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Tristan Wall
Professor Campbell
UWRT-1103
2 May 2016
Money and Power: How FIFA and The NFL Are Failing Their Followers
Introducing FIFA and The NFL.
Money laundering, bribes, abuse of power, cover-ups, scandal; terms all found and used
when discussing or investigating governmental or political corruption and hardship. However,
more recently, these words and many others like them have become synonymous with two
multibmillion-dollar companies over the course of the past few years. The NFL and FIFA have
been involved in a number of scandals and law suitslawsuits ranging from player safety, to
domestic violence, to money laundering. While the two have not been directly involved in each
others actions, their effects on the world and on those who play the games have been
irreversible. Because of the actions of current, and in some cases, past officials, The NFL and
FIFA have been on a down warddownward spiral for quite some time now.
The NFL has been under more criticism for a bit longer largely due to the fact that their
mistakes have been (for the most part) made public. On the other hand, FIFA is receiving
scrutiny in much larger doses now because of the sheer shock that their whole ideal carries with
it. Apart from establishing themselves as one of the most corrupt corporations in the world, they
lied to their fans on multiple occasions and kept everything off the books, angering the public
and prosecutors even more. Lastly, while the two have been committing fraudulent and
questionable acts, neither has been directly involved with the other. The two are relatively
disconnected from one another, which makes analyzing their indecencies even more interesting.

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Comparing the two completely different sporting organizations at the corporate and internal level
gives light on a much broader and thought-provoking perspective rarely portrayed by the media.
The FIFA Corruption Scandal and The Men Involved.
Many people were not aware of the immense amount of corruption charges that FIFA and
its officials have been slapped with over the past year or so until it was made public only
recently. The entire report revealed that for years, FIFA had been giving out favors for money,.
mainly in the form of bribes, laundering money through foreign accounts, and embezzlement.
The largest and most appalling was being the awarding of South Africa the opportunity to host
the World Cup in 2010. , To put the magnitude of this deal in perspective, which according to
FIFAs official website, the 2014 World Cup hosted by Brazil, yielded a little over 3 bBillion
viewers in 2014, making it one of the most watched television events in the world, in exchange
for bribes. According to BBC, the deal to award South Africa the cup totaled to around $10
million in bribes. Chuck Blazer, a former United States soccer official is on the record stating,
Beginning in or around 2004 and continuing through 2011, I and others on the FIFA executive
committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host
nation for the 2010 World Cup (qtd. In Assael, Forrest, and Chaudhary). Most people read the
articles that outline what has been happening and think nothing of it. So what if another
corruption scandal comes in? The authoritiescops will come in and save the day, and the
offenders willyll get their jail time and itll all be over right? Wrong. The fact that 30 or so
officials have been indicted on corruption charges and that it has affected numerous countries on
the globe is nothing short of systematic corruption and abuse of power. Furthermore, in recent
months, there has been lots of discussion concerning the awarding of the small nation of Qatar
the privilege to host the 2022 world cup.

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Qatar is a very small coastal nation near Saudi Arabia with rich oil deposits and a
scorching summer climate. According to National Geographic, Qatar has a total population of
about 768,000 people. Where the problem with Qatar hosting the world cup lies is in the
legitimacy of the deal. Qatar has had a team represent them in the World Cup a grand total of
zero times, and in order for them to host the world cup, it must be held in the winter, not the
summer, meaning a complete restructure of professional league schedules world wide.
Furthermore, in an article published on theweek.co.uk, it is stated that:
With in months of being awarded the 2022 World Cup, Qatars chief
representative on Fifas executive council, Mohammed Bin Hammam had
been

banned from football for life in the wake of a huge corruption scandal

revolving

around the 2011 Fifa presidential elections. (theweek.co.uk)

