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The NFL, Gaming and the Sale That Didn't Happen


   Hey, everyone. Some time ago I was talking about NFL quarterbacks and I said something like this. There are only a very few quarterbacks on earth who can take a team to the Super Bowl, maybe 10 or 12 guys; so if you're serious about winning a championship, find one and pay him what you have to in order to keep him. Tonight I would like to add a bit to that thought.
    Lately, when a quarterback has proven himself and sometimes when he hasn't, they land a contract in the range of 20 million a year or maybe 100 million dollars for the contract. Sometimes a fat contract like this can cripple a team payroll to the point where they can't keep enough of their good players (other than the QB) to have a great team. So, it is time for quarterbacks, whether their agents like it or not, to show a little restraint about their own salary. Better still, it may be necessary to put a cap on salaries of quarterbacks, something like this: "No individual's salary can exceed a certain percentage of the team's payroll".
    I realize that there will be those who dislike that ideal intensely. I understand this. In my opinion it will be necessary. I think it would pass if put to a vote of the players because it would mean that the majority of them would be treated better. There is no argument that the QB is the most important piece of the team, just don't hamstring the club financially.
    Another thing about the NFL. They have become popular enough so that they are taking their fans for granted. I went to a game a few years ago and every fan, male or female, had a hands-on search of their person. The lines stretched a city block. Now, ladies can't even bring a purse into the stadium. The price of tickets is so ridiculous that the majority of fans are priced out of the equation. $5 for water seems a bit vulture-like. Also, back in the day, any attraction or event provided the parking. Now you have to pay to park at almost any venue, from games to museums and almost everything else. Of course, the NFL has always had limited parking, like other sports. You will probably have to park in the lot of a closed warehouse or something and pay $20, or more, for the privilege. Then you will walk a couple of miles to the game. Gee, you wonder why the stands are not full for preseason games?
      I'm a fan and have been since 1958, but I really don't care if I ever watch another game. It is human nature to take good things for granted. As the stadiums don't sell out and popularity wanes the grim truth will become obvious. It won't happen today, or maybe in the next few years, but I think it will happen.
      I noticed that there was no holiday sale on the app store for the IOS games. I was surprised. It  may be my imagination but there seems to be less games coming out these days than there used to be. Of course, the plague of in-app purchases in games have turned many people cold. I wonder if, perhaps, the future I-Pads may begin to sell more slowly. We shall see. I've said it before, why should I buy a new model for gaming if the games don't warrant it? Maybe I am the only one who feels like that.
     I am also curious about the general state of internet activity. With the recent revelations of certain organizations that are spying on things, will people begin to quit reading e-books? Good question. Will people begin to start an unplugging process? I understand that there are new televisions that are in the works which will have a camera which will be able to look into your room. Creepy thought. I did read that one of the cable companies wanted to introduce a set-top box which could do that very thing but a board ruled they could not do that. Seems like the FCC voted that down, I don't remember. Another note, what's up with the games that require you to be on-line all the time? Also, why do some games like Plants vs. Zombies 2 require a camera on front and back of the device? I can't really understand the need for that. The other day I downloaded a game that wanted me to acknowledge my agreement to a EULA before I could play. I promptly deleted that piece of crap.
    I noticed that Bloodmasque is on sale this weekend. That is the vampire game. It is normally $6.99 and it is now $2.99. Another game I thought about buying is Ravensword: Shadowlands. It is normally $6.99 and is on sale for $4.99. So there are some games on sale but there aren't the massive sales of bygone days. Maybe Thanksgiving will rock our world with games at 99 cents.
    Hey, maybe if you come back tomorrow, I can talk about black helicopters or some other conspiracy theory. Ha, ha. Oh, remember when I talked about drones? Did you see where some guy rented one and it crashed in the stands at a race? I told you that technology would be abused, many months ago. Also, did you see where a guy was flying one of the drones around a lady's bedroom window? A high-tech, low-life, peeping tom.
     Well, sorry about the mild rant. I think I'll go play a game or two on my Padster. Goodnight, from the author's green retreat.
    I'm CE Wills.

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