Study: NFL preseason hardly matters

Regular season football has kicked off, but before we get too far, CSU researchers would like to have a word about the preseason.

Economists Nancy Jianakoplos and Martin Shields recently published “Practice or Profits: Does the NFL Preseason Matter?” in the Journal of Sports Economics.

They determined that preseason, does not, in fact, matter, unless you count the increased advertising revenue for those networks that broadcast games. The researchers used data from the 2002-2010 NFL seasons to come to their conclusions.

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“These results serve to confirm the view of many fans and even the commissioner of the NFL, who have expressed discontent with the quality of the preseason NFL performance,” Shields said.

“Although preseason games may provide opportunities for players new to the NFL to gain game-time experience and offer the coaching staff more information on performance capabilities of new players, winning preseason games does not directly translate into better overall team performance in the regular season.”

Good news for Broncos fans, who are undoubtedly hoping their $96 million man, quarterback Peyton Manning, can lead the team to better than a 50-percent win ratio in the regular season, following the team’s 2-2 performance during the preseason.

Jordan tells why she’s a D

One of Northern Colorado’s best-known CEOs, New Belgium Brewing’s Kim Jordan, visited the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this month, and found herself in an interview with National Public Radio.

During that interview, Jordan explained her reasons for supporting the Democratic Party when most CEOs are in favor of Republican Mitt Romney for president.

“For me, it’s important to understand that, you know, my coworkers and I put our collective shoulders to the wheel to build equity; that I can’t get all of the beer that we make out of the door by myself,” Jordan said.

“It takes the effort of a lot of people who — I watch them, they’re incredibly dedicated. So I’m comfortable with the notion that you pool your labor, you build equity. And for me, I want to share that.

“And so, if you operate under a model that says that strangers who — granted, they have put money into your business to help it grow — if you believe that those people should have a higher return than the people that you work with, then I suppose you see the Republican mindset as being more aligned with what you think.”

Jordan went on to disagree with the notion that businesses today are overregulated, even working in a highly-regulated industry like brewing beer.

“I think we need to use regulation as a way to make sure that we are not harming the environment, that we’re not harming workers, and that we’re looking out for generations that will come after us,” she said.

Bringing Trader Joe’s here

How far are Northern Coloradoans willing to go for a bottle of “Two Buck Chuck?”

We’ll get to find out next year, when Trader Joe’s opens its first Colorado stores in Denver and Boulder.

The Monrovia, Calif.-based specialty grocer, known for its affordable health foods and low-priced beer and wine selection (including the infamous Charles Shaw, $2.99 bottle) announced its Colorado expansion earlier this year, and has since been eagerly anticipated by the state’s rather large health food-fan base.

What the store has seemingly forgotten to announce is when it will open a third location in Northern Colorado.

The Eye can only assume the established grocer would have the good sense to take advantage of the region’s specialty grocer-friendly population, with only a single Whole Foods to satisfy its locally smoked Gouda cheese and grass-fed beef cravings.

It’s speculated that Trader Joe’s chose Denver and Boulder for its first stores in the state because of their population sizes and “strong” household incomes.

Clearly, it must not have taken into consideration character or overall likability. Or “strong” beer dedication.

Until the grocer gets it right, the Eye proposes the northern region start working on a carpool.