The NFL is not just the number one sport in America, it’s the number one brand of entertainment in the country, too.  Sunday Night Football has been the top primetime network television program in the land for multiple years running.  The Super Bowl continually sets records as the most watched event in the history of television.  Fantasy football has exploded into a billion dollar industry.  And week after week, millions tune in religiously on Sundays.

And yet, no league in the past year has had to deal with as much controversy as the National Football League on American soil.  The NFL has seen their fair share of troublesome offseasons in recent years.  But the 2014 offseason has been one of the most difficult yet for Roger Goodell and company to protect the shield.

Look at the negative headlines the NFL has had to deal with in the last year.  It’s been one PR disaster for the NFL after another…

– The Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin bullying controversy.

– Aaron Hernandez indicted on three murder charges.

– Former Pro Bowler and NFL Network analyst Darren Sharper arrested and accused of multiple counts of rape across the country.

– Ray Rice’s domestic assault and Roger Goodell’s paltry 2 game suspension, which continues to draw criticism.

– The ongoing Washington Redskins nickname debate.

In many of those instances, the league and its teams have been completely tonedeaf in the way they have handled scandal.  The Ravens’ response to how the Ray Rice story evolved – from live-tweeting his press conference to articles championing his good citizenship – was shockingly bad public relations.  The Redskins counter-offensive to defend their nickname against calls to change it has been highly dubious.

And then there’s Roger Goodell, who finally got what was coming to him this offseason after acting as the judge, jury, and executioner of the NFL for far too long.  Goodell’s power in handling the personal conduct policy and his autocratic suspension record was always going to fail.  His 2 game suspension of Ray Rice exposed the fallacies that exist in the league office.  It’s impossible for one man to hold that kind of autonomous disciplinary power and not make a misstep.  Goodell’s statement that “domestic violence is a lesser offense than taking the wrong supplement” with the 2 game suspension deserves every bit of criticism it has received.  How bad has this offseason been for Goodell?  Keith Olbermann’s call for him to resign doesn’t sound too far fetched.

While all of these controversies have rocked the league to some extent, digging deeper there’s another layer of stories worth paying attention to.  Although they haven’t drawn the wider headlines that the above list have in the wider popular culture, they should still trouble football fans.  They show a layer of immense greed for a “nonprofit” organization, a shady use of power and influence to squash negative stories in backroom politics, and a shocking impetus to put fans last.

An incredibly crass attempt to get Super Bowl halftime performers to pay the NFL!  As if a league that makes billions of dollars in revenue really needs to squeeze a few extra thousand dollars out of wealthy entertainers.

Pushing ESPN out of League of Denial and killing an NBC Sports Network story about caregivers for retired players.  The NFL’s ability to shunt any negative stories from its television partners turns powerful journalistic entities into little more than a cabal working at the league’s behest.

– The league’s continued attempt to keep its archaic blackout policy in place, including shady astroturf campaigns and lobbying the FCC.  It’s reached a point where the government is speaking out against the NFL in an attempt to put fans first.  If your organization is behind a government entity in reaching out to the people, you’re doing something seriously wrong.

All of these scandals have put significant dents in the beloved shield.  But somehow, miraculously even, the NFL has always thrived despite its laundry list of controversies.  As long as fans get their football on Sundays, it doesn’t seem to make any difference what happens off the field.   The NFL can try to pinch every penny from its fans through whatever means necessary and it seemingly doesn’t matter.  (One only has to look at the definition of “Personal Seat License” as evidence.)

The league has shown an incredible resiliency to keep pushing forward almost in spite of itself.  Even serious threats to the future of the game like the concussion and explosive details in the PBS League of Denial documentary have been cast aside for the moment.

If there’s one teflon entity in America, it’s the NFL.

But how much longer can it last?

How much longer can the NFL withstand scandal after scandal?  How much longer can they squeeze fans for every dollar while working to get even more?

Furthermore, the league’s revenue push has seen them expand to a new primetime broadcast window on Thursday nights.  And the scuttlebutt around a team in London is louder than ever before.  How much further can the NFL push before reaching its over-saturation breaking point and becoming another Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?  How much longer can the NFL see its ratings and revenue grow?

NFL ratings have reached the stratosphere.  A number of records were set during last year’s regular season.  The Super Bowl set a new high-water mark.  A record number of fans tuned into the draft.  And already Johnny Manziel is leading networks to preseason bests.

But will there come a time when the NFL’s ratings and revenue start to trend another direction.

There’s a large chunk of the NFL fanbase that will be around no matter what.  And I know as long as I can watch my Saints games, I’m one of them.  Nevertheless, the league’s cultural apex is out there somewhere.  That apex clearly isn’t here yet, but it might just be becoming just visible out over the horizon.

Concussions, scandals, rising prices, over-saturation.  All of these factors should theoretically work against the NFL’s popularity.  You can even throw in the ugly quality of games this preseason and the number of penalty flags disrupting the flow of the action.  And although they aren’t affecting the NFL right now in any tangible way, the last year should represent a serious warning sign to the league.  Not even the NFL can be invulnerable forever.

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