Quotes like these and other simple facts and questions raise a lot of suspicion when it
comes to the 2022 World Cup. Especially since it all came so soon before the incarceration of
nearly 30 high and low ranking FIFA officials. Paul Kelso, a reporter from Sky sports, sums up
the controversy perfectly saying, From the moment the tiny Gulf state was chosen, it was clear
as Zurich mountain air that it would be problematic at best and a catastrophic folly at worst
(qtd. in theweek.co.uk). There is simply too much evidence against FIFA to suggest that foul play
has not been a key factor in decision making for the organization for quite some time. The Qatar
controversy and evidence of dirty money put FIFA and the officials involved in the history books
for years to come. However, it is important to remember that everything going on This matters
not only because of the number of laws broken but because of the public image it casts.
According to Ttopendsports.com, there are an estimated 3.5 billion soccerbillion-soccer
fans world wide, making soccerit the most popular sport on the planet. Thats around 50 percent

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of the worlds population. Therefore, This being said, wwhen a governing body such as FIFA
exists to coordinate and arbitrate the cultivation and fair play of the sport world wide, they must
hold themselves to the highest of standards and regulations internally. This being said, the blatant
disregard for decency and legality within the management and hierarchy led by Sepp Blatter is as
equally absurd as it is hypocritical. You have no right to question my honor and integrity! (qtd.
In Assael, Forrest, and Chaudhary) were the words uttered by Blatter as he was questioned about
a payoff (qtd. In Assael, Forrest, and Chaudhary). Due to the fact that there was indeed every
right to question Blatters motives is a prime example as to why Blatter has failed the followers
of the sport worldwide. Furthermore, another reason that this news is all so shocking to the
general public is because no one had any idea that was going on. FIFA had covered up their
tracks perfectly. They even went to the extent of lying to the public as many as 13 years ago. or
for how long it had been going on for.
Former FIFA General Secretary and Director of Finance, Urs Linsi published the
following quote on FIFAs official website back in 2003:
We should always remember to let the media and the public know what we are
doing. There is huge public interest in FIFA, therefore we have to be as
transparent as possible. We will try to communicate in a more open
way

concerning football matters so the world can believe us and be

proud of their

federation. (qtd. In Jennings)

Linsi was deliberately lying to the public and anyone who happened to come across his
quote on FIFAs website at the time. Now, whether he continued to do so is hard to say but one
could theorize that this was not the 1st lie told by a high ranking official. Most people tend to pin
Blatter as the soul offender and write the whole situation off when there is clear evidence that

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this problem of organized corruptionimmorality runs through out the entire corporation and has
for some time now. Additionally, the whole mess that FIFA has created for itself with laundering
money, embezzlement, taking bribes, and the South Africa and Qatar World cup controversy isnt
only about following the law; its about being a good person.
One of FIFAs biggest campaigns is one called Say No To Racism and it has been on
full display at many league and international games. However, Andrew Jennings has a good
point when he writes, one of FIFAs seven vice-presidents is a noisy anti-Semite and another, a
foul-mouth racist (396). The fact that this type of unconcealed disregard for human dignity and
decency runs throughout the organization is appalling to many. Former FIFA president Sepp
Blatter is on the record saying many borderline misogynist comments at a variety of press
conferences. In May of 2013 he said, Say something, ladies. You are always speaking at home,
now you can speak here (qtd. in Sepp Blatter in Quotes: Terminator, Mountain Goats & the
Godfather In BBC). One of the most appalling quotes Blatter ever uttered was a suggestion he
had to raise the popularity of womens soccer in January of 2004 saying, Let the women play in
more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball. They could, for example, have tighter shorts
(qtd. iIn Sepp Blatter in Quotes: Terminator, Mountain Goats & the Godfather BBC). These
quotes are good proof that there is something terribly wrong within the power pyramid of FIFA.
Not only is the financial status of the organization in shambles and under extreme scrutiny and
investigation but it has also become clear that those with power have developed a lack of human
decencydecorum. In order to run the most popular sport in the world, you cannot under any
circumstances say whatever pops into your head or whatever you want. You must be held to a
higher standard than everyone else and carry out not inly only your business,s butbut also your
life with exemplary status and morals. The problems that FIFA has cast upon its followers and

