AI Summary
5 min readRoger Goodell's new contract extension pays him roughly $65 million per year, more than any individual NFL player makes. The owners didn't give him that money because he's a visionary. They gave it to him because they're terrified of changing anything about a machine that prints money on its own.
The Ben Maller Show devotes its third hour to three separate sports stories that share a common thread: the gap between the credit people receive and the actual value they provide. Maller argues that Goodell is a caretaker, not a creator; that the Rams' new super-team status is something to embrace rather than apologize for; and that umpire Doug Eddings' staged apology for a crooked hat controversy reveals how out of touch baseball's old guard has become.
The Commissioner as Toll Booth Operator
Maller's central argument about Goodell is blunt: "The NFL is a cow. It's a cash cow. And the reason is because of a mass addiction problem that many men, women, and children have. The Americans are addicted to professional football." Goodell didn't build that addiction. He just managed to "not drive it into the lake."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (03:24) **Roger Goodell's Contract Extension** - Ben introduces the NFL commissioner's four-year, $260M+ extension and questions how much credit he deserves for the league's financial success.
- 2 (12:23) **Rams as NFL Villains** - Quentin Lake claims other teams "hate" the Rams after their offseason shopping spree, and Ben embraces the villain role.
- 3 (17:31) **Umpire Doug Eddings' Crooked Hat Controversy** - Ben examines the bizarre incident where umpire Eddings ordered a Cardinals rookie to straighten his cap, then staged a public apology.
- 4 (24:01) **Maller Riddle of the Day: Joe Morgan** - Ben asks what the late Red Sox manager Joe Morgan drove to supplement his income before reaching the big time.
- 5 (34:14) **Caller Arthur from Tucson** - A longtime listener calls in, reminiscing about the old days of the show and complaining about modern athlete salaries.
- 6 (39:36) **Hollering James Sleep Segment** - The show cuts to a regular character, Hollering James, who is audibly snoring on the phone from a care center.
- 7 (47:16) **Instant Advice Line for Big Ten Replay Officials** - Ben opens the phones for advice after the Big Ten replay center gave Michigan an extra second to beat Western Michigan.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about how much credit Roger Goodell deserves for the NFL becoming a financial juggernaut, Quentin Lake's claim that other NFL teams "hate" the Rams, if umpire Doug Eddings deserves credit for apologizing to Cardinals rookie Hancel Rincon, Insta-Advice Line, and more!
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More from this podcast
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