What if Liberals Ran the NFL?

One of the last places in America where the pursuit of excellence is encouraged and rewarded is in the sporting arena. On the field of play, be it football, baseball, basketball, bowling or whatever, competition is celebrated and the desire to win and even dominate is standard. There was a time, not too long ago, where this was normal in the economic sphere as well. Amidst bailouts, nationalization and redistribution, I thought it would be interesting to consider what it would be like if we ran and regulated sports the way the government now taxes, regulates and manages the economy. Let us propose a game between the currently winless Detroit Lions and the undefeated Tennessee Titans. It is a foregone conclusion that liberals would want the Lions to win the game. Their self-esteem must be in the toilet, after all. They must be feeling really bad and we need to turn those frowns upside down! And who do those Titans think they are? Do they think they’re better than every other team? They probably cheated to win all those games. It isn’t right that they made all those other teams feel so bad. Everyone should be able to be a winner. When the coin is supposed to be tossed, the Titans are informed the coin is not going to be tossed. The Lions will be receiving the ball first in both halves and the Titans will have to play into the wind the entire game, there will be no switching of end zones. When the Titans kick off, they do so from the twenty to give the Lions an opportunity for a better return. The Lions are allowed to play twelve men and have five downs to make a first instead of four. On a pass play to the sideline, the Detroit receiver only got one foot down in bounds but the rule is changed on the spot to make it qualify as a catch. Even so, hapless Detroit goes four and out and has to punt. The Titans get the ball and Kerry Collins’ first pass play goes for forty yards. The Titans find out, however, that whatever yards are gained after ten, they only receive half of them. A forty yard play now becomes twenty-five. Receivers are being held on every play and the officials do not call it. Even with the deck stacked against them, the Titans move the ball the length of the field and score a touchdown. During Detroit’s next series, the Titans intercept the ball. Three plays later they score another touchdown but they are informed that it doesn’t count. The rule is that there can never be more than a one touchdown lead in the game. By halftime the score is seven to nothing even though Tennessee has been in the end zone four times. They are frustrated and demoralized. The Lions are taking advantage of the officials attitude and cheating without consequence, every time the Titans meet with success it doesn’t count, they seem to be working for nothing. In the other locker room, the Lions are pumped up. Even though they have only sixty total yards in the first half they are exited because they are only down one touchdown against the mighty Titans. In the second half, the Titans’ offense is flat. No one wants to play hard anymore since nothing they do counts for anything. Their first three possessions are three and out. By the time Detroit gets the ball for the third time, the Tennessee defense is beginning to tire. The Lions finally score touchdown. The officials then inform the teams that since Detroit has such a hard time getting to the end zone, their extra point is going to be worth two points instead of one. Tennessee now finds themselves one point down with four minutes remaining in the fourth. Collins tries to fire up his offense and they begin to move the ball again. With thirty seconds remaining they have moved the ball into the red zone. As the clock ticks down, they line up for the game winning field goal. The clock shows eight seconds left just before the snap. Detroit calls a timeout but the officials do not stop the clock. They let it run down and declare the game over. Result; Detroit 8-Tennessee 7. The point of our little exercise is this. The object of rules in a game is to create a level playing field where people can compete and gain success commensurate with their talent, hard work and a little luck. If rules are only applied to one side, are changed in the middle of a game, skewed to assist one group at the expense of another or to punish success, no one is going to want to play the game. Thomas Jefferson rightly observed, “a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.” The purpose of government under the constitution was to provide a secure arena and basic rules for our endeavors and that was all. It was not to assist one group at the expense of another or to punish those who were too successful. If we really want to get us out of our economic malaise we will return to that which made America great. We will reduce government control over the economy and our lives to Jefferson’s basics, stop subsidizing or punishing groups or industries with taxes and regulation and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of man.

Let us propose a game between the currently winless Detroit Lions and the undefeated Tennessee Titans. It is a foregone conclusion that liberals would want the Lions to win the game. Their self-esteem must be in the toilet, after all. They must be feeling really bad and we need to turn those frowns upside down! And who do those Titans think they are? Do they think they’re better than every other team? They probably cheated to win all those games. It isn’t right that they made all those other teams feel so bad. Everyone should be able to be a winner.

When the coin is supposed to be tossed, the Titans are informed the coin is not going to be tossed. The Lions will be receiving the ball first in both halves and the Titans will have to play into the wind the entire game, there will be no switching of end zones. When the Titans kick off, they do so from the twenty to give the Lions an opportunity for a better return. The Lions are allowed to play twelve men and have five downs to make a first instead of four. On a pass play to the sideline, the Detroit receiver only got one foot down in bounds but the rule is changed on the spot to make it qualify as a catch. Even so, hapless Detroit goes four and out and has to punt.

The Titans get the ball and Kerry Collins’ first pass play goes for forty yards. The Titans find out, however, that whatever yards are gained after ten, they only receive half of them. A forty yard play now becomes twenty-five. Receivers are being held on every play and the officials do not call it. Even with the deck stacked against them, the Titans move the ball the length of the field and score a touchdown. During Detroit’s next series, the Titans intercept the ball. Three plays later they score another touchdown but they are informed that it doesn’t count. The rule is that there can never be more than a one touchdown lead in the game.
By halftime the score is seven to nothing even though Tennessee has been in the end zone four times. They are frustrated and demoralized. The Lions are taking advantage of the officials attitude and cheating without consequence, every time the Titans meet with success it doesn’t count, they seem to be working for nothing. In the other locker room, the Lions are pumped up. Even though they have only sixty total yards in the first half they are exited because they are only down one touchdown against the mighty Titans.

In the second half, the Titans’ offense is flat. No one wants to play hard anymore since nothing they do counts for anything. Their first three possessions are three and out. By the time Detroit gets the ball for the third time, the Tennessee defense is beginning to tire. The Lions finally score touchdown. The officials then inform the teams that since Detroit has such a hard time getting to the end zone, their extra point is going to be worth two points instead of one. Tennessee now finds themselves one point down with four minutes remaining in the fourth. Collins tries to fire up his offense and they begin to move the ball again. With thirty seconds remaining they have moved the ball into the red zone. As the clock ticks down, they line up for the game winning field goal. The clock shows eight seconds left just before the snap. Detroit calls a timeout but the officials do not stop the clock. They let it run down and declare the game over. Result; Detroit 8-Tennessee 7.
The point of our little exercise is this. The object of rules in a game is to create a level playing field where people can compete and gain success commensurate with their talent, hard work and a little luck. If rules are only applied to one side, are changed in the middle of a game, skewed to assist one group at the expense of another or to punish success, no one is going to want to play the game.

Thomas Jefferson rightly observed, “a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.” The purpose of government under the constitution was to provide a secure arena and basic rules for our endeavors and that was all. It was not to assist one group at the expense of another or to punish those who were too successful. If we really want to get us out of our economic malaise we will return to that which made America great. We will reduce government control over the economy and our lives to Jefferson’s basics, stop subsidizing or punishing groups or industries with taxes and regulation and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of man.

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