It might not even make much sense to put it this way, but we too often forget to analyze the impact of things that don’t happen. The Seahawks not having to go to China, for instance. With training camp less than two weeks away, I’m sure the football people at the Seahawks are increasingly more delighted that the NFL scrapped plans to have the Seahawks play a preseason game against the Patriots in Beijing.

The league has been intent – especially under new commissioner Roger Goodell – to work toward the globalization of the brand (perhaps even the physical globalization of the league at points in the future). When the Seahawks were named as participants in this game last fall, the organizational position was one of being honored. It was considered symbolic of the Seahawks’ newly arrived status as a major force in the league.

The football people seemed far less enthralled. Logistics called for the Hawks to play the Pats in Seattle once, and then for both to proceed to China for another game the following week. It meant the Seahawks had to play five preseason games. Why not just count the China game as one of the four? Because that would cost a team a home “gate.” The players, then, would have to strap it on an extra time before the games even counted.

Head coach Mike Holmgren made the appropriate comments, but they sounded as if grumbled through clenched teeth. Coaches hate disruptions of their normal routines. This meant that they’d have to move training camp back to Kirkland rather than Cheney, they’d have to dramatically change the camp schedule, and they’d have to prepare for a 25 percent increase in games.

In the spring, though, the NFL abruptly scrapped the whole thing, saying it was going to be too much of a challenge to prepare for it as well as the league’s other international game, a regular-season contest between the Dolphins and Giants in London in October. There was some suggestion at the time that the underlying problem was that the Chinese weren’t going to have the facilities ready. Uncharacteristically, the tightly wired NFL came off looking a little slip-shod.

Indianapolis won 14 regular-season games in 2005 after opening in the preseason in Tokyo. Dallas won the Super Bowl after a 1993 preseason appearance in London. So, these things don’t doom seasons. But I can guarantee you that the Seahawks are very happy this week that they’re not getting ready for a premature report to camp to accommodate the globalization of the league trademark. Beyond that, I don’t believe the team would have benefited in any way from the distraction. They’re better off here.

At the time, I heard stories from some fans who already had booked travel to China to see the game and were unable to get refunds after the cancellation. They’re heading to China in a few weeks … with no game to watch. I’m curious if any of you have such stories to share, or have heard of friends facing those circumstances.

Don't look for weblog entries from me for the next day and a half as I'm headed to Bellingham to visit my daughter and pretend that I'm really on vacation for a while