Radisson suspends Vikings sponsorship

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/radi ... eal-091514

In a statement Monday, Minnetonka-based Radisson, part of the family owned hospitality and travel company Carlson, said it "takes this matter very seriously particularly in light of our long-standing commitment to the protection of children."

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"We are closely following the situation and effective immediately, Radisson is suspending its limited sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings while we evaluate the facts and circumstances," the company's statement read.

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Gotta imagine this is gonna get even messier.

Notice the Radisson logo in the backdrop of the press conference.

Tip of the iceberg, I'd say.

The NFL and the teams would prefer to not do anything to a player if they didn't have to unless their name is Hernandez or Carruth. Murderers and people who pay to have pregnant women murdered won't fly.

Because of the quick feedback internet machine, 24 hour sports and cable "news", and social media they're getting a lot of information faster. This, coupled with the NFL's increased popularity over the years has changed the game for them over what it was a couple of decades ago.

I've seen some people complain about the "mob mentality" and "court of public opinion" regarding how Ray Rice and other players are treated on TV and the internet. I find the idea that a team or the NFL taking action within their contractual framework with the players due to misconduct is very different than a legal process, so the "court of public opinion" line is irrelevant as those decisions are not legal processes.

As far as the "mob mentality" comments are concerned, the irritation towards the "mob" is incorrect. The NFL is selling an entertainment product to customers. If a large enough percentage of their customer base is not happy, it could affect their income substantially. The NFL wants to optimize the point between keeping the best players on the field for the best product while not irritating customers by being associated with negative issues. If a significant portion of the NFL fan base is upset because Rice got just two games for clocking his fiance square in the face and knocking her out on camera, then then the league and team have to do something.

This is about economics, not what's "right and wrong". The idea of morality plays into the league's image, but the NFL is not Doctors Without Borders. They're a company looking to maximize profit.

The Vikings are already walking a tight line with Peterson. He's obviously the most critical player on their team, so not having him is a possible huge loss to revenue. On the other hand, the negative attention may lose sponsors or fans. The NFL might even step in on this because of its concern for the overall league image.

Nike has supposedly pulled Adrian Peterson products from the shelves in Minneapolis and Anheuser-Busch has released a statement condemning the situation. We might not be far from a tipping point if more sponsors start making noise about pulling out.

Shadowhawk":3ik47unm said:

.............We might not be far from a tipping point if more sponsors start making noise about pulling out.

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Money is what always talks. Unfortunately, it is often the only motivator for change. I'm guessing that's what it's going to take to see real change in the NFL on the issue at hand.

Money is the point of the NFL.

Also seen where Anheuser Busch is also now firing shots at the NFL concerning how they proceed with things, Thats a big dog now appearing like they could be pulling the withdrawal of advertising revenue.