Mike Neal And Cj2k

[Croak]

The truth is finally coming out on behalf of some of the players. I thought CJ2K showed extreme arrogance toward his fans recently. Now Mike Neal is reported by ESPN to have said; "People are writing me off. I read what people are commenting on stories and how they're feeling. If I was in this to please the fans, I wouldn't play. I could care less what anybody's saying or how they feel about me. My thing is just to come in here and do my job."

It's good he has enough pride to be bugged by people writing him off. It isn't good that he thinks so lowly of the fans. His "job" as he calls it, IS to entertain fans. Today's NFL players seem to increasingly care less about the fans and more about their own bottom line. I guess it's a microcosm of society.

Someone should tell these guys that without the fans, they wouldn't have a job!

 

[Wood Chipper]

I agree. You play for the love of the game. Fans are a part of that. Otherwise you can join the UFL.

 

[13 Times Champs]

I hope he is as determined on the field and can stay healthy.

 

[Bogart]

I don't like him because of his attitude, and the "I want even more money or I won't play", he held out last year too.

He's a good player, but his attitude will be his downfall.

 

[Bensalama21]

Thats one reason why the Packers are such a great organization. We rarely get players that have high egos. Our worst is probably Finley (other than Mike Neal) and he still is nothing compared to a lot of other Prima Donnas on other teams!

 

[13 Times Champs]

I don't like the comments about the fans either but I'm going to cut him some slack right now. Perhaps the comments were borne out of frustation. He missed last year with an injury and got nicked again in training camp. Obviously he has a lot of maturing to do.

 

[Mr. StyleZ]

What? Are we upset that he was hurt by the fans were calling him Justin Harrell 2.0? You guys need to read the entire article and put the whole thing in context. He said he'd give back his whole rookie contract to stay healthy. After reading that, he's probably one of my favorites, and he's hardly played! Last thing you want is for him to listen to the stuff people say about him and start believing it. You want the guy who's gonna use it as motivation.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/129302363.html

 

[PackersRS]

The truth is finally coming out on behalf of some of the players. I thought CJ2K showed extreme arrogance toward his fans recently. Now Mike Neal is reported by ESPN to have said; "People are writing me off. I read what people are commenting on stories and how they're feeling. If I was in this to please the fans, I wouldn't play. I could care less what anybody's saying or how they feel about me. My thing is just to come in here and do my job."

It's good he has enough pride to be bugged by people writing him off. It isn't good that he thinks so lowly of the fans. His "job" as he calls it, IS to entertain fans. Today's NFL players seem to increasingly care less about the fans and more about their own bottom line. I guess it's a microcosm of society.

Someone should tell these guys that without the fans, they wouldn't have a job!

Well, that's the extreme opposite of how he behaves on twitter.

He's very eloquent, educated, cites the bible quite often. He just seems like a really nice guy on twitter...

 

[Croak]

What? Are we upset that he was hurt by the fans were calling him Justin Harrell 2.0? You guys need to read the entire article and put the whole thing in context. He said he'd give back his whole rookie contract to stay healthy. After reading that, he's probably one of my favorites, and he's hardly played! Last thing you want is for him to listen to the stuff people say about him and start believing it. You want the guy who's gonna use it as motivation.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/129302363.html

No, my issue isn't with him being motivated to prove people wrong. Yes, I read the full article. My issue is with him dissing the fans. When he says he doesn't care what the fans think and that he's just going to do his "job", he undervalues what the game is all about. The game is about the fans. Otherwise, he shouldn't be playing as he said. If the game isn't about the fans, then he can go play in the back yard with his buddies and earn a living some other way.

 

[okcpackerfan]

I think mr. stylez hit the nail on the head and the rest of you are missing the point.

You play for the love of the game AND to make a good living. For those saying if you love the game so much you can play backyard football and earn a living another way, why in the hell would anyone ever do this when they can be making millions?

What he said was he could care less what anyone is saying about him or how they feel about him and thats exactly the kind of attitude you want from the majority of your players. If players were to read every single message online or in the paper that is written about them it would drive them crazy. Its possible to not care what fans think about you and still appreciate them for paying your salary, they do not correlate.

