Uber’s service would complement an existing program run by the union in which players can summon a car by placing a phone call.
I see how using Uber is an improvement, but really, if no-one is using the existing service then I think the problem runs deeper than whether they need to talk on the phone to use it.
It's never been difficult to call a cab instead of drunk drive.
I would like to respectfully disagree. Calling a cab is a nightmare, at least in San Francisco, prior to Uber. You were put on hold for several minutes, you had to explain where you were, the driver could not show up or show up extremely late.
When you are inebriated, these steps can easily be considered overwhelming and lead to many people not wanting to go through the process.
In contrast to open phone > tap uber app > tap call cab. The difference is night and day, and I think that's why the program will succeed now when it has failed before.
But it is good marketing and PR. Uber's task now is to be known and accepted by the mainstream so that people feel offended when they are attacked through the legal system by entrenched interests in various jurisdictions.
Yeah I really don't see this going anywhere, it seems more like a PR move by the NFL mated to a PR campaign from Uber.
NFL players are some of the highest-paid in any profession in the world, most of which could rent a limo for the entirety of the night whenever they go out and it wouldn't be a drop in the bucket against their earnings. But, they don't...
It's a black car service, the problem is privacy concerns - the players don't want management to be able to find out how late they were out and where they were.
To play devil's advocate, it's not the call-and-ride part that's difficult - it's the next day that's an actual hassle.
Depending on where you live, you need to call a cab to take you back, and depending on where that is, the cab may show up late, if at all. Then you have to hope that you car is still where you left it, and not towed or booted.
None of this excuses drunk driving, of course. The solution is to make plans, instead of just driving to the bar and assuming you'll figure out what to do later.
> It's never been difficult to call a cab instead of drunk drive.
It has, however, been difficult to wait for over an hour outside of a bar at 3am and have no cab show up. :/ Being able to see where the car actually is and that it's coming to get you is a killer feature of Uber / Lyft / Sidecar / Taxi Magic / etc.
They are using it. The article states they they have received an average of 50 calls a month for it, and that is just the service the NFLPA offers, never mind whatever each team offers.
> (...) then I think the problem runs deeper than whether they need to talk on the phone to use it.
Okay, well when you come up with a plan of execution to fix society as a whole, then we can move forward with that instead.
> It's never been difficult to call a cab instead of drunk drive.
I rarely use a cab... I called for a cab once and it was a horrible experience. The other person had such a thick accent I wasn't quite sure if the information was conveyed properly, after several attempts to confirm.
In the end, I said to myself, "Screw it. Just wait 5-10 minutes and call another cab." Fortunately the cab came to the right location and all was good.
The problem with a service like this for the NFL players is that a lot of them don't want their coaches and teammates to know they were out the night before, or just how wasted they are getting. So if Uber can guarantee anonymity throughout the process then I think players will be more apt to use Uber.
Basically a cab service exists everywhere, so for the players its not just the connivence but the real implications of calling a designated driver and their job. Granted drunk driving is infinitely worse, I feel like some athletes will always do what they think they can get away with.
If you want real deniability, you might want the service to include another driver that rides in with the car, drives the player's car home, puts it in park in the driveway, and then lets the player transfer back into their own car to slip it into the garage. And also some of those Russian anti-hangover pills.
The other problem is that you still have to decide, while drunk, that you're going to call the cab. Even if you completely intended to while sober, people are not typically known for superior decision-making while drunk.
If anonymity were the only concern players could generally trivially pay for a cab and avoid using an NFL or NFLPA-provided service. So while I'm glad that the NFL is trying to do something about drunk driving amongst the players, I don't think this is much more than PR fodder in practice.
It sounds good, but players have already had a program in place to help them. This app might help a little, but I don't think it will solve the problem.
And they can afford taxis and car services.
Football players have this "I can do anything" mentality that gets them into trouble. This mind set also makes them good football players.
The problem is the tension that exists between the employee and the employer. The employer doesn't want the employee to know what they do. The employer will use any information he can to gain an upper hand.
