"The NFL has completed its hostile takeover of the American entertainment industry, but mindful of its place atop the time-wasters pyramid it still sent memos out to its 32 teams reminding them that with great power comes great mone-err, responsibility. And with that responsibility, the league office reminded the teams, comes the demand to create memorable events that can transcend the McAfee-level commentariat."
"The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles attempted to tackle their brief on Thursday night in the NFL's season opener. Two teams with a well-developed and longstanding animus toward each other, one team locked in decades of tragicomic owner-driven disrepair and the other basking in Super Bowl-winning smugness, meeting before a fan base that had been whipped into a frenzy by weeks of buildup that lacked only the garnish of Taylor Swift wedding updates."
"And damned if they didn't give us a disjointed but highlight-filled show for, well, as long as they could bother and as weather permitted. When the game started, the teams reintroduced us to football's truest byproduct: the catastrophic injury. That happened on the opening kickoff when Eagles linebacker-turned-fullback and special teamer Ben VanSumeren exploded his leg. Shortly after that, the teams introduced a leavening element of slapstick when Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter stole a move from Inter Miami's master of unsanitary protest Luis Suarez, and got himself ejected for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, in response to Prescott apparently spitting at him."
The NFL asserted its cultural dominance while instructing teams to create memorable events. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles met in the season opener amid intense rivalry and a fan base whipped into frenzy after heavy buildup. The game's overblown televised intro felt hokey and excessively produced. Play itself was disjointed but featured multiple high points as weather and attention span limited the spectacle. The contest began with a catastrophic opening-kickoff injury to Eagles special teamer Ben VanSumeren. Shortly after, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott after an apparent mutual spitting incident.
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