The New England Patriots deflated balls scandal, dubbed “Deflategate”, is a fitting book end to the 2014 NFL season plagued with media nightmares. From players being suspended or banned due to domestic violence infractions to players in their mid-twenties retiring due to health concerns we close on a team using deflated footballs to gain an advantage over their opponent…and not just any team but the team that would go on to win the Super Bowl in the most dramatic of fashions.
Despite the National Football League’s current image problem they aren’t experiencing any problems in revenue, especially given that ratings for the NFL Network have spiked by 37%, especially during the first days of coverage immediately following Tom Brady’s announced suspension.
The network even went as far as to replay the now notorious January 18th AFC Conference championship game against the Indianapolis Colts in which the deflated balls first came to light and also Superbowl 49 in which the Patriots won.
Tom Brady has since appealed his four game suspension but, should the suspension hold, Tom Brady won’t be back until the Patriots Sunday night match up against the Indianapolis Colts, a “Deflategate” rematch with a ratings boost all but guaranteed.