Players hide injuries, then pay cash to non-team doctors.
They will continue to hide their partying activities as well.
Yesss, NFL and HN on the same page! My worlds are colliding.
Anyway, I don't know if this will be good enough to solve the problem. As someone else mentioned earlier, the NFL already has a system in place for all players to get free rides at any time, no questions asked (plus a legion of fans who would bend over backwards to drive an NFL player home). I think this could be an improvement with regards to the UX and ease of use for the players, but this still may not be enough to solve the main problem.
Edit: if we want to get more in-depth as to why this might not fix the problem, look at the kind of people who become NFL players. They're often from lower-income backgrounds where sports were their one outlet for success. When you go from perpetually struggling financially and are suddenly thrust into a world where you are making millions and surrounded by adoring fans, you think you're invincible. Cops wouldn't dare to arrest a football deity would they? Unfortunately that can get to their heads and leads to situations where they choose to drunk drive instead of call a free cab.
I tried to verify if NFL players are "often from lower-income backgrounds".
I found some data for basketball:
"...most NBA players come from relatively advantaged social origins and African Americans from disadvantaged social origins have lower odds of being in the NBA than African American and white players from relatively advantaged origins"
Some enterprising owner should set up an account with Uber to provide free rides for their players. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than DUIs, wrongful death lawsuits and suspensions and fines by the NFL.
Services like Uber go beyond calling a cab company because they are easy to use in a way that digitally-savvy people understand (and most NFL players are pretty good with smartphones) and the cars are nicer than cabs. In certain cities, it's easy to get a cab. You pretty much just need to stand on the corner of a street for a few minutes. In other cities, it can be a nightmare.
In those markets where getting a cab can be a huge problem, this will help a lot. And this will also help in markets where cab drivers refuse to leave the city. It's easy to get a cab in DC, but most cab drivers won't leave the city limits, which can be an issue if a player doesn't live in the city. That's something that a lot of people overlook when they say, "how hard is it to get a cab?" The real question is, "how hard is to get a cab that will take me to where I want to go in a timely manner?" That's where Uber shines.
That would get them right back to the original NFL program they had a couple years ago, which nobody used because they are concerned about the NFL/team knowing where they've been.
They didn't have to call a cab. They called a private number that provided a chauffeur with their choice of limo, Hummer, etc that will arrive within 30 minutes and take them wherever they want to go.
Uber is an incredible service. Perhaps a system within a bar/clubs POS system would be most helpful. If your bill is over X amount then the bartender could suggest a Uber for you or have the ability to charge a Uber to your bill if you agreed. Just a thought. Also Instead of Uber preventing NFL players driving drunk. Uber should prevent players driving after games who have suffered concussions or big hits.
The existing programs were also under the players association, which gets rid of the issues others have mentioned about things like anonymity. It also makes questionable the various claims that this is a PR move by the NFL: These are legitimate actions by the players association to try to improve the safety, security, and careers of players.
Making the process easier (or even just "hipper") is a good thing, and pointing out that comparatively they already have a slightly harder process doesn't mean much: Such is the case with almost everything we do, making tasks slightly easier.
I wonder how long until other organizations do something similar. It'd be kind of interesting if military 24-48h passes (i.e. be drunk for that period) came with a requirement to use Uber or something like it. Drunk driving actually kills more young enlisted people than combat.
I think this is great for both Uber and the NFL. This is good PR for both, brings additional legitimacy to Uber and highlights the NFL's efforts to address this issue (at the end of the day maybe save some careers if not lives).
However, if the NFL was truly serious they would contractually require all players to install breathalyzer car starters (if you don't know search it) in their vehicles. Is that extreme? No, not in light of all the other contractual obligations NFL players/professional athletes already agree. One example is UFC fighters contracts include provisions in which they agree not to drive motorcycles.
This is a great strategic partnership even if the net value is low to the NFL.
1) The cost to uber and the NFL is basically zero. It leverages existing functionality and the NFL already pays for this kind of service.