As for saying that it is his job to entertain fans thats not correct, he happens to get paid for playing a game because WE THE FANS allow him to get paid for it by going to games not because he chose to be an entertainer, he chose to play a sport.

Some players "get" the fact there needs to be a certain entertainment level, usually for their own personal benefit, not because they are appreciating the fans. At the same time, if every single player acted like they were entertaining the crowd it would be unwatchable. I enjoyed watching Barry Sanders hand the ball to the ref after ever single touchdown and then jog off the field. I also enjoy watching Chad Johnson do his thing.

 

[ivo610]

Its a business. Not a hobby. This is how they make their living. Do the owners treat this as a business or as a hobby? Come on man, its a billion dollar business. I try to understand a players holdout just as I understand why a team cuts a player. I hate when fans feel some sort of entitlement from these players, like they owe you something.

As far as being an entertainer, tell the NFL that.

 

[ivo610]

No, my issue isn't with him being motivated to prove people wrong. Yes, I read the full article. My issue is with him dissing the fans. When he says he doesn't care what the fans think and that he's just going to do his "job", he undervalues what the game is all about. The game is about the fans. Otherwise, he shouldn't be playing as he said. If the game isn't about the fans, then he can go play in the back yard with his buddies and earn a living some other way.

If he does his job he is making the fans happy. Seems as simple as that.

 

[Croak]

Its a business. Not a hobby. This is how they make their living. Do the owners treat this as a business or as a hobby? Come on man, its a billion dollar business. I try to understand a players holdout just as I understand why a team cuts a player. I hate when fans feel some sort of entitlement from these players, like they owe you something.

As far as being an entertainer, tell the NFL that.

Yes it is a business. It is a business built on consumers. The fans are the consumers. Without the consumers it can be no billion dollar business. Understanding a holdout for more money in an entertainment industry in which there is a certain degree of risk is acceptable. Understanding a premature holdout is unacceptable. In Neal's case; his exact words were; "If I was in this to please the fans, I wouldn't play. I could care less what anybody's saying or how they feel about me. My thing is just to come in here and do my job."

Now, I understand finding your value in something greater than people's opinion. However, when you are in a consumer industry, you are there for the consumer or you *may* not be in business long (government bailouts excepted). He should be in this business to please the consumer. Has the phrase "the customer is always right" now become passe'? Therefore it should concern him what the fans think. They are his bread and butter. If they don't buy the tickets and the merchandise, etc. then he doesn't get paid for playing his game.

I'm disappointed that players and owners today seem to care less about the fans and more about the "business". I long for the days when players actually had vocations in the community outside of "the game". I fear we are producing Prima Donna millionaires who lose touch with those who really pay their bills.

 

[okcpackerfan]

As ivo said earlier in this thread I think people get caught up in entitlement and jealousy of player salaries. If you think all players should entertain fans in a certain way and care about the fans then don't buy anymore tickets. There are obviously plenty of people who DON'T care about those things which is why the NFL is doing so well.

Just like on this board, there are players who are going to go the extra mile to sign tickets, entertain fans and relish in the spotlight. There are also other players whose privacy or demeanor might come off as standoffish, arrogant, or ungrateful. Just different personalities and as long as they do their job well then I am entertained.

 

[okcpackerfan]

I'm disappointed that players and owners today seem to care less about the fans and more about the "business". I long for the days when players actually had vocations in the community outside of "the game". I fear we are producing Prima Donna millionaires who lose touch with those who really pay their bills.

As to this point, I went to a packers game in 2000 against the eagles (packer win 6-3, didn't even get to see a TD in my first game although a punt return by allen rossum for a TD was called back). I was a young kid and I saw Jerry Kramer and Willie Davis just walking, nobody was around them and my dad told me who they were, so I went to get their autograph. I am not big on autographs nowadays but i was a kid and it was a very awesome experience for me. I asked Willie and I won't forget he goes "no i don't really want to" but jerry kramer signed my pad. I couldn't understand why he didn't want to sign my piece of paper so I get where you are coming from in players should want to please the fans.

I personally would never decline an autograph unless I absolutely had to, but there are always going to be jerks. There were jerks then and now, I think people mis-remember the "good ol' days" a lot in sports.

