For years business schools used the Coke decision to switch to New Coke as an example of what can happen even when on paper it seems like the obvious thing to do.
The decision by the NFL to do this I believe will be used to counter that Coke mistake perfectly in business schools now.
Here you have a corporation KNOWINGLY going against its own bottom line by doing this and turning away its customer base by a massive percentage. Coke did it to increase sales and compete against Pepsi, a simple smart business decision that SHOULD have been well received by its customer base. Of course no one took into account the nostalgia effect that sank it like a rock, they were as shocked as anyone when the sales figures started rolling in.
Here you have the NFL doing exactly the opposite, making a decision knowing it is going against the wishes of its fan base hoping to drive its sales back up. Sheer and utter lunacy by their board thinking this will appease both sides and bring the fattened calf back to the table.
Watching this unfold is fascinating.
Interesting historical tidbit... After the whole 'coke' 'new coke' business was completed, and everything had shaken out, CocaCola had gained 6% market share. Despite how the entire thing was covered in the popular press and elsewhere, it wasn't as 'boneheaded' a move as most people seem to think.