Press Release from the National Center for Public Policy Research:
NFL’s Indulgence of Radical Politics Sends Divisive Message, Drives Away Fans
Washington, DC – With the high likelihood of continued instances of professional football players “taking a knee” while the National Anthem is played during this week’s NFL games, members of the Project 21 black leadership network are warning that continued protests lacking clear intentions are hurting the sport’s reputation as well as the well-being of its sponsors.
While fans who have been polled by the media do not necessarily want players fired over their protests, overwhelming majorities want professional athletes to stand respectfullyduring the playing of the National Anthem. Past protests have been cited as a key factorin fans no longer watching games.
In a commentary published on the Fox News Channel website, Project 21 Co-ChairmanStacy Washington wrote that millionaire athletes protesting without a specific goal are testing the dwindling patience of the American people.
“The NFL has a choice to make, and it’s an easy one: political activism or sports. The American people will only tolerate one of those so they had best choose wisely,” said Washington, a syndicated talk radio host on the American Family Radio and Urban Family Talk networks and U.S. Air Force veteran who served in an honor guard unit at military funerals. “There are ways to sway a community; defiling a national symbol associated with honor, service, sacrifice and bravery isn’t one of them. If the NFL continues to indulge the players, declining ratings and lower attendance at games will become the norm. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the team owners must man up: choose the fans by ending the protests.”
Anger over the players’ protests has trickled down to other businesses that make money through their affiliation with the NFL. Fans are reportedly buying less team merchandiseand not going to games (and thus not buying concessions). Bars are refusing to broadcastgames. And, in a move that could be costly to the NFL, DirecTV has let some customers cancel their premium “Sunday Ticket” game packages. Sponsor boycotts are also being organized.
“We live in a free country where people have a right to free speech. Having said that, there’s a responsibility to use it wisely,” said Project 21 member Darryn “Dutch” Martin, a former federal diplomatic official and motivational speaker. “I believe Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players have a right to kneel when the National Anthem is played. But the flip-side to this coin is that fans don’t have a duty to spend their hard-earned money on the NFL if they feel our country is being disrespected in any way – even by a peaceful protest such as kneeling during the National Anthem. Furthermore, team owners who are fully aware of the financial ramifications shouldn’t be obligated to hire players such as Kaepernick. There’s a time and a place for everything. Professional sports should be a politics-free affair.”
Project 21 member Nadra Enzi, a community anti-crime activist in New Orleans, is critical of the anti-law enforcement sentiments that many protesting players are embracing: “I can’t take a knee to take up a cause that gives perverted honor to mostly career criminals who lost their final fight with the police. Doing do steps on the dignity of urban crime victims and the officers who have been killed in the line of duty in the inner city.”
“We need civil discourse,” said Project 21 member Jerome Danner, host of the “Thinking It Through” podcast. “It is my utmost desire that our most famous athletes and Commander-in-Chief would set an example by engaging in thoughtful conversation. Rather than impulsively stating our opinions about emotional issues, careful introspection should be taken and considerate perspectives shared. Protests are not necessarily wrong, and neither is having an opinion about them. To move forward as a unified nation, however, we should proceed in a thoughtful and courteous manner uncharacteristic of the times.”
Thoughts on Super Bowl LII and Football in General
Having completed a season of professional football, watching several games throughout, culminating with the Super Bowl, for what it’s worth I would like to share some thoughts – some of which are probably not so nice.
As to the Super Bowl, it was good ENTERTAINMENT, aside from officials’ calls that are sure to always stir up the ire of any dedicated fan. It cannot be denied, even to the point where announcers and commentators express their frustration, that there is no consistency in the rules and video review is a joke, a farce and a great opportunity for someone to make gobs of money, as was on display when a receiver, according to some reviews throughout the season, never had control of a caught pass and even if he had, he stepped out of bounds. The outcome, “the call on the field stands!”
Quarterbacks are sissies! When they decide to run with the ball, or as should be determined, they leave the “pocket,” a defender in helpless to do much of anything but chase the quarterback and hope that he “slides” before he gets his head torn off. As Terry Bradshaw, a former NFL quarterback once said, “Let’s put dresses on them.”
There is no consistency in what is considered a catch, possession, a fumble or where to spot the ball when going out of bounds or crossing the goal line. If a runners foot touches the out of bounds, that is where the ball is spotted, regardless of where the ball was. In crossing the goal line, all that is necessary is for the ball to “break the plane.”
If you are a runner, a defensive player can crash his helmet into your helmet, sending the player to the locker room or hospital, as happened with a Patriots player early in the game, and that is considered “a clean hit.” However, if you are a receiver and have not established yourself as a “runner” (meaning the act of catching the ball is completed, whenever that it) you can’t lead with the crown of the helmet nor can you “launch” yourself at the receiver. As a defender you are to guess when you think an official might interpret when the received completed the act of “catching” and commenced the act of a “runner.”
If you are a defender, you cannot touch the quarterback in the head, and you cannot even inadvertently touch the offensive player’s face mask. However, a ball carrier can smash a would-be tackler in the head and even the facemask and that is good football.
Instant replay ruins the game. Some want to believe that it limits the number of bad calls by referees. Here’s what has happened. Referees have become morons on the field. With no incentive to call a good game, nose picking and posing for the camera is commonplace because there’s always Instant Replay to straighten them out. Consider what stopping the game because some ref was thinking about what he was going to have for supper and missed a call does. Not only does it lengthen an already lengthy game, bombarded with commercials, but stops the flow of the game.
However, even with Instant Replay interpretation of what took place remains in the control of officials. For that reason only, Instant Replay should be banned. Why have it? If all plays are going to be determined by a third party, isn’t it better to keep the responsibility of the game on the field of play? Who else in their professions gets a free pass because they screwed up?
Those are just some of the ridiculous issues of the new NFL, played mostly by overpaid sissy-whiners.
Now the rest of the entertainment part of the industry. Super Bowl LII was over-wrought with endless commercials that can cause a viewer over the age of sixty to get disgusted enough to turn the TV off. The game was lengthened no less than 30 minutes so that corporations could bilk a drug and alcohol-infested viewing public.
Listening to the announcers calling the game has become as nauseous as listening to newspeak television. Obviously, they don’t watch the game I do, and they blather on as though they thought somebody cared what they had to say. Chris Collingsworth last night was a good example of a moron with a microphone. Taking a deep breath, he would carry on about something or someone, pause for a second, take another deep breath and contradict what he just said. It amazes me that now these “color commentators” know exactly what each player and coach is thinking at any given moment in time.
As bad as Collingsworth was, nothing can even come close to the nonsense of discarded NFL quarterback Tony Romo. He was so terrible, dominating the airwaves, cutting off the play by play guy, regurgitating old football cliches and making no effort to cover up his biases, after his first game doing color, if the world was unfortunate enough to get him for the next game you wanted to watch, I wonder how many viewers were forced to do what I did – mute the sound?
And NFL can’t understand why attendance and viewership are down? If the NFL is going to allow personal protests, before, during and after a game, maybe there’s money in it for them if they contract some radical political groups to run organized protests before, during, and after a game. Then we’ll see what happens.
The NFL has some very serious issues that need to be addressed if they want to continue making their billions of dollars in order to pay the performers their inflated salaries.