Today, I’m thankful for those who bring things to their proper conclusion.
In the coming decade, we will celebrate an auspicious occasion: the 250th anniversary of the United States. Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the eventual ratification of the US Constitution in 1788, a total of 45 Americans have served as President of the United States. Sadly, this is not a very diverse group of individuals. In fact, all 45 of them have been men and only one has been of the African American race. Interestingly, all Presidents have been of the Christian faith; in fact, all Presidents were affiliated with the Protestant branch of Christianity with the one exception of John F. Kennedy (who was Roman Catholic). Speaking of JFK, he remains only one of 9 presidents who did not complete his term in office. JFK was brutally assassinated while in office, as were three other former Presidents – Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and William McKinley. Another 4 presidents, including William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, William Harding, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, all became fatally ill while in the White House residence and failed to complete their executive terms.
Amazingly, only one President would prematurely vacate the Oval Office while still alive. President Richard Nixon would rise to become the 37th President of the United States, when we defeated Hubert Humphrey in the presidential election held in November of 1968. He would remain in office for five years until the pressure of his ill-conceived decision to commandeer a break-in of the Democratic National Convention Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel would result in a scandal of epic proportion. Investigative reporting by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward at the Washington Post would uncover that Nixon’s paranoia during his 1972 re-election campaign had compelled him to try to ‘bug’ the offices of his rivals in an effort to afford him an advantage in the upcoming election. When the story of Nixon’s involvement broke, the President would adamantly deny the claim. In a nationally televised broadcast on this day (Nov 17) in 1973, Nixon would exclaim his now famous words that shamefully define his Presidency: “I am not a crook.” Nevertheless, the ensuing pressure of impeachment hearings became a ‘political football’ that was too much for Nixon to handle, ultimately compelling him to cut short his time in office. He resigned as President in August 1974.
Nixon’s sudden termination left his newly appointed Vice President, Gerald Ford, to clean up the mess. Luckily, as a former college football star at the University of Michigan where he would win two national championships, Ford knew how to handle the ‘political football’ he had inherited. Although he was highly criticized for his first order of business in office (namely, the pardoning of Nixon of his dastardly crime), he did so with the clear recognition that the nation needed to move on.
Sadly, this day is remembered for another scandal of epic proportions that few football fans have ever forgotten. The same month that would witness the election of President Nixon as the 45th President would also witness a shameful, if not criminal, act on the gridiron. On this day (Nov 17) in 1968, a highly entertaining match-up between two perennial rivals, the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets, would entertain television viewers in the 4 o’clock slot for exactly three hours. Both teams had only lost two games leading up to the contest, and the winner of the matchup in the Oakland Coliseum would be well positioned for a run at Super Bowl III. In a back-and-forth slugfest, Joe Namath would eventually commandeer his team down the field, allowing the Jets to secure a 3-point lead over the Oakland Raiders (32-29) with just 65 seconds left in the fourth quarter. As the game broke for a commercial break, a decision was made in the NBC studios to break away from the game to ensure the timely start of the premier movie, Heidi, in the eastern and central part of the country. This seemingly innocuous decision would allow the regularly scheduled programming to proceed as originally planned in the Eastern and Central time zones, thereby satisfying the commercial whims of the sponsors of the Sunday Night Movie.
So, as fans returned to their seats to watch the final 65 seconds of the game, they were greeted by the ensuing kickoff, which the Raiders brought out to the 22-yard line. Then, at exactly 7 PM EST, all hell broke loose. With 61 seconds left on the game clock, the opening scene of the movie Heidi began, showcasing a young orphan girl with braided golden hair frolicking along the Swiss Mountains. As thousands of prepubescent girls rejoiced at this scene, the adult viewing public went ballistic. Thousands in the Eastern and Central time zones called their local television stations, newspapers, and even police departments to express their disdain. To make matters worse, the NBC broadcasters would decide to flash on the screen that the Raiders actually won the game, 43-32. In a span of 61 seconds after the switch to Heidi, Oakland scored two incredible touchdowns. The ire of vehement fans was on full display in the aftermath of this near criminal offense.
The irony of that decision that fateful night in 1968 is that NBC did not want to disappoint its Heidi sponsor, Timex. Yet, the poorly timed decision to replace the game with Heidi only exacerbated the decision. Timex would be lambasted in the press. I guess you could say they tool their licking and kept on ticking. Meanwhile, the NFL would mandate a change to sports broadcasting rules, stipulating that all its games must be shown to their full completion in the visiting team markets.
The moral of today’s story is clear: Once you start something, it’s always best to bring it to its proper conclusion. In the end, it will save you much time (and headache).
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