Tag: NFL

The NFL Bullsh*t!

I have a friend that is up in arms about all this “taking a knee for Jesus” crap…..to the point the he is boycotting all sports because of it.  I told him I had been boycotting the NFL ever since I found out that they were paid by the Defense Department for all these patriotic salutes to the troops and such silliness.

The American public’s apparent compulsion to demonstrate “support for our troops” in ways that are emotionally satisfying but ultimately meaningless has been described by Andrew Bacevich as the central tenet of our nation’s “civic religion.” It has rightly been noted that the best way to support soldiers, sailors, and Marines would be to bring them home. Bumper sticker sentiments telling the guys and girls that we love them do the opposite, permitting us to avoid any possible guilty conscience or introspection over why young Americans are fighting and dying in a seemingly interminable series of wars. Nowhere is the tendency towards monetizing meaningless bromides about national security more evident than in professional sports, particularly the National Football League.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-nfls-feel-good-jingoism/

Paid patriotism….NFL and their salutes to the troops…..paid patriotism…..

Before 2009, Colin Kaepernick would have had to find some other way to protest racism against African Americans.  That’s because until the height of the Iraq War, NFL football players weren’t even required to leave the locker room for the national anthem, much less stand for it.

That’s not to say that the national anthem didn’t take place before every game. The singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” was mandated during another war, World War II, when the NFL commissioner at the time mandated it for the league. The players were told to stand for it about the same time that the Department of Defense was ramping up massive recruitment and media operations around the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They began paying sports teams millions in U.S. tax dollars for what amounted to “paid patriotism,” or mega-military spectacles on the playing field before the games. It got so bad that there was a congressional investigation led by none other than Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a veteran and considered one of the most patriotic men in the Senate.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-real-problem-the-militarization-of-the-nfl/

The NFL will never see my ass watching anything they offer……the sport does not mean that much to me that I feel like I would be missing something.

Closing Thought–26Sep17

Throw Red Meat And They Will Come!

The Congressional investigations do not seem to be going well for the Pres. and his cronies……almost nightly something new and possibly more damaging is released in one form of another…. so how do you change the the conversation?

Over the weekend Trump did what he must……

Throw some red meat to the devout.

President Trump says NFL owners should fire players who kneel during the national anthem. And he’s encouraging spectators to walk out in protest. In an extended riff during a freewheeling rally speech in Alabama Friday night, Trump also bemoaned that football games have become less aggressive, the AP reports. “They’re ruining the game,” he complained. Several athletes, including a handful of NFL players, have refused to stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest of the treatment of blacks by police. Trump says those players are disrespecting the flag and deserve to lose their jobs. “That’s a total disrespect of our heritage. That’s a total disrespect of everything that we stand for,” he said, encouraging owners to act.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired,” Trump said to loud applause. Trump also predicted that any owner who went through with his encouragement would become “the most popular person in this country”—at least for a week. Trump, who was in Alabama campaigning for Sen. Luther Strange, also blamed a decline in NFL ratings on the nation’s interest in “yours truly” as well as what he described as a decline in violence in the game. He said players are being thrown out for aggressive tackles, and it’s “not the same game.” But Trump said the anthem protest was the top reason NFL viewership had waned.

Of course all eyes turn to the NFL and the Sunday games……

Even Carl Rove sees this situation as a losing fight for the president…….

Figures from the worlds of politics and sports took to the Sunday talk shows to weigh in on President Trump’s call for NFL players who protest during the national anthem to be fired.

  • Steve Mnuchin told ABC’s This Week that NFL owners should create a rule forcing players to stand for the anthem and that athletes “can do free speech on their own time,” Politico reports. The Treasury secretary said the issue isn’t race or free speech but “respect for the military and first responders.”
  • “I wish that some of these players that get on one knee to protest this country and all the sacrifices that make it great would get on both knees and thank God that they live in the United States of America,” Mediaite quotes Mike Huckabee as saying on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures. The former Arkansas governor said liberals only defend athletes attacking the country, not those praying for it.
  • Karl Rove told Fox News Sunday that Trump should have picked a better battle or at least a better tactic, Mediaite reports. “He could have come away the winner,” the former White House adviser said. “Instead, he is walking away from this a loser in the minds of the American people.” A better move would have been to be an “aspirational figure” reminding people what’s good about the country, Rove said.
  • Rex Ryan, who introduced Trump during a rally last year, said on Sunday NFL Countdown that the president’s comments are “appalling.” “Lemme tell you: I’m pissed off. I’ll be honest with you. Because I supported Donald Trump,” CBS Sports quotes the former NFL coach as saying. Ryan said he’s proud of the players he’s known and they aren’t “SOBs.”
  • “I’m not sure if our president understands those rights, that every American has the right to speak out and also to protest,” Sports Illustrated quotes Terry Bradshaw as saying on Fox NFL Sunday.

This accomplished what Trump intended….a diversion for awhile…..

Trump as usual cannot kind in mind that he is the president of all of the US not just his piddly 33%

Paying For Patriotism

Back in May I wrote a piece about the military paying NFL teams for their patriotic theme programs……in case you may have missed my scathing post……

http://lobotero.com/2015/05/11/patriotism-has-its-price/

After I let these people know what I think of that the Congress has taken up the issue…….and has made its decision known……..

The Senate today voted in favor of a bill which will bar the Pentagon from giving taxpayer money to NFL teams or other sports franchises in return for them “honoring the troops” during their games.

Reports of the “Patriotism for Profit” program emerged last month, with the revelations that 14 NFL teams had received $5.4 million in return for timeout displays of thanking troops for their service. This was quickly condemned by several top Congressmen.

The NFL, the apparent primary beneficiaries of this program, criticized the bill, saying it was a “distorted picture” of the long-standing relationship between the military and professional football. A spokesman went on to insist the programs to “honor the troops” would continue even if the money stopped.

