This is business not sports

New England Patriots traded away one of their best players to Minnesota Vikings. Why would team with championship ambitions do so? I find it strange that a highly profitable franchise like New England Patriots is unable to pay top dollars to a very talented player. After all he was part of one of the most dangerous offence in the league. My guess is they didn't want to offer him a hefty contract.

I suspect they don't have any championship ambitions. They are worried about profitability. Players' and coaches' salaries constitute major investment for any sports franchise. Ticket sales, advertisements and merchandise along with the share of television rights make up for returns on that investment. Winning or not winning championships doesn't change that. Otherwise Washington Redskins won't be that rich.

Winning is important in the sense, it cements fan loyalty. Fans ultimately are the customers who buy season tickets, t-shirts and television packages. A decade of miserable performances has turned away lot of Buffalo Bills fans. But then Ralph Wilson Jr. is over 90. He most likely doesn't have any ambitions, business or otherwise.

As much as I like the American Football, I hate NFL.