Market Plan for the National Football League Hiring - Essay Example

Introduction The National Football League is sports league dealing with American football. It has a total of thirty two teams under its wing. It is also divided into two conferences called the NFC and the AFC. It is one of the most recognized sports leagues in the country. The NFL is in charge of competitions between its team members. Normally, six members from the two conferences compete and battle out for the NFL championships. These championships are normally battled out during the super bowl. The NFL has a number of television and radio stations. This was done in order to guarantee a large audience-not everyone can make it to the stadiums. Some of the television stations include NFL network, ESPN, FOX and NBC. Some of the radio stations owned by the NFL include Westwood one, Sports USA and the United Stations Radio Networks. (Green Berg, 2007) Players in the NFL all belong to a union called the NFLPA. This union has the mandate to negotiate contracts for players. The players are governed by a contract called the CBA. Players are only allowed to play for teams that endorse them. Other older players are allowed to negotiate their contracts with other teams after a certain number of years. The contract signed by the players and the NFL has regulations regarding salary packages and it stipulates what are the minimum and maximum amounts to be paid to players. The NFL has a peculiar way of picking out its players. It normally uses the NFL draft. Teams usually endorse a player and earn the right to keep him. However, trades can be made for players from other teams upon agreement by the first team that chose him. Marketing plan NFL rules and regulations regarding expansion of new franchise The NFL requires that the Franchise owners pay an amount of fifty dollars when they appear for drafting. This is normally done annually in the month of April. There are specific amounts given to those who get first, second and third place. Franchise owners are allowed to make moves as soon as the draft is complete. They also have to pay a small amount for every interchange made in order to finance an award at the season's end. (Sands, 2002) Once these players have been selected by their teams, they are allowed to play in any position within the team that chose them. Franchise owners are supposed to choose players from six categories that include quarterbacks, kickers, defenders, running backs, tight ends and wide receivers. Each category has a maximum number allowed by the league. Franchise owners should submit in names of players that will participate in the expected week's game from all the categories listed above. Trade offs between franchise-owners for players are permitted only after notifying the commissioner. In addition, there must both agree to the terms of the deal. This can only be done within a stipulated amount of time. Franchise owners must make sure they do not exceed the deadline. Waivers can be done all through the season after payment of a specified fee. In addition, there must be a notification to the franchise owners that a player has been waived. (Ed Gruver, 1997) The League can overrule a player trade off that has been done unfairly. This could be possible when a team has taken a player in order to weaken a certain team and to strengthen itself unfairly. Franchise owners can also conduct a vote that overrules decisions by the commissioner. Names chosen by Franchise owners must be free of offence. This is especially in regard to players' wives. The commissioner can also reject names that are deregulatory or stupid. As franchise owners enter the league, they ought to submit their logos. Lastly, there is a provision for a modification of the rules after the end of the season. Here, there must be a unanimous vote by franchise owners. How the last Franchise expansion was done There are a number of franchise expansions that have characterized the National Football League. A good example is the Houston Texans Team. This expansion was done in the year 1997 by franchise owner Bob McNair. He wanted to bring back the good name of Houston in the football league. This franchise owner had started with the National Hockey League but this association rejected him. (NFL editors, 2007) In the tenth month of 1997, McNair gave his plans to the NFL commissioner who was very impressed by them. His plans entailed introducing an expansion team to the city of Houston. He presented these plans in the next owner's meeting. In the next year, the NFL committees agreed to pay a visit to Houston to asses the construction of a stadium in that City. However, there was competition from another region Los; Angeles. This meant that the NFL had to give time to Los Angeles to come up with a comprehensive plan. It was awarded a period of six months but they had no plan yet. Its bid did not succeed. One year later, McNair was invited to the next Franchise owners meeting to be held in Atlanta during the month of October. This meeting was a success for McNair because he was awarded the franchise expansion for an amount of seven hundred million dollars. This was a record