Big Brother is watching.
Shrouded in secrecy in the Capitol, The Party watches via television surveillance, waiting for any misstep, any false move, any reason that would compel them to become involved in the affairs of others. Everything is controlled through strict rules they implement, and activities once thought to be under the jurisdiction of individuals now are controlled by this overreaching regime.
An Orwellian vision straight out of "1984," yet all too real for Roger Goodell and the NFL.
Just when you thought that the scandal surrounding the New England Patriots' illegal use of video surveillance was over, a crankier, less terrifying version of Big Brother brought it back to life. It was a cold day in February, and the clocks were striking 00:00 on the Super Bowl, but Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and his Senate Judiciary Committee decided that we weren't done with the Patriots just yet.
Specter awoke from his hibernation, found the story of Spygate that had flown under his radar since it was resolved in September and promptly had The Party interfere. He commanded to speak with NFL Commissioner Goodell regarding the destruction of the illegal tapes seized from the Patriots and threatening the league's antitrust exemption. In so many words, he implied that it was all part of a conspiracy to help New England.
"I became interested in this when I read about the tapes being taken," Specter told ESPN. "And I wondered if they applied to the Eagles' Super Bowl game in 2005. I'm concerned for the integrity of the game."
Pure Doublespeak. He talks of trying to clean up Spygate's mess and maintaining the game's integrity, while also creating more controversy with false implications and unwarranted investigations.
The Pats are on the fix! The NFL is helping them! My hometown Eagles (umm ... possibly) were cheated!
And here's the funny part about it all. Senator, how did Spygate come to your attention in the first place? ... what's that? You said the NFL already brought these infractions to light and punished the Patriots for it? Then there really isn't any need to rehash this mess. Unless Goodell is an evil mastermind of the highest order - or at least of James Bond proportions - it doesn't make sense for him to rat out the partner in a conspiracy while still trying to hide the rest.
In a football season chock-full of stories being blown out of proportion, from Jessica Simpson's relationship with Tony Romo, to Tom Brady's ankle, to Archie Manning's vicariously living through his sons, this clearly tops them all as the most overblown. It's one thing when TMZ runs out of normal Jessica Simpson stories and starts reporting on Tony Romo, or vice versa with ESPN, but when the U.S. Senate, the country's highest legislative body and a pillar of government, decides that one of our nation's top priorities is wiping the smirk off Bill Belichick, then it appears Specter and his Thought Police have gone a step too far.
I agree that when corruption and cheating become exceedingly rampant, sometimes the government needs to step in and clean house. Major League Baseball has already seen that throughout the investigations of the steroid era. When the MLB and the players' union refused to act, the Senate intervened and is forcing, albeit slowly, the league to implement changes to the system. The Senate saw a flawed system and widespread steroid use - something that had been affecting the game of baseball for God knows how many years - and decided to help the game before it was beyond saving.
This situation with the NFL, however, stinks of selfish motives and unnecessary involvement. The NFL already handled it. Don't attempt to be false knights in shining armor coming to save the NFL from the corruption that doesn't exist, simply to look heroic to an impressionable public.
In "1984," the masses loved Big Brother, too.
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