[OSList] : The NFL and OST

[Daniel Mezick]

Regarding the NFL
---------------

All the conditions for Open Space appear to exist in this situation. In 
a big way.

The perfect storm?


"According to Open Space Technology: A User's Guide and other books by 
Harrison Owen, open space technology works best when these conditions 
are present:


** A real business issue that people passionately care about

** Mind numbing complexity, such that no single person or small group 
fully understands or can solve the issue

** High levels of much diversity, in terms of the skills and people 
required for a successful resolution (far-reaching, boundless)

** Much passion and real or potential conflict, which implies that 
people genuinely care about the issue

** Real sense of urgency, meaning the time for decisions and action was 
"yesterday"




Goodell is the NFL Commissioner: from CBS Sports...


"Although Goodell doesn't seem to have any idea of how to handle the 
protests, he does have his opinions, which he stated in the letter. 
Goodell talked about the pride that he had in players for their 
community outreach and their raising of social awareness. "I'm very 
proud of our players and owners who have done the hard work over the 
past year to listen, understand and attempt to address the underlying 
issues within their communities," Goodell wrote.

"But, there's always a but. "Like many of our fans, we believe that 
everyone should stand for the national anthem," he said. "It is an 
important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, 
and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players 
and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues." 
Obviously this is the sticking point that the league is dealing with. At 
this point, it can't have it both ways. "The controversy over the anthem 
is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on 
the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we 
want to do that together with our players," he continued.

"Goodell also addressed the upcoming meetings.

"Building on many discussions with clubs and players, we have worked to 
develop a plan that we will review with you at next week's League 
meeting," he said. "This would include such elements as an in-season 
platform to promote the work of our players on these core issues, and 
that will help to promote positive change in our country."

"Goodell seems to be determined to reach an amicable decision on a 
polarizing issue. The letter is written extremely diplomatically, and it 
seems Goodell doesn't want to see the players silenced, but rather more 
open to expressing themselves in a less controversial way. Some players 
may have a problem with this -- it undermines the point of a protest to 
an extent -- but the league clearly has a vested interest in ending 
these protests without infuriating its employees.

"Although Goodell is walking on eggshells throughout the letter, the 
meeting with the owners will be telling. If the NFL implements a rule 
change regarding the anthem, the fallout would be huge. However, these 
protests are starting to affect the NFL's bottom line, so it makes sense 
that the owners want to find a way to stop them. Whatever happens from 
here on out, the result of the owners' meeting will be extremely 
controversial, and there will undoubtedly be a contingent of unhappy 
people on one side. "

See also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKBdrx4quA

-- 
Daniel Mezick
Culture Strategist. Author. Keynoter.
(203) 915 7248. Bio. <http://www.DanielMezick.com/> Blog. 
<http://www.NewTechUSA.net/blog/> Twitter. 
<https://twitter.com/DanielMezick>
Book: The Culture Game. <http://theculturegame.com/>
Book: The OpenSpace Agility Handbook. 
<http://www.amazon.com/OpenSpace-Agility-Handbook-Daniel-Mezick/dp/0984875336> 

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