Since Roger Goodell took over as Commissioner of the NFL, he has been a polarizing figure, splitting people almost evenly on their opinion of him. His proponents point out that he has cleaned up the image of the league, instituting harsher penalties for off-field transgressions and on-field performance-enhancing drug use. He has overseen the largest financial boom in the league to date, and has explored opportunities oversees with expansion, and at the very least, bringing the game to a larger audience. His detractors claim that his position wields too much power for one person to have; that he is overpaid for his responsibilities, and in extreme cases, that he favors stars and specifically, white stars over black stars (see the Michael Vick case & Chad Johnson's fines as opposed to Brett Favre).
Each of these positions have some merit (minus, in my opinion, the racial argument). I would suggest, however, that Goodell has been largely good for the league. That does not mean that I agree with everything he has done - quite the opposite. Among my complaints about Goodell are that he strung out the Michael Vick case too long (just make a suspension for a set number of games, don't do anything 'indefinite'), his 18-game proposal is bad for the league, especially in the face of overwhelming support contrary, that league suspensions SHOULD come from a committee, of which he has the tie-breaking vote, not just from him as one person, and, finally, some of the new rules he is pushing through the Rules Committee are just plain stupid. With that said, just because I disagree with Goodell on these issues, however, doesn't mean he's a bad commissioner. I, for one, love how he has cleaned up the NFL's image. Have you noticed that you see a lot less news stories about NFL players being arrested, or that players are less likely to taunt after a score, or that players that do get arrested are generally learning their lesson faster? I think this is essential for the league to continue to be the center of American sports. I don't want to watch a bunch of thugs; I want to watch athletes. I think that part of being an American athlete IS to serve your community and make it better with the resources at your disposal. Goodell has spearheaded the NFL Play60 campaign, which is essential in encouraging the youth of America to get up and be active, which in turn will make for a healthier population, and help to drive down healthcare costs.
Yes, I think it's fair to say that I'll voice my support against Goodell for many of the things he is bringing to the league, but just like a President of the United States, if you're intelligent, you're not going to agree with EVERYTHING he does. The question should be, do you think he's making the league better as a whole? Do you think somebody could do better? If so, why? Keep in mind, nobody is going to be perfect.