2) The NFL gets good press about drunk driving prevention and might actually prevent a few accidents.
3) Uber gets itself in the NYTimes, top of hacker news, etc for free, exposes itself to lots of new users, and reinforces itself as a brand aligned with luxury and convenience.
This seems like a purely PR move. Not only is there nothing wrong with that, it's probably worth figuring out how other people can get national press with flimsy stories.
I see what Uber gets out of this, but what reason would the NFL Players' Union have for participating in the marketing of this? I don't remember hearing a lot about drunk-driving players in the press, so essentially the Players' Union is making it a topic of conversation.
The brilliance of this move is that Uber is more high end than cabs. A lot of players like arriving in style, which leads to the returning home drunk. With Uber, you can arrive in a town car. If I were Uber, I'd make a big deal about the NFL app getting priority on the nicest cars in their fleet to try and appeal to this.
My first reaction? What bunch of pampered babies. If your employer has to design a service to keep you from driving home drunk, you clearly are the definition of pathetic. Miserably unable to deal with the basics of life.
Good for Uber, and I understand the want to prevent the players' safety, but seriously, that's ridiculous. The fact that this deal is in place says a lot about the maturity of professional athletes.
[+] [-] untog|12 years ago|reply
I see how using Uber is an improvement, but really, if no-one is using the existing service then I think the problem runs deeper than whether they need to talk on the phone to use it.
It's never been difficult to call a cab instead of drunk drive.
[+] [-] charlesju|12 years ago|reply
When you are inebriated, these steps can easily be considered overwhelming and lead to many people not wanting to go through the process.
In contrast to open phone > tap uber app > tap call cab. The difference is night and day, and I think that's why the program will succeed now when it has failed before.
[+] [-] michaelfeathers|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] k3n|12 years ago|reply
NFL players are some of the highest-paid in any profession in the world, most of which could rent a limo for the entirety of the night whenever they go out and it wouldn't be a drop in the bucket against their earnings. But, they don't...
[+] [-] lanstein|12 years ago|reply
http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201304/nfl-players-worry...
[+] [-] pavel_lishin|12 years ago|reply
Depending on where you live, you need to call a cab to take you back, and depending on where that is, the cab may show up late, if at all. Then you have to hope that you car is still where you left it, and not towed or booted.
None of this excuses drunk driving, of course. The solution is to make plans, instead of just driving to the bar and assuming you'll figure out what to do later.
[+] [-] steveklabnik|12 years ago|reply
It has, however, been difficult to wait for over an hour outside of a bar at 3am and have no cab show up. :/ Being able to see where the car actually is and that it's coming to get you is a killer feature of Uber / Lyft / Sidecar / Taxi Magic / etc.
[+] [-] unknown|12 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] tvon|12 years ago|reply
They are using it. The article states they they have received an average of 50 calls a month for it, and that is just the service the NFLPA offers, never mind whatever each team offers.
> (...) then I think the problem runs deeper than whether they need to talk on the phone to use it.
Okay, well when you come up with a plan of execution to fix society as a whole, then we can move forward with that instead.
> It's never been difficult to call a cab instead of drunk drive.
What is your point?
[+] [-] mathrawka|12 years ago|reply
In the end, I said to myself, "Screw it. Just wait 5-10 minutes and call another cab." Fortunately the cab came to the right location and all was good.
[+] [-] unknown|12 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] rickdale|12 years ago|reply
Basically a cab service exists everywhere, so for the players its not just the connivence but the real implications of calling a designated driver and their job. Granted drunk driving is infinitely worse, I feel like some athletes will always do what they think they can get away with.
[+] [-] derefr|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mpyne|12 years ago|reply
If anonymity were the only concern players could generally trivially pay for a cab and avoid using an NFL or NFLPA-provided service. So while I'm glad that the NFL is trying to do something about drunk driving amongst the players, I don't think this is much more than PR fodder in practice.
[+] [-] socrates1998|12 years ago|reply
And they can afford taxis and car services.
Football players have this "I can do anything" mentality that gets them into trouble. This mind set also makes them good football players.
