In the lobby of NFL Films in South Jersey are the rows and rows of more than 90 Emmy Awards that stand as testament to the artistry of the filmmakers who work there. And there's a banner that says "Keepers of the Flame," a name given to them by George Halas.
The lights were turned off on 21 of the flame-keepers recently, laid off at the direction of the NFL. In this hemorrhaging economy, a handful of jobs from a company that employed about 295 folks represents only a small calamity, I realize, but one that saddens me personally for a couple of reasons.
For one, I worked at NFL Films for about a heartbeat six years ago (it was more of a tryout), so I understand a bit of what goes into that labor. But more so because, like any football fan I know, from early on I was dazzled by the romantic myths and the heroic drama that NFL Films brought to what is often a brutish game.
Ed Sabol (the father) and Steve Sabol (the son), the founding spirits of NFL Films, saw art in sport. They brought together images and music and storytelling in a way that could transcend a viewer's particular rooting interest.
"Our role hasn't changed. It's still about celebrating the best in football," said Steve Sabol, the president and the face of NFL Films. "It's about the physical nature of this game and the guts it takes to play it well and the intelligence it takes to play it well. We express what we love in art, and my art is film."
However, NFL Films is owned by the NFL, and unlike the previous stewards of the league, the current crew sees things with more of the accountant's eye. The place where they weave magic and spin yarns is just another cost center for some people running the league.
HBO just dropped Inside the NFL from its roster after more than three decades, and the $5 million in lost revenue that the show had brought in was a blow for NFL Films.
The NFL Network is another issue. It was anticipated that NFL Films would be tasked with creating much of the content to fill the network's programming demands, yet the NFL Network's reach has been stifled in the league's battle with the cable industry over how the network will be carried and billed to the carriers.
Though NFL Films just created the remarkable America's Game series for NFL Network, not enough NFL Films content is on the network for my taste.
My own sense is that some folks within the league just don't get it when it comes to NFL Films. They don't get that what Films brings to the league in terms of popularity, fan goodwill and eventually revenue can't be measured as you would, say, the sales of replica jerseys and stadium blankets.
I often think of NFL Films in terms of another business enterprise that is seemingly far afield -- the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. In front of the Bellagio are these very famous fountains that just about anyone can identify on sight, even if they've never been to Las Vegas. Now, imagine if the builder of the Bellagio, a guy named Steve Wynn, decided instead to use that very valuable space for more slot machines.
His accountants would have been delighted.
Instead, eight acres of the most valuable real estate in the world are devoted to free entertainment. Now ask yourself: For what the fountains have meant to the Bellagio in terms of worldwide exposure, in movies and on television, of somehow making people believe that this specific casino is more magical than all the others and in luring customers to the slots and gambling tables inside -- was the investment worth it?
The answer is obvious, and that's how the NFL should view NFL Films. What those filmmakers do is create a football version of the Bellagio fountains. They make the magic that keeps the fans enthralled and seduces them into believing that the NFL is about more than just a bunch of mercenary athletes beating up on each other for a paycheck.
bill.ordine@baltsun.com