Roger Goodell Character Analysis

When a leader's want for success and drive to change their respected program takes a turn for the worst you have a timeline of a downfall. Through the years the National Football League (NFL) hasn't been without its fair share of criticism especially in recent years. The last two commissioners have made questionable decisions resulting in shifts of the media's view of the NFL. With new stories surfacing of Roger Goodell's viewpoints and knowledge of topics such as the Ray Rice Assault Case changes to Goodells appearance to both the media and inside the NFL. To be a successful and respected leader you need many qualities such as, transparency, honesty, and the want to better what you lead. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the title character shows both ignorance and hypocrisy resulting in his downfall which was direct to his ignorance of his surroundings and being hypocritical to his decisions and thoughts.

In 1869 the first college soccer game between

Rutgers and Princeton took place, the game used modified London Soccer Association rules, In 1876 the first rules for American Football were written at the Massasoit Convention giving way to arguably the father of American Football, Walter Camp. In 1892 the Allegheny Athletic Association (AAA) payed William (Pudge) Heffelfinger $500 making him the first payed player to play in a football game paving the way for the future of the NFL. The associations that were in place successfully merged on August 20th 1920 formally founding the NFL. With the founding of the NFL came a few glaring issues it had no leader, Jim Brown quickly rose to the leader position of the NFL. For the remainder of the 1920 season brown was president. It took 2 more presidents and 4 more commissioners before the commissioner position was molded for the role of keeping fair play in line, and proper conduct a regularity.

Goodells first mistake was misjudging situations and giving punishments not adequate to the situation. Goodell often gives punishment too harsh to the situation, for instance the Ray Rice case. The Rice case was heard world wide, Rice punched his wife in a elevator resulting in a massive media outlash. Rice was suspended originally suspended for 2 games for the domestic violence case. Goodell made a big mistake here he punished someone who deserves a year suspension but instead offers a mear 2 game suspension to ward off the people coming to take his position. Goodell then made his next big mistake by retracting Rice's original 2 game suspension and changing it to a indefinite suspension, the change in punishment was mostly to get the media off his back. Terminating Rice from the NFL forever. “hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued,against The deep damnation of his taking-off”(1.7.16-20). Goodell sees that the rice situation threatens his position so he eliminates him from the game. Macbeth was much in the same position Macbeth feared he would be overtaken so he took those people out of so they could not harm him.

The next mistake that surely Goodell and Macbeth both had to see coming is the change in peoples views about them.

Both Goodell and the title character both completed acts that changed the perspective of the people that looked at them in a positive way or as leaders. The title character eliminated anyone in his path making him a bit of a target for ridicule and the talk of a community. Goodell also gave harsh punishments to things that didn't deserve the punishment he gave. The commissioners punishments were often very difficult to follow, suspending one player letting the other off the hook. Making the punishments so different and unparalleled makes you a unliked leader among the community. “Either thou, Macbeth, Or else my sword, with an unbuttered edge, I sheathe again unneeded. There thou shouldst be”(5.6.19-24). At this point in the play you really start to see Macbeth's actions coming around to hurt him. Like Goodell is learning there is only so much time before it all becomes full circle much as Macbeth

learned.

To some Macbeth's largest weakness is arguably his hypocrisy. Macbeth often does something counteracting something he previously did or said. “fair is foul and foul is fair” (1.1.12-13). This line establishes an important role in the rest of the play, this line shows that throughout the rest of the play somethings just won't be right. Macbeth shows and proves this constantly, He says he wants to kill the king, but he also says he does not want to kill duncan. For pages he is on a teeter totter on to kill or not to kill duncan until his words finally get the better of him and his actions take the rest and he proceeds to kill duncan. Goodell's hypocrisy rivals Macbeth's, Goodell often says things that don’t always follow through with his actions. He says the NFL will expand to Los Angeles, but his actions speak of the opposite. The commissioner also speaks of changing rules to make the game fairer or to make the game safer but instead takes jumps to benefit him and not the game. Goodell and Macbeth learned that being ignorant to your own actions doesn't make you a better leader, but a leader that won't last forever.

Macbeth and Roger Goodell have many things in common but it's hard to deny that both were never fit leaders. The commissioner and Macbeth were just lucky enough to get a leader position at the right time. The leader position was never cut out for their personalities or their lifestyles. Macbeth and Goodells harsh punishments was out of line of a leader but there second guessing of some of their decisions brought upon their hypocrisy. The NFL's drastic change in the Commissioner position has brought upon many backsets but not yet has the commissioner position completely ruined the NFL.