of the proceeds from the pink stuff goes to breast cancer research, and while some money is better than no money, the NFL gets such great PR out of this that the charities should be getting a lot more $$$ than they are.
     
    RecoveringJournalist, Oct 6, 2014
    #18
  7. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I suspect this is the NFL doing a shitty job of explaining what they give away -- but it is more than you are assuming.

    You are right about half the money from merchandise sales. Take the retail price of something, and half of that is the wholesale price. The licensee (Nike) has to kick back 25 percent of that half (or 12.5 percent of the retail price) to the NFL. The NFL then gives 90 percent of what it got from the licensing fee to the American Cancer Society.

    That leaves the 50 percent left over -- the markup the retailer gets. Business Insider (where you got that chart from) alluded to that last year, the same way you are questioning -- the stuff sold directly by the NFL, does that money go to the ACS or is the NFL keeping it? They didn't know.

    This is what I just found.

    It's not entirely clear, but http://insidenfl.nflshop.com/2014-breast-cancer-awareness-gear/

    That is from NFL Shop, and it said:

    I think they are just not being clear that they donate the entire retail markup portion (50 percent of the price), if they make the sale. In the grand scheme of things it wouldn't amount to enough money for them NOT to be magnanimous and do it for the good PR. But who knows?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
    The Big Ragu, Oct 6, 2014
    #19
  8. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    Actually, the NFL doesn't make it seem as if all of the proceeds from the pink stuff go to breast cancer research. The NFL's deal is an awareness campaign and is devoted to encouraging women to undergo recommended screenings.

    http://www.nfl.com/pink

    Further, if "awareness" is so damn important, then the bottom-line dollar impact is beside the point. If you accept the premise that there's value in raising awareness, then evaluating the NFL's contribution on the basis of its donations to the ACS is a ridiculously myopic way to keep score.

    Are there pecuniary aspects of the pink campaign? Of course there are. But just because the NFL doesn't give as much as it could doesn't mean the campaign is a sham.
     
    doctorquant, Oct 6, 2014
    #20
  9. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Oh, it is kind of a sham. Women are really important to the NFL strategically. And strategy drives NFL decision making -- even when they suck at it, as they have recently.

    Women are still a more untapped source of new fans than men. And the NFL needs to grow. As importantly, if women are fans, they are going to be more likely to let their sons play. That has become a bigger and bigger issue. And if you played, you are more likely to be a fan 10 years from now when you are an adult with money to spend. Or so the thinking goes.

    That is the kind of thinking that drives NFL decision making. It's always about dollars and cents. Just not always in the "dollar grab" people assume -- even though they are good at that too. It's just more lucrative, and a better use of resources, to shake down Nike and Gatorade and the networks, and let them pass the cost onto the fans.

    I'm sure the American Cancer Society loves whatever money it does bring in, and they will take the awareness it raises. But when the league targets any group -- women, military, kids -- in a charitable way, there is always a business reason. They use charity for marketing purposes.
     
    The Big Ragu, Oct 6, 2014
    #21
  10. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    Oh, I agree. But the NFL is a business just like the NBA and MLB and Costco and Ben & Jerry's and Starbucks and on and on and on.
     
    doctorquant, Oct 6, 2014
    #22
  11. I Should Coco

    I Should Coco Well-Known Member

    Hence the NFL's half-assed "Heads Up" campaign about concussion awareness.

    Goodell: Keep your head up and avoid getting concussed, youth players. But you former NFL players with concussion damage? Here's a few pennies, now go away!
     
    I Should Coco, Oct 6, 2014
    #23
  12. Morris816

    Morris816 Member

    As I have read elsewhere, NFL viewership among males has been flat for several years, so they want to attract women to the product. Hence the pink jerseys and all that other stuff.

    Of course, it's not helping them with their bungling of domestic violence... and hey, October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but the NFL remains silent other than letting this organization run their ads during games.

    I know Brandon Marshall got fined last year for wearing green during a game to promote Mental Health Awareness Month (which is October as well). I wonder what would happen if a player decided to wear purple to promote Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

    In fact, I hope a player does that just to put Roger Goodell into a no-win situation.
     
    Morris816, Oct 6, 2014
    #24
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