 

[Croak]

As ivo said earlier in this thread I think people get caught up in entitlement and jealousy of player salaries. If you think all players should entertain fans in a certain way and care about the fans then don't buy anymore tickets. There are obviously plenty of people who DON'T care about those things which is why the NFL is doing so well.

Just like on this board, there are players who are going to go the extra mile to sign tickets, entertain fans and relish in the spotlight. There are also other players whose privacy or demeanor might come off as standoffish, arrogant, or ungrateful. Just different personalities and as long as they do their job well then I am entertained.

The fans are "entitled" to a certain degree. They are the ones who pay hundreds of dollars to be "entertained" by these teams. The fans want value for their dollar. I want value for my dollar. Wise consumers always do. Jealousy of salaries isn't that much of a factor, at least not on my part. I live comfortably. I think many folks can accept the high salaries because they view sports figures like Hollywood personalities. Besides, our culture enjoys throwing a lot of money into leisure activities. (It is somewhat sad though, that our society values entertainers more than legislators when it comes to salaries.)

The point isn't that players should entertain in a certain way as much as they need to be attuned to the consumers. Look at our official web site. Everything on that site, all the marketing is designed to appeal to the consumer. THAT is the name of the game. Take this forum. There are moderators because they are concerned about the "consumers" who use this medium. If they said; "I don't care what the users think". Then this forum would probably not be as successful. This is simple business sense. Tick off your clients, lose your money. You'd better care about your clients if you intend to be a success.

A large part of the charm of our whole organization is the connection with the fans and the community. Players in Green Bay who forget that point probably won't be Packers for a long time. This is also why players like Randy Moss or Terrel Owens would never be a fit in Green Bay. The Green Bay Packers have built their success on reaching out to their fan base. It is a great business model, not to be scorned, but emulated.

 

[okcpackerfan]

Your heart is in the right place but your analogies are off.

In your analogy to this forum you should have posed your question like this "If this forum made billions of dollars a year, and had tens of thousands of employees and we are the number 1 in our market and people are going to continuously come to our website, would it matter if a few employees chose to stick to business and chose not to pander to the appeal of people coming to this website?"

There is always the option to NOT PAY for tickets, jerseys, merchandise etc... Now, I will agree with you that trying different options to better an organization is usually a good thing but someone who believes that all NFL players should be entertainers and appreciate the fans equally is kind of silly, its just never going to happen.

 

[Croak]

Your heart is in the right place but your analogies are off.

In your analogy to this forum you should have posed your question like this "If this forum made billions of dollars a year, and had tens of thousands of employees and we are the number 1 in our market and people are going to continuously come to our website, would it matter if a few employees chose to stick to business and chose not to pander to the appeal of people coming to this website?"

There is always the option to NOT PAY for tickets, jerseys, merchandise etc... Now, I will agree with you that trying different options to better an organization is usually a good thing but someone who believes that all NFL players should be entertainers and appreciate the fans equally is kind of silly, its just never going to happen.

You mean this forum doesn't make billions of dollars a year? I'm so shocked. Business sense is business sense whether you are a small business dealing with a few employees or a major corporation. All employees who have public exposure and make public comments to the media need to understand their responsibility to the clientelle. This applies to professional athletes who represent an organization bigger than themselves. They need to "sell" the organization. Telling the consumers "I don't care what you think" doesn't sell the organization.

You are right about the option to not pay for tickets, etc. The more employees publicly state, "I don't care what the consumer thinks" the less the consumers will be inclined to pay for their services.

You are also right that not all players will appreciate the fans equally. But all players have an obligation to the fans and should remember that. Green Bay doesn't have just one owner. But in the case of CJ2K, if I were the owner of the Titans I would have set him down and talked to him about his public statements and I would have demanded that he issue an apology to his fans and extend some sort of olive branch. Ultimately as the owner, I want those fans as pleased with the organization as I can get them. That puts more money in my pocket and also in the pocket of the player I "reign in".

 

[Murgen]

If he does his job well, he'll entertain me just fine. I think he's frustrated. I would be if I'd missed all of last year and then got injured again in camp. It's football, it happens. Of course fans are gonna question you. He's probably sick of hearing what people are saying. A-Rod went through the same crap but, he handled it better. Basically showed what he could do on the field. Play some games Mike...make us proud your a Packer and fans will be kissing your hiney again.

