The National Football League (National Football League, "
NFL) is the world's largest professional American
NFL Football League, is the world's most commercial value of the sports federation. There are 32 teams in the league, because they are private investment, according to the operation mode, it is also called privileged member teams (generate income). The NFL is America's most famous professional football league, so also has the most fans. Other union also tried to and NFL competition, but could not get so big that as the NFL's support, have so many fans.
Jim L. Mora has figured out how to resolve the NFL's ongoing lockout. He figures if the players and owners just sit down with the Persian Gulf as the backdrop and U.S. military members looking on, the league's labor impasse could be fixed pretty quickly.
"They were chanting, 'End the lockout,' this morning," Mora says of the U.S. service members he's visiting in the Middle East as part of the NFL-USO Coaches Tour.
"Nine hundred-ninety out of 1,000 questions I get are about the lockout," says Mora at the end of his first full day, an 18-hour whirlwind throughout the area of operations (undisclosed for security reasons) Saturday. "If they were holding negotiations over here, they'd be done.
"Every one of them (military members) wants to know if there's going to be a season."
The lockout is certain to end long before U.S. military operations in the region cease. And as a former Army officer, I can personally vouch for the importance of connecting with the NFL abroad -- a welcome slice of home -- even when it means watching games at 3 o'clock in the morning.
"Every one of them, to a man, tell us how much they appreciate us," says
Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt. "My gosh, I can't tell them how much I appreciate them."
Mora echoes his discomfort with what he feels should be a role reversal.
"They're all expressing gratitude to us," says Mora, who spent an OTA session in 2009 while he was coaching the Seahawks to take his players to train with U.S. Army personnel in nearby Fort Lewis, Wash. "It's almost embarrassing ... they shouldn't be thanking us."
Even though he most recently coached in Seattle, Mora has gotten more inquiries about his former team, the
Atlanta Falcons, and QB Michael Vick.
"A lot of the folks we spent time with are from the south," says Mora.Whisenhunt has encountered plenty of supporters for the Cardinals and (not surprisingly) the Steelers, who beat Whisenhunt's team in
Super Bowl XLIII but also got him his own Super Bowl ring after he served as the offensive coordinator for
Pittsburgh's 2005 title team.
"I've been very pleased to see the number of Cardinals fans," he says. "(Military members) naturally like to cheer for underdogs. It's a tremendous experience, a tremendous amount of football fans here."
The experience is also essentially the first overseas for Whisenhunt, who consulted Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald -- a previous participant in the NFL-USO program -- about his involvement prior to the lockout.
"I went to Mexico," Whisenhunt chuckles, "but I don't consider that international."
Gary Kubiak (Texans) -- read more about Houston here -- Jim E. Mora (formerly of the Saints and Colts), Jim L. Mora and Whisenhunt are the latest group of NFL coaches to participate in the league's ongoing partnership with the USO, which dates to 1966. This is the third year of the NFL-USO Coaches Tour, which has previously included Brad Childress, Tom Coughlin, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher, John Fox, Jon Gruden, John Harbaugh, Marvin Lewis and Andy Reid.
Kubiak, Whisenhunt and the Moras will spend their Fourth of July weekend and most of the next week on the morale-building circuit.
"Whatever your political stances or what you believe or don't believe," says Whisenhunt, while revealing that their location is windier but not as hot (yet) as what he's used to in Arizona, "when you see the conditions (the
troops endure), you have a greater impression of what they do."
Mora has enjoyed watching his dad get razzed about his famous/infamous "Playoffs?" rant.
"They all know the 'Playoffs?' thing," says the younger Mora, saying his dad has gladly accommodated the troops by uttering it again. "I've never heard him do that in public.
"He's a (former) Marine ... he's real excited about having the opportunity."
As, it seems, are all the coaches.
"It's really neat to be here especially, this time of year and see all the sacrifices these people are all making here," says the younger Mora, still a little shocked at how far a handshake, picture or autograph from him can go. "We don't appreciate over here that they miss their families and live such a spartan existence. It makes you proud to be an American.
"You're just proud of those people and what they represent."
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