thebigo -> RE: Around the NFL (News) - 2013 Season (8/24/2015 7:58:26 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: DavidAOlson Interesting take Goodell: he's acting like a dictator, not just in the literal sense, but using the same political moves that a dictator uses to stay in power. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/08/24/how-does-the-nfls-roger-goodell-stay-in-power-by-acting-like-a-dictator/ quote:
Political science research suggests that Goodell may be taking a page from the classic autocrat’s playbook about how to stay in power. ... To explain Goodell’s behavior, think about dictators such as Kim Jong-un of North Korea. They often have to do some unsavory things to get and stay in power. Moreover, these things are often effective — otherwise, why do them? Goodell’s behavior in the Deflategate case is similar. ... First, a key lesson from the autocrat’s playbook is this: After you take power, eliminate the powerful people who helped get you there. They know your weaknesses and the skeletons in your closet. For Goodell, no one fits that description like Kraft, who owns the Patriots. ... Second, all leaders (not just autocratic ones) have to pay close attention to what political scientists call their “selectorate,” or the people who keep them in power. Some types of autocrats face very small selectorates, however, meaning it is the approval of just a few people that matters to them. For Goodell, that’s the owners of NFL teams. And now that Kraft is an opponent, Goodell is even more beholden to a “small handful of influential owners,” potentially including the owners of the Baltimore Ravens, the Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys. What do those teams have in common? A dislike of the Patriots... Third, autocratic leaders often engage in brazen manipulation of the media to try to shape public perception. ... [Clear.] Finally, a classic strategy for autocrats worried about “internal” threats (such as a civil war or an insurgency) rather than “external” threats (such as being invaded) is called “coup-proofing.” This is when autocrats deliberately weaken their own military because it makes the military less likely to cause problems for them. Coup-proofing helps us understand Deflategate as well. The New England Patriots are the most successful NFL franchise of the Goodell era, with Brady one of the greatest players in NFL history. They are yearly Super Bowl contenders in a way that threatens the “Any Given Sunday” parity the NFL prefers. There is almost certainly jealousy and frustration around the NFL because of the Patriots’ sustained success. Cutting them down to size by decreasing their prospects this season (the Brady suspension) and in upcoming seasons (the draft picks) thus serves Goodell’s interest of staying in power. This reads like somebody HAD to write something, thought "Hey lets compare Goodell to Stalin", and then tried to fit some stuff around the story.
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