amount. (Theismann, 2001) In the next year, the team began assembling members of staff. It had a General Manger called Charley Casserly. This team leader had previous experience as a general manager for the Redskins. He worked with this team for almost half of all the seasons he had been in the business. In addition, he managed 3 NFL championship victories for the team. The team also came up with a team name. Two months after appointing the general manager, the group had a draft of possible team names. This was done after numerous focus groups session and extensive research. This was done after a couple of months. Some of the nick names suggested include; Bobcats, Wildcatters, Stallions, Apollos and Texans. A month later, they zeroed in on three names. Finally, they chose Houston Texans. 3 months later, the Franchise Owner together with the league Commissioner revealed their logo, name and colors to a crowd in town. In the beginning of the year 2001, the Texans hired their first head coach called Dom Capers. Capers had a prior record in the sport. He had had experience with the Carolina Panthers for four seasons. (Isaac, 2007) This expansion was a success because the Texans made history-they were the first team to win their game in the season. They got a score 19-10 against the Dallas Cowboys. However, they lost the next few games. But later on they defeated Jacksonville 21-19; they then defeated well known champions New York 16-14, they also defeated the AFC North Steelers 24-6. They finished the season at 4-12. Some of the players who participated in this first season were Gary Walker, and Aaron Glen. These same players were invited to Pro Bowl. Budget for expansion Quakes The list shown below consists of the cap value placed upon each player, and the salary each will receive Position Maximum number Cap Value Total salary QB 3 3,000,0000 3,200,000 RB 5 2,000,000 2,800,000 WR 6 3,200,000 3,500,000 TE 3 2,500,000 2,600,000 K 2 2,000,000 2,500,000 DEF 3 800,000 960,000 Where the quakes will get their talent The LA Quakes will get their players from scout listings found in NFL rankings. The list from Scout publishing will contain a list of the most eligible football players from high schools and colleges. The list below will be some of the players representing the club; Tashard Choice (Georgia Tech) - 32 Glenn Dorsey (LSU)-1 Keith Rivers (USC)-5 Early Doucet (LSU)-7 Leodis McKelvin Troy-12 Philip Wheeler (Georgia Tech)-13 Matt Ryan (Boston College)-16 Ali High smith (LSU)-15 Chris Ellis (Virginia) Tech-11 Sedrick Ellis (USC) (NFL editors, 2007) There are two players from the list who are home grown. The most highly ranked player among these rookies is Glenn Dorsey. He received an NFL ranking of 2. This player was a member of Tiger's defense. He was the accredited with being the third best tackler in his team. He was noticed in a game against Arizona where he made 4 tackles. In 2005, he played for his college and recorded twenty eight tackles that season. Another home grown player is Early Doucet. This player comes from LSU College. He played in thirteen games where he scored ten touchdowns and fifty nine catches. He was responsible for his team's great performance in the Sugar Bowl. (The World Book Encyclopedia, 2002) The team will also hire a well known head coach. It will choose Tom Coughlin. He will be approached by the team director and will be given a lucrative salary offer. This was a coach for the Jacksonville in the year 2002. (NFL editors, 2004) He has experience in rebuilding and recruiting teams. This same coach has participated in the Super bowl as an assistant coach for the New York Giants who won the championship in the year 2005. He also contributed to the victory by the Jaguars in the AFC. This fifty two year old has earned his reputation as no nonsense military like leader and disciplinarian. Because of his experiences and attitude coupled with the fact that he is now out of work would be an ideal reason to choose this coach. (Flemming, 1983) Conclusion There have been a number of franchise expansions within the NFL league. These franchises have occurred in a number of states but Los Angeles. The last franchise expansion that occurred here was in the year 1994. The LA Quakers can add some refreshment into football within this state. This team will also be a success because it will have home-grown talent, a reputable coach and great pay packages to offer the new team members. References Flemming, C. (1983): Choices: A Core Collection for Young Readers; Prometric Publishers The World Book Encyclopedia, (2002): The NFL; Longman publishers Theismann, J. (2001): Complete Idiot's Guide to Football; Schirmer Publishers Sands, R. (2002): Sport Ethnography; Onward Press Ed Gruver (1997): The American Football League; Sports & Recreation Publications NFL editors (2007): 2007 NFL Record and Fact Book; Longman publishers NFL editors (2004): 2004 NFL Record and Fact Book; Worth Publishers Isaac Cheifetz (2007): Hiring secrets of the NFL; Beacon Press NFL editors (2007): 2005 NFL Record and Fact Book; James Publishing Steven Green berg (2007): the pro Football Trivia Book: Technical Insights Read More