The NFL is two-faced when it comes to alcohol, writes Joshua Green at at the Atlantic. The game is nearly synonymous with beer and yet it "has piously forbidden players from endorsing alcoholic beverages." This is a problem because, as unlikely as it sounds, the game has its share of vintners, including Dick Vermeil, Drew Bledsoe, Joe Montana, and, especially, Charles Woodson.
The latter formed his own wine label when he played with the Raiders and lived near Napa Valley. But the league won't let him promote it. "For a league plagued by illegal dog-fighting, persistent strip-club shootings, and domestic violence, this strikes me as absurd and completely wrong-headed," writes Green. "Wine-making would confer some much-needed class and sophistication to a sport in very short supply."
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