With the page now having been turned on Super Bowl 50, the Browns and all the rest of the NFL teams are now officially in the offseason.
But that doesn’t matter, because in this league, there’s always something going on.
Indeed, the NFL is the gold standard when it comes to marketing. Nobody – both in and out of sports — markets itself as well.
Think about it. Once the season is over, the focus turns to free agency.
When free agency begins to wane, the focus turns to the NFL Draft and, to a much lesser extend, the OTAs. The draft, in fact, is an entity unto itself. There are fans who concern themselves only with the draft, and once that’s over, they begin focusing on the prospects in next year’s draft. They never watch the games on Sundays. They don’t care about them. That’s not their thing. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are their MVPs.
When the draft is over, the focus turns to analysis of the draft, the signing of undrafted rookies and the rookie mini camps.
When all that begins to get stale, the focus turns to the mandatory full-squad mini camps.
When the full-squad mini camps are over, the focus turns to vacations. Everybody in the league – both players and coaches – get away for about a three-week period in and around the Fourth of July. It is the only time throughout bthe calendar year that the NFL steps out of the spotlight.
When the vacations are over, the focus turns to the beginning of training camp.
When the camps are in full swing, the focus turns to the start of the preseason.
When the preseason is over, the focus turns to the final roster cuts.
When the final cuts are made, the focus turns to the opening of the regular season.
When the regular season is over, the focus turns to the start of the postseason.
When the postseason has played it way through, the focus turns to the two remaining teams and how they’ll fare in the Super Bowl.
And so it goes.
For 49 of the 52 weeks out of the year, there is something to whet the appetite of NFL fans.
Back in the day, sports fans got wrapped up in the baseball offseason, or what was called the Hot Stove League.
But that didn’t last all winter, so there were big gaps when fans had to look to other sports to get their fix. What the NFL now does far outdistances anything baseball ever tried.
So enjoy it, for the thought of it all will warm you on these cold winter days and nights.
Like Cousin Eddie said in “Christmas Vacation,” the NFL is “the gift that keeps on giving.”