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fans are going to have a permanent effect on the soccer world of tomorrow. FIFA will have to be
extremely careful going forward in order to avoid terrible debacles like this in the future and to
prevent the hiring of power hungry men such as Sepp Blatter for their own good and the good of
the game moving forward.
Roger Goodell and The NFL
The head honcho of the NFL is Commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell has been the
Commissioner for almost ten years and during his tenure his ratings have done nothing but
plummet. According to Ray Frager from Fox Sports, According to a survey of self-described
NFL fans conducted by Public Policy Polling, Goodell has a 28 percent job approval rating, with
42 percent disapproving and 30 percent unsure (Frager). Those numbers arent very good for
the head of the largest sport in the United States that brought in around 7.3 billion dollars last
year, according to Mark Inabinett. So how did Goodell reach these all time low approval ratings
and why does it matter?
In the NFL player safety has never been at the main topic of conversation like it is right
now, and the NFL has been receiving much scrutiny for allegedly knowing about the problem
and doing nothing about it. The disease CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) was
discovered a few years ago and has been linked to long bouts of sustained head to head contact,
something very common in ex NFL players. The disease has a terrible effect on those who
succumb to it, often leading to death or insanity. A movie The movie, Concussion, was recently
released in December of 2015 about the discovery of the is disease and the doctor who
discovered it, Dr. Bennet Omalu. The film covers mainly Omalus work to bring attention to the
deaths caused by concussions in former players and the NFLs extensive ability to cover it all
up. In the movie Alec Baldwins character, Dr. Julian Bailes, has a line that says, The NFL does

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not want to talk to you. You turned on the lights and gave their biggest boogeyman a name
(Concussion). Referring to the concussion problem, Baldwins line here clearly shows the NFLs
attitude towards the problem. While one movie cannot be the entire basis to attack such a large
organization, it can shed useful light on the larger picture. Where the problem lies in this
situation is that the NFL knowingly covered up the concussion problem so that they wouldnt
loose revenue or any followers. In other words, they traded human lives for cash. Many people
are calling the NFLs morals into question since the discussion of player safety has become more
and more prevalent in recent years and for good reason. Additionally, Concussion is not the first
film to document and address this problem head on. PBS released a documentary on Tuesday,
October 8th, 2013 titled, League of Denial The NFLs Concussion Crisis, another indicator that
there is a serious problem that has been going on for sometime. Thankfully the NFL has taken
steps towards ensuring a better future for current players by cracking down on helmet-to-helmet
contact through the use of fines, and in game penalties, and improvement of player equipment.
However, the problem still stands. How was the NFL able to know about the problem and do
nothing and in some cases ensure that the public knew nothing and live with itself themselves?.
It would make any sane person sick to their stomach that the NFL worked so hard to cover up the
deaths of former players and not inform current ones about the risk. Travis Waldron, a sports
writer for Thinkprogress.org and author of the article, League of Denial Documentary Details
How NFL Covered Up Concussion Crisis-And How Little It Cares Now, quotes Dr. Bennet
Omalu:Omalu,
An NFL doctor said to me at some point, Bennet, do you know the implications
of what youre doing?' Omalu said. He said, If 10 percent of mothers in

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this country would begin to perceive football as a dangerous sport, that is
the

end of football. (qtd. in Waldron)

This quote is an excellent way to summarize and see both ends of the spectrum in the

issue. The NFL decided to walk athe thin line by not saying anything and ensuring for years that
the problem didnt get out in the media because they were scared and greedy for profit. Simply
put, the thought of losing even a small portion of their supporters or revenue was too big of a
thought to entertain for the NFL so they covered it all up and even tried to after they were
exposed.was too big of a thought for the NFL to entertain. The bright side is that the NFL is
taking more steps towards creating a safer and healthier playing environment for the players. Just
the other weekOn March 22nd of this year, a few new rule changes were made to the game and
one of which was the ejection of a player for receiving two or more unsportsmanlike conduct
penalties in one game. The problem is slowly being resolved and with good reason and effort.
However, more problems have still plagued the NFL in recent years.
As stated before, commissioner Goodell has not been the most popular man in recent
times. One of which being the way he handledhandle a domestic violence case between Rray
Rrice and his now wife, then fiance, in an elevator in Atlantic City. In the videosecurity camera
footage from inside the elevator, Rice is seen punching beating his then fiance unconscious and
then drags her limp body out of the elevator. Rice was punished but the extent of his punishment
is where we encounter some problems. Aside from the way the police and law enforcement
carried out appropriate punishment, the way that Goodell went about the whole situation is, to be
frank, down right absurd. Rice was slappedGoodell slapped Rice with a mere two game
suspension, for knocking his fiance unconscious in an elevator and dragging her out onto the
concrete hallway of their hotel.

