> It's advertorial, marketing disguised as journalism.
It's barely even disguised. If it were published by a news organization[1], or really just "someone else", then you would be right.
This is an article on NFL.com about an NFL product. It's straight up advertising. Publishing an "article" to say "this seems 'risky'; why would we even offer this product to you, our fevered fans" is about the thinnest disguise an ad could have.
I'd probably be less offended if I didn't see this argument so often. As Evbn points out, it's not the first time I've heard it. I find the premise deeply insulting.
It's on the NFL site. It's advertorial, marketing disguised as journalism. It's not making an argument, it's just stirring one up to get attention.