Apparently Patriotism does have a price, at least for the NFL.

Are you telling me that the way these toads in Washington check fiscal policy that No one knew what was happening with these payments…..maybe they should spend more time doing their jobs and less time performing oral sex on their donors……whatcha think?

There is too much fake patriotism in this country…..and the NFL is a prime mover in that…….

When this story first came out it was pretty much ignored by most….like the NFL was some sort of God that one could not speak ill of without facing damnation……I have called the NFL a douche bag organization supported by mental midgets and cowards…..do I need to say more?

Turn The Page!

Tired Of Brady’s Balls?

This is the story of the decade according to the media……they have covered this wall to wall for days…..and now there is a ruling and the millionaires in the media are defending the millionaires in the NFL.

As usual the media is fixating on the punishment and how unfair it is to the Pats and mostly to Brady……they are overlooking the real story……the Pats cheated…..and cheated when they did not have to do so….they were gonna win the game anyway.  They overlook the fact this is the second time for the Pats to cheat during a game…..sounds like a cult of unsportsmanlike conduct.

The media is worried about what this will do Brady and his chances for the Hall Of Fame…….here is an idea….maybe talk about the loos of integrity of the League!

A story broke yesterday that at least 11 NFL teams were paid to have a “We Support The Troops” Day……paid by the government to have these events.  No one is talking about that in conjunction with the Ball scandal…….why?  I mean these teams have to be paid to show respect to our troops and veterans?  How’s that for integrity?

BTW while you were bitching about Brady’s balls….NO Americans died last week as a result of combat!  let me say that again……No Americans died last week as a result of combat”!

Personally, I could care less what happens to Brady and his Balls!   There are far more important issues to fret over than the scrutiny of Balls!  But what can you expect from a society that thinks reality TV is entertainment…..

Patriotism Has Its Price

This country has gone “patriot” crazy……our vets deserve all the recognition they are getting…..the parades, the out pouring of gratitude and in my opinion there is not enough we are doing to say thank you….

We do not support the troops…..we pretend they are important but do not care when the Congress divides t5o save money by cutting programs for the troops or the veterans…..one can voice support but if it does not translate into action then I question the seriousness of the gesture.

Speaking of gestures……..have you seen the out pouring of support at all these athletic endeavors….kinda like what some of the NFL teams have done?

Would you like the rest of the story?

Fans who see troops honored at halftime events during NFL games may not be aware that a lot of the time, their tax dollars are paying for the tribute to the military. According to an NJ.com investigation, the Pentagon has paid a total of $5.4 million to 14 NFL teams since 2011 for events like the New York Jets’ “Hometown Heroes” tribute to members of the New Jersey Army National Guard. Most of the paid-for tributes involved the National Guard, and while not every NFL event saluting the troops is part of a promotion, some lawmakers say having teams compensated for patriotic events seems distasteful, Scout.com reports.

“Those of us go to sporting events and see them honoring the heroes,” Sen. Jeff Flake tells NJ.com. “You get a good feeling in your heart. Then to find out they’re doing it because they’re compensated for it, it leaves you underwhelmed. It seems a little unseemly.” The public “believes they’re doing it as a public service or a sense of patriotism,” Flake says. “It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.” A Jets spokesman tells the New York Daily News that the team has “consistently supported all five branches of the US armed forces” separately from the Guard sponsorship, and that it recently donated $1 million to a foundation that builds homes for injured service members.

Disgraceful!  A league full of millionaires and we have to pay them to show some respect?

Don’t know about you….but these douche bags can kiss my ass!

Greedy Little Sh*ts

My readers know I do not post much on sports….for one I think most athletes are spoiled little brats with little redeeming quality other than running….but I read a piece the other day that made me just shake my head in disgust…….so I guess I am the archetypical American….football is a sport that is nothing more than a diversion from daily life not some altar to be worshiped at…..

(Newser) – Coldplay, Katy Perry, and Rihanna: One of them will headline next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, and it might just come down to whoever is willing to shell out for the privilege. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the Wall Street Journal reports that the NFL, in notifying each act that they’re the finalists under consideration, is also asking if, ahem, they might be willing to toss some post-halftime show income or “some other type of financial contribution” the league’s way. The NFL isn’t commenting on particulars, and a rep would say only that its commitment is only “to put on the best possible show.”

Though the Journal notes that the idea met a “chilly reception,” it’s an interesting gambit: Last year’s show hauled in 115.3 million viewers, and artists such as Bruno Mars and Beyonce have successfully used their performances as a springboard for concert tours—often putting tickets on sale virtually as the curtain goes down. CD and MP3 sales often see a boost, as well, though it’s tough to gauge exactly what that windfall might be. As for who might be inclined to cough up, the Verge notes that all three acts are well-established cash cows and don’t need the exposure the way an up-and-comer might. That said, Rihanna is currently recording her first album since 2012, and, well, if she happened to time its release fortuitously, might have the most to gain.

We all know how strapped the NFL is for cash…..(don’t bother….it was sarcasm)…..I mean look at what they pull in for ads placed during the Super Bowl….but now they are pushing the limits of their profit making apparatus.

But we will see which ‘star’ is truly a entertainer and which are in it for purely egotistical reasons…..

Holy Crap! Saints WIN!

I do not normally post too much on sports…I figure there are enough bloggers that will take up the slack……but……

After 40 years of pure torture watching the Saints play football….we have been vindicated….after years of bags….bitches….and Bayou Defense (everything runs by you)….we at LAST have the team that we knew we could have with just a little effort….and personnel……

They DID IT!  The Saints win Super Bowl 44….31-17…..bless their hearts!

Congrats, guys!  See ya next season……