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To put that in perspective, Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, was
given a multi-thousand dollar fine and a four game suspension for maybe being somewhat aware
that his footballs were being deflated during a game. In what way can being aware of your
footballs being flat warrant more punishment than assaulting your fiance? Furthermore, there is
good reason to believe that Goodell was strong-armed by executives from the Baltimore Ravens,
the team Rice was on at the time, to give Rice no more than a two game suspension. Don Van
Natta Jr. and Kevin Van Valkenburg write, Four sources said Ravens executives, including
Bisciotti, Cass and Newsome, urged Goodell and other league executives to give Rice no more
than a two-game suspension, and that's what Goodell did on July 24 (Natta, Don Van, Jr., and
Kevin Van Valkenburg ESPN). Facts like these are extremely unsettling to the general public and
those more closely involved and aeffectedffected by the NFLs actions. Not only does this tarnish
Goodells public image but it says a lot about his character and qualifications as a leader as well.
Situations like these raise questions like how can the welfare of the entire league and all its
employees be trusted with a man who caters to the wants and desires of friends and executives.
Furthermore, it puts the standard for NFL players to meet extremely low. If a player is going to
receive a harsher punishment for deflating balls and not for beating their fiance, then the line
will just keep getting pushed to see how far they are able to go before receiving a serious penalty.
It isnt smart administration for a multi billion-dollar corporationmpany and it is an even worse
way to handle the actions of the players employed by Goodell.
One area of the NFL that is constantly in the spotlight is the finance of the league.
Whenever a player signs a new deal almost every social media platform that the NFL operates
lights up. Many would say that money is what runs the NFL, and they would have good reason to

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speculate so. This being said, the way that the NFL distributes and brings in money can be a bit
shady at times.
What can be shocking and a bit confusing to remember is that the NFL is a non-profit
organization. Additionally, what can be very shocking as well is the fact that in many cities
taxpayers help fund local NFL teams. The dilemma here is not so much that taxpayers pay for
many operating costs for many NFL teams, it is the proportion of how much of their money goes
to the teams. Gregg Easterbrook writes, Judith Grant Long, a Harvard University professor of
urban planning, calculates that league-wide, 70 percent of the capital cost of NFL stadiums has
been provided by taxpayers, not NFL owners (Gregg Easterbrook). With stadium costs going up
and up it could be expected that perhaps a little bit of public taxpayer money would be used to
contribute, but 70 percent? That seems a bit high does it not? Especially considering how much
money the average NFL team owner is worth.
When a team like the Seattle Seahawks has an owner with a net worth of $17.7 billion
according to Forbes, why should the taxpayers pay the large majority of the teams and stadiums
operating costs? Easterbrook also writes, Twelve teams have turned a profit on stadium
subsidies alonereceiving more money than they needed to build their facilities (Gregg
Easterbrook). Easterbrooks quote is a good indicator of whats happening between taxpayers
and the NFL. There may not be any legal issues involved but there is an issue involving morality
and necessity. It can clearly be seen that the tax money that these NFL teams receive is much
higher than what is actually needed. If local governments in these cities deem it necessary and
acceptable to give public tax money to the local football team then there is nothing wrong with
that. However, when the amount of money is enough to turn a profit, questions start to flow in.

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While the taxpayer dilemma is certainly nowhere near as grave and threatening to the
public image and future of the NFL as the concussion issue and Ray Rice scandal, it still
represents the common theme being seen in the NFL. That problems keep arising and its gotten
to the point that the public is just waiting to see what controversy the NFL will cook up next. If
the NFL continues to have problems with issues that should and can be dealt with timely and
efficiently but doesnt deal with them in any such manner, then Goodell will likely be shown the
door sooner rather than later. While Goodell is not the only offender in these cases, he is the
leader of Americas greatest game and everything that it stands for and like the case with FIFA,
he must be held accountable for his companys actions.
Where The Two Meet
In terms of the actions committed and the every day work environment that FIFA and The
NFL deal with, the two are extremely different. However, both manage two of the biggest and
largest sports on the planet, both in terms of fan base, players, and annual revenue. Due to the
fact that the two are large and watched by so many, this leaves very little room for error. If one
bad apple is exposed, the whole corporation can be blamed or compromised. In FIFAs case, they
only made their situation worse. When their bad apples were uncovered instead of having the
problem dealt with by a credible third party, they hired their own investigators to fix the
problem. Scott Martelle highlights the problem with FIFAs investigation on their wrong doings:
From the get-go, this was an investigation with a huge credibility problem.
Garcia, a former federal prosecutor, could be the most independentminded