 

[Croak]

If he does his job well, he'll entertain me just fine. I think he's frustrated. I would be if I'd missed all of last year and then got injured again in camp. It's football, it happens. Of course fans are gonna question you. He's probably sick of hearing what people are saying. A-Rod went through the same crap but, he handled it better. Basically showed what he could do on the field. Play some games Mike...make us proud your a Packer and fans will be kissing your hiney again.

Agreed. A-Rod had Steve Young giving him advice though, so he had a slight advantage.

 

[ivo610]

Yes it is a business. It is a business built on consumers. The fans are the consumers. Without the consumers it can be no billion dollar business. Understanding a holdout for more money in an entertainment industry in which there is a certain degree of risk is acceptable. Understanding a premature holdout is unacceptable. In Neal's case; his exact words were; "If I was in this to please the fans, I wouldn't play. I could care less what anybody's saying or how they feel about me. My thing is just to come in here and do my job."

Now, I understand finding your value in something greater than people's opinion. However, when you are in a consumer industry, you are there for the consumer or you *may* not be in business long (government bailouts excepted). He should be in this business to please the consumer. Has the phrase "the customer is always right" now become passe'? Therefore it should concern him what the fans think. They are his bread and butter. If they don't buy the tickets and the merchandise, etc. then he doesn't get paid for playing his game.

I'm disappointed that players and owners today seem to care less about the fans and more about the "business". I long for the days when players actually had vocations in the community outside of "the game". I fear we are producing Prima Donna millionaires who lose touch with those who really pay their bills.

How many players have been drafted because of their ability to do something off the field? Or how nice they are? Or how genuine they are? None. They are drafted and paid to play football. Its the NFLs job to market the teams and players as entertainment. Its not a players job to go out and do that. If some player is a jerk, but does his job on the field you still buy a ticket, you still watch the game, you still spend the money. Maybe not on him but as a team you do.

This isnt like any other consumer industry. You cant compare it to anything else outside of sports.

Im happy to see players more conscious of the business side of it. You want nice guys that didnt care about the business? go talk to fuzzy thurston and ask to see his SB II ring.

 

[Aaron rodgers is god]

This is why Mike Neal hates fans. It is because some fans are harassing him telling him he is going to be like justin harell and be a bust etc... Step into his shoes for a day. You've worked your hardest your entire life playing a sport and you get an injury. He is mad at himself because he has gotten injured and has not been able to play the game he loves plus he has fans busting his balls each and every day. Tell me how you would feel. Maybe if more fans gave him more encouraging words on his twitter account he would like fans more

 

[Aaron rodgers is god]

I don't like him because of his attitude, and the "I want even more money or I won't play", he held out last year too.

He's a good player, but his attitude will be his downfall.

When did he hold out last year?

 

[Croak]

How many players have been drafted because of their ability to do something off the field? Or how nice they are? Or how genuine they are? None. They are drafted and paid to play football. Its the NFLs job to market the teams and players as entertainment. Its not a players job to go out and do that. If some player is a jerk, but does his job on the field you still buy a ticket, you still watch the game, you still spend the money. Maybe not on him but as a team you do.

This isnt like any other consumer industry. You cant compare it to anything else outside of sports.

Im happy to see players more conscious of the business side of it. You want nice guys that didnt care about the business? go talk to fuzzy thurston and ask to see his SB II ring.

With all due respect to someone who has done a lot on this board. This is really twisting the original premise. Nobody said we want "nice guys who don't care about the business." In fact, just the opposite. Every player that gets a pay check should care about the business. Whether he is "nice" is not as important as whether he is smart. Smart players know who butters their bread.

The old "this isn't like any other business" saw is worn out. In a free market economy, market forces work the same whether one is dealing with sports or the mom and pop shop down the street.

 

[JASIII]

I personally could care less what players think of fans. All I care about is what happens during the 60 minutes of game time each week. Players don't get paid to like fans or listen to fans or care about fans opinions. That's the job of the PR and marketing departments of the team. I have no problem with what Mike Neal said. As for Chris Johnson, I only care about him when he plays against the Packers or another team whose win-loss record effects the Packers.