XPost: alt.sports.football.pro, alt.sports.football.nfl, alt.business
XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
On Thu, 2 Nov 2017 15:08:20 -0400, #BeamMeUpScotty <I'
m-With-Not-Sure@ideocracy.gov> wrote:
On 11/02/2017 07:21 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
Papa John’s International Inc. founder John Schnatter is going after
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, saying weak handling of the league’s
national-anthem controversy has hammered sales of his pizza.
“The NFL has hurt us by not resolving the current debacle to the
players’ and owners’ satisfaction,” Schnatter, who serves as the pizza
chain’s chairman and chief executive officer, said on a conference
call. “NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders.”
The remarks follow a controversy over NFL football players protesting
during the national anthem, a movement that started last season. The
demonstrations have sparked calls for a boycott and raised concerns
among league sponsors. But Schnatter’s comments mark the highest-
profile example of an NFL partner publicly blaming the outcry for
hurting business.
Goodell, whose contract is up for renewal, has taken flak for not
resolving the controversy more quickly. The flap has even drawn tweets
from President Donald Trump, who called for owners to fire or bench
players who refuse to stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor
leadership,” Schnatter said.
It’s hard to quantify the connection between the NFL and pizza sales,
but Papa John’s did post disappointing results in the latest quarter.
Its shares fell as much as 13 percent on Wednesday -- the most in two
years -- after same-store sales missed analysts’ estimates. The
Louisville, Kentucky-based company also trimmed its revenue and profit
forecasts for the year.
The NFL declined to comment.
Schnatter has appeared frequently in advertisements during NFL games,
including alongside star quarterback Peyton Manning, a franchisee of
the chain’s restaurants in Colorado. Back in 2014, when Papa John’s
posted a nearly 10 percent gain in North American same-store sales, the
company credited its close relationship with the NFL and Manning for
driving its business in the U.S.
On Wednesday, the tone was quite different. Papa John’s post-earnings
conference call was dominated by negative talk of the NFL. The league’s
name came up 44 times during the discussion, compared with 12 mentions
in the year-earlier call.
The company wasn’t specific about the sales impact from the NFL
protests, but indicated it was shifting some marketing spending away
from the league.
It’s not a stretch to say the current ratings decline is hurting pizza
sales, said Michael Halen, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. With
fewer Americans watching games, fewer people are presumably ordering
pizza -- and seeing Papa John’s ads.
“I’m not blaming them for citing it,” he said. “If this is a permanent
thing, they have to figure out where to spend some of those ad
dollars.”
Trump Donor
Papa John’s has been the NFL’s official pizza sponsor since 2010.
Schnatter, who founded the company in 1984, donated to Trump’s campaign
and has railed against government regulations.
NFL players began kneeling during the national anthem more than a year
ago -- starting with a protest against racial inequality and police
brutality by Colin Kaepernick, then the quarterback for the San
Francisco 49ers. The action spread across the NFL and got new life in
recent weeks after Trump began criticizing the players.
Goodell critics have said that he should force players to stand for the
anthem.
“This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago,”
Schnatter said on the call. “Like many sponsors, we’re in touch with
the NFL. Once the issue is resolved, we’re optimistic the NFL’s best
years are ahead.”
Fuck Pizza I'm having my cable TV disconnected because they force me to
have sports channels with NFL players on them. And some of my money is
being sent to the NFL (and the players) for any NFL games that cable
delivers whether I watch it or NOT.
Actually it is those that advertise during half time that you should
boycott as being anti-military and American. The players have the
right to protest and yet seems when I see them take a knee remember
the looting that follows. You buy a product and part of it goes to
the NFL it is like looting.
The Seattle Seahawks have stopped taking a knee, the San Francisco
49ers still do it big time but you must remember that team represents
the city and what is San Francisco known for? ;-)))))
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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