investigator in the world. But he still works for the organization he

was

probing, which feeds legitimate skepticism. (Martelle)

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Here it is clear shown how FIFA went the wrong way by having people influenced by the
corporation itself investigate them. Much like the way Goodell was seemingly strong-armed into
giving Rice such a ridiculously small suspension for such a large crime by friends. Both
organizations, while dealing with two completelycomply different issues in their internal
management, must learn from these mistakes. If not for the good of the fans and players but for
the good of the world as well. Yes they run football and soccer, but problems such as domestic
violence, death, lying, money laundering, etc. are real problems that happen everyday in the real
world. These problems are not just something unique to FIFA and tThe NFL. The two may live
in their own bubble the majority of the time, however it is all too easy for that bubble to bust.
Many of their followers feel wronged and are angered by what has been occurring in the past
few years and with good reason to do so. Now, whats most important is that the two work with
the others to tend to the wounds they caused and seek out reconciliation and development
towards a better tomorrow in the world of sport. If not for the good of the players, but for the
good of the people.

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Works Cited
Assael, Shaun, Brett Forrest, and Vivek Chaudhary. The FBI VS. FIFA, The Exclusive Story of
How the Feds Took down FIFA. ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 14
Mar. 2016.
Bien, Louis. "A Complete Timeline of the Ray Rice Assault Case." SBNation.com.
SBNation.com, 28 Nov. 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
Concussion. Dir. Peter Landesman. Perf. Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, and Albert Brooks.
Colombia Pictures, 2015. Film.
Easterbrook, Gregg. "How the NFL Fleeces Taxpayers." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company,
Oct. 2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.
"FIFA against Racism: A Decade of Milestones." FIFA.com. FIFA, 02 Mar. 2011. Web. 6 Apr.
2016.
"Fifa Corruption Crisis: Key Questions Answered - BBC News." BBC News. BBC, 21 Dec.
2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

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Frager, Ray. "Roger Goodell's Approval Rating Is Lower than President Obama's." FOX Sports.
Fox Sports, 10 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
Inabinett, Mark. "How Much Money Did the NFL Rake in Last Year?" Al.com. Alabama Media
Group, 21 July 2015. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
Natta, Don Van, Jr., and Kevin Van Valkenburg. "Rice Case: Purposeful Misdirection by Team,
Scant Investigation by NFL." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 19 Sept. 2014. Web. 9
Apr. 2016.
Jennings, Andrew. Investigating Corruption in Corporate Sport: The IOC and FIFA.
International Review for the Sociology of Sport 46.4 (2011): 387-98. Irs.sagepub.com.
Web. 29 Feb. 2016
Martelle, Scott. What FIFA and the NFL Have in Common: A Credibility Problem.
Latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 29 Feb. 2016
"Sepp Blatter in Quotes: Terminator, Mountain Goats & the Godfather." BBC Sport. BBC, 21
Dec. 2015. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
"The World's Billionaires." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
"Qatar Facts, Qatar Flag -- National Geographic." National Geographic Atlas of the World,
Eighth Edition. 8th ed. N.p.: National Geographic, n.d. N. pag. National Geographic.
National Geographic. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
"Qatar World Cup Controversy: Bribes, Slavery and Alcohol." The Week UK. The Week UK, 4
Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Waldron, Travis. League of Denial Documentary Details How NFL Covered Up Concussion
Crisis-And How Little It Cares Now. Thinkprogress.org. Thinkprogress.org, 9 Oct.
2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2016

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"2014 FIFA World Cup Reached 3.2 Billion Viewers, One Billion Watched Final." FIFA.com.
FIFA, 16 Dec. 2015. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.