The problem is the tension that exists between the employee and the employer. The employer doesn't want the employee to know what they do. The employer will use any information he can to gain an upper hand.
Players hide injuries, then pay cash to non-team doctors.
They will continue to hide their partying activities as well.
[+] [-] kevincrane|12 years ago|reply
Anyway, I don't know if this will be good enough to solve the problem. As someone else mentioned earlier, the NFL already has a system in place for all players to get free rides at any time, no questions asked (plus a legion of fans who would bend over backwards to drive an NFL player home). I think this could be an improvement with regards to the UX and ease of use for the players, but this still may not be enough to solve the main problem.
Edit: if we want to get more in-depth as to why this might not fix the problem, look at the kind of people who become NFL players. They're often from lower-income backgrounds where sports were their one outlet for success. When you go from perpetually struggling financially and are suddenly thrust into a world where you are making millions and surrounded by adoring fans, you think you're invincible. Cops wouldn't dare to arrest a football deity would they? Unfortunately that can get to their heads and leads to situations where they choose to drunk drive instead of call a free cab.
[+] [-] jriley|12 years ago|reply
I found some data for basketball: "...most NBA players come from relatively advantaged social origins and African Americans from disadvantaged social origins have lower odds of being in the NBA than African American and white players from relatively advantaged origins"
http://irs.sagepub.com/content/47/1/43
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6777581/importance-athlet...
[+] [-] blackcat|12 years ago|reply
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5002974
[+] [-] pwthornton|12 years ago|reply
Services like Uber go beyond calling a cab company because they are easy to use in a way that digitally-savvy people understand (and most NFL players are pretty good with smartphones) and the cars are nicer than cabs. In certain cities, it's easy to get a cab. You pretty much just need to stand on the corner of a street for a few minutes. In other cities, it can be a nightmare.
In those markets where getting a cab can be a huge problem, this will help a lot. And this will also help in markets where cab drivers refuse to leave the city. It's easy to get a cab in DC, but most cab drivers won't leave the city limits, which can be an issue if a player doesn't live in the city. That's something that a lot of people overlook when they say, "how hard is it to get a cab?" The real question is, "how hard is to get a cab that will take me to where I want to go in a timely manner?" That's where Uber shines.
[+] [-] jacalata|12 years ago|reply
They didn't have to call a cab. They called a private number that provided a chauffeur with their choice of limo, Hummer, etc that will arrive within 30 minutes and take them wherever they want to go.
[+] [-] cfesta9|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kasey_junk|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|12 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] awwstn|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] corresation|12 years ago|reply
Making the process easier (or even just "hipper") is a good thing, and pointing out that comparatively they already have a slightly harder process doesn't mean much: Such is the case with almost everything we do, making tasks slightly easier.
[+] [-] rdl|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] will_brown|12 years ago|reply
However, if the NFL was truly serious they would contractually require all players to install breathalyzer car starters (if you don't know search it) in their vehicles. Is that extreme? No, not in light of all the other contractual obligations NFL players/professional athletes already agree. One example is UFC fighters contracts include provisions in which they agree not to drive motorcycles.
[+] [-] far33d|12 years ago|reply
1) The cost to uber and the NFL is basically zero. It leverages existing functionality and the NFL already pays for this kind of service.
2) The NFL gets good press about drunk driving prevention and might actually prevent a few accidents.
3) Uber gets itself in the NYTimes, top of hacker news, etc for free, exposes itself to lots of new users, and reinforces itself as a brand aligned with luxury and convenience.
[+] [-] bpm140|12 years ago|reply
I see what Uber gets out of this, but what reason would the NFL Players' Union have for participating in the marketing of this? I don't remember hearing a lot about drunk-driving players in the press, so essentially the Players' Union is making it a topic of conversation.
Why?
[+] [-] jacalata|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mathattack|12 years ago|reply
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500290_162-6975132.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Police...
[+] [-] jacalata|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] the_watcher|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jacalata|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] paul_f|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] raawlls|12 years ago|reply