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Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens has many names. Terrell. Mr. Owens. "T.O." And there are other names like "Whiner" and "Crybaby." Indeed, many of the names people have called "T.O." are negative. Some have even said he's not good for the NFL. Others - mainly sports radio talk show hosts - have screamed that T.O. should be removed from the NFL altogether.
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| Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens
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With all of these cries and complaints, NFL executives have remained largely silent on the issue of "T.O." Why? Because they know what I know: that T.O's good for the business of the NFL.
Before I show you why, let's look at how we came to pay so much attention - or be forced to pay so much attention -- to this man.
"Who Can Make A Play!? I Can!"
T.O. came into the NFL as a receiver with the San Francisco 49ers. For much of his early career he was known as a player with more mouth than heart, but with a load of potential and perhaps on a level with The GOAT (Greatest of All Time), Jerry Rice. But Owens was known for stupid stunts and antics.
Like the time when, after scoring a touchdown reception against the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium, Owens ran to the Cowboys' Star logo in the middle of the field and stood looking up toward the hole in the roof, until Cowboy's safety Roy Williams tackled him. Still, Owens has a weird way of mixing the comical with the heroic.
In a memorable playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Owens made a seemingly impossible touchdown catch to win, and after dropping not one, but four passes earlier that day. And on the last game of Rice's tenure with the Niners, it was Owens who set a record with 20 receptions.
After Rice moved across the Bay to the Oakland Raiders, Owens became the marque "go-to" guy, and has been recorded on the sidelines screaming "Who can make a play? I can." But Owens did make plays, and was always a factor in the 49ers' game plan - but not as much as he wanted to be. This led to publicized feuds with then-head coach Steve Marriuci and then-offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. Dennis Erickson, the Niners next head coach, had the good sense to keep whatever thoughts he had about T.O out of the press, explaining that T.O. just "wanted to win."
But eventually, the strain of T.O's expressed displeasure with everyone from coaches to players reached the separation point, and the Niners engineered a trade to Baltimore. But there was one hitch: Owens didn't want to go to the Ravens. He wanted to be traded to The Philadelphia Eagles. In an amazing display of will, Owens got his wish and in 2004, the "81" jersey with "Owens" on the back was in Phili.
With the Eagles, the "T.O. Circus" continued to entertain fans. An introduction to ABC's telecast of Monday Night Football featured Owens getting a little more than a look at the body of "Desperate Housewives" star Nicolette Sheridan. The segment caught the attention of FCC Chairman Michael Powell, who railed against it's alleged indecency, as did others in sports media, some who just didn't like the public showing of a white woman undressing herself before a black man. Regardless, T.O. was the center of national sports attention, once again.
With Owens making scoring reception after scoring catch from Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia marched all the way to Super Bowl XXXIV. There, an injured Owens played - and against doctor's orders. Not content to just be in the game, T.O. was a major part of the story, catching nine passes for 122 yards.
One would think the string of media events involving T.O. would end, but no. T.O., after landing celebrated "shark" agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, demanded that the Eagles sign him to a new contract, stating that he was one of the most underpaid receivers in the NFL. And so, once again, the media cameras point to T.O., and we're forced to pay attention to him because we watch the NFL on TV.
And that's why NFL heads don't complain - America pays attention to T.O.
For every time Owens name is mentioned on television or radio, someone goes to the Internet to look up something about him. That action results in visits to the NFL's website or the Eagles website, or Terrell's website. And those clicks generally translate to dollars in purchases of jerseys, hats, and other items. Even the traffic itself is of such size that advertisers will pay to capture the eyeballs it represents.
And that's the point. Media power is measured in the number of people who watch the content presented. Terrell Owens represents perhaps the most potent content vehicle in the NFL today. So don't look for the NFL Commissioner to censor or curb Owens -- Mr. Tagliabue would be eating his own seed corn.
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