The NFL is so serious about its business and protecting Roger Goodell that they wouldn’t even let the commissioner participate in a Funny or Die skit, one that even President Obama subjected himself to.
Alex Richanbach, an executive producer at Funny or Die, hosted a panel Saturday at South by Southwest titled “Now Athletes Are Funny: Power of Comedy and Sports.” During his time on the panel, Richanbach shared a story about how they were trying to get Goodell to participate in the skit last year, but the NFL wouldn’t allow it.
Goodell’s appearance would have been on “Between Two Ferns,” which is a program hosted by actor Zach Galifianakis, who portrays a volatile TV host who mocks his celebrity guests. All the celebrities have to do is play it straight and they end up being likable as a result. But the NFL wouldn’t allow it. The gem came when the league said Commissioner Goodell’s position was to be taken more seriously than the President of the United States.
SB Nation’s Eric Sollenberger related the story, as told by Richanbach on the panel:
So, the league responded by telling Funny or Die that they would not allow Roger Goodell to subject himself to ridicule from a comedian of all people. Professional football is a very serious business made of men with iron wills and stone faces and that starts from the top down. I wasn’t completely surprised to hear that the NFL didn’t understand how jokes work, but the next part was over-the-top, even by NFL standards.
In an attempt to salvage the interview, Funny Or Die countered by reminding them that even the leader of the free world was willing to take a joke, saying “but Obama did it, and he’s President of the United States.”
Richanbach said that the league shot back, “well, he’s not the commissioner of the NFL.”
Well howdy. The league has a massive image problem, with the Goodell Bot as the leader of the entire operation, and it’s easy to see how out of touch they are. Is there any surprise after hearing this story that the league completely screwed up the Ray Rice punishment and Goodell lied about it? It’s not a matter of comparing Funny or Die with Ray Rice, but about showing how delusional they are.
H/T Nick Wright
