I noticed that the NFL fired the concussion investigation team that they were working with after they came up with some very bad findings for the NFL... didn't really get much coverage. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...-nih-for-concussion-research-with-16m-unspent
You know, that was my first thought too. It seems a little too put together for just an off-the-cuff-protest. The league does a lot of shady shit and rallies around players that do in their personal lives too. And as Nett mentioned, it comes at a similar time when discussions around CTE could cause major damage to the brand. (It just was just officially confirmed a few days ago that Aaron Hernandez had it). It’s annoying that now I can’t even escape all the political bullshit with a football game, and I don’t even know what they’re protesting really. But at least Trump has some poignant thoughts on the matter and didn’t make things worse. Oh wait.
This whole thing feels like a side-show to an otherwise boring NFL season, and the NBA turning into a league with about 4 teams on it that are capable of winning. Reality: CTE is real, and the number of players in high school is declining because of health concerns. NFL: You guys think it's shitty that people do stuff during the national anthem? Reality: Not really, free country. No one cares. NFL: (frantically scans internet for ideas) How about if your favorite player is ticklish? Reality: FFS, can we get decent USA rugby or a competently managed MMA franchise yet? The Future: Nah, son...fuck y'all in 2017. Every single sports channel is commenting on what happened before the game started. It's the sport journalism equivalent of the Ravens "our team is so shitty, we made the kicker a captain".
Kaepernick's protests were aligned with BLM, and everyone that joined in this weekend were either supporting his protest in particular, or his right to protest in general.
Is it safe to assume that I won't be able to escape politics anywhere in my life anymore? The fact that I respect Kap's ability to make plays in the pocket and keep the defense honest in no way means I give a shit about his politics and I certainly don't care to hear it. The same way that while I'm forced to listen to people like Trump and Schumer talk politics (as it is what they do), I wouldn't pay money to see how tight of a spiral they could throw. EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I respect player's rights to free speech but I really don't care to hear story after story about it. I watch for the game, not the rest of the bullshit.
Politics doesn't belong in sports at all. Meanwhile, people like actors and athletes need to shut the fuck up and do only what they're paid to do. They're already luckier than anybody else on the face of this earth, they have zero reasons to bitch. From umpires crying about arguments to actors crying over the word "bossy"....these rich, soft fucks wouldn't know hardship if it sat on their face.
When did sports become this holy sanctum where politics couldn't enter? Plenty of athletes in the past protested or spoke out against what they saw as injustices in society. This isn't something new. While he has been out of the NFL jasper nick has been working with numerous organizations both domestically and overseas to forward causes he is passionate about, but somehow that is very rarely discussed. Instead, he is labeled as in-American (whatever the hell that means) for taking a knee during the national anthem. (The same national anthem the players used to stay in the locker room for until the NFL was paid to have them on field for). They are using their position as public figures to bring awareness to causes they believe will make our country and society better. Isn't that what we want?
I’m sure most of you quit watching the Olympics in 1968 also. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute Politics are part of life. I watched from football from 9am until 8pm. They talked about some players kneeling. It didn’t take away from the fun. Some people just need something to be mad about.
No. When I tune in to watch a football game, I just want to watch a football game... not to have my social awareness raised. Use their position and fame on Twitter, or anywhere else they want... but not during the game. Just wait for the chicken-dance during the national anthem to promote veganism... or some other cause de-jour. Players have morals clauses, so it's not like controlling or putting limits on their actions is something new.
It is the same problem I had with Tebow. Taking the knee for God, every interview being about God. I don't give a shit about what he believes in, I care about how tight of a spiral he can throw. It's not a sudden thing for me, it just overwhelming now and you can't fucking escape it.
This. I don't know about the rest of you, but if I showed up at a company function for our clients embracing controversial political stances, be it BLM or Build the Wall....I would be looking for a new job.
That argument stopped holding any water whatsoever when we elected a reality TV star for a president.
And id the owners want they can cut the players and bring someone else in. But basically the players feel that these issues are more important to them than your desire as a fan to ignore them for a few hours on Sunday. I get what you're saying, but if it was your friend/mother/brother being the victim of police brutality and institustional racism you might feel differently. Now, we can argue the merits of the arguments regarding those two things, but for the purpose of looking at it from their side you have to take those as fact, because their life experiences have led them to conclude it is.
Become important enough to your company they can't fire you then. The scout team kicker can't do it, but Tom Brady can.
Well, I'm pretty sure that running for and winning elected office actually hurt Trump financially. Approximately half of the country doesn't like him at all now.....how likely are they to spend time or money in establishments or buying products associated with him? By extension, this is going to be disastrous for the NFL for the same reasons.
You kidding? Guess at how many tax dollars are spent at his Mar-A-Lago estate just keeping him and the Secret Service there? He's spent more in 9 months than Obama did in 4 years. Dude will blow through taxpayer money on golf and travel, because it's not like there's a budget limitation on presidential logistics. Politics and sports intertwined aren't new. What is new is 90% of ESPN's reporting on the protests, basically ignoring that a full Sunday of football took place and most of the fanbase is interested in that. The sideshow of how NFL players spend their downtime is as fascinating to me as the research surrounding if orangutans would prefer redheads if they could spank themselves to online furry midget porn.