I’ve gotten bent out of shape over the fact the New York Jets not only left their playbook in the locker room (did ya see the game in Buffalo?!), but I would also have to say their dignity. Some today seem to think not even being on the field for the National Anthem is dignified, I would highly disagree.
The unity that the players of this League are pushing for is just a part of the story. Yes , police brutality is an issue we all must tackle head on, do not misunderstand me. Yet, if unity was to be achieved, every name of people that have perished in this devastating COVID crisis should be mentioned. Amazing how the media loves to tell us numbers, but really doesn’t question why the NFL or other leagues don’t appear to make healthcare heroes or victims of this crisis front and center of these tributes!
If unity was the true goal of this idea to kneel or stay in the locker room, every cop killed in the line of duty should be mentioned! Every person or child that has been struck by a stray bullet in protest zones or just our inner cities should be mentioned or even worn on the helmets if we are to go there. Why isn’t little 4 year old Legend Taliferro (https://www.foxnews.com/us/murder-charge-legend-taliferro-operation-legend), for which Operation Legend is named for, being worn all over the place? He was murdered in his hometown of KC just sleeping innocently on the floor, yet he won’t be honored on any NFL helmet because his death is not due to police brutality, that is sad !
With all that being said, I will still support and watch the NFL. If we are trying to save our country, we should try and save the very fabric that makes us incredible year in and year out. The NFL is, excuse the cliche, woven into our fall routine each and every year!
Socially, the NFL’s culture brings us all together through the Super Bowl every year. Nowadays with places like Bleacher Report and Barstool, nearly every week seems to have dramatics that lead us to talk to one another. Economically , the gambling BOON is for real. DraftKings jumping on with teams and the League tells you they want the economic potential of these games to hit their pocketbooks too. TV revenue would be hit by lower ratings and some that want to boycott the League I’m sure would love to see loss of revenue. I do feel for owners that won’t have as many fans and therefore will take a hit that way also. I also do feel for Season Ticket Holders that can’t get to bond with each other and root, root for the home team. The socioeconomic here cannot be ignored. While one can condemn gambling, economically you cannot root for this sport to fail.
There is a bigger reason why I will still support the NFL. If we all turn our backs because of this ‘unity’ cry, we let the forces behind all these movements win. We let them win because they simply want to turn off the sport of football, because these forces know how foundational this League is to America. They also know how pissed off these fans get and find it comforting when many do turn away. In many ways, the forces behind these protests know EXACTLY what they are doing. They want to kill our country, and why not do it through sports, right? I won’t stand for the destruction of our way of life, even if they kneel! We cannot let these forces lead us into submission and destroy this country by weakening professional sports, that I believe is their end goal.
Support the NFL, pray these teams don’t buy into the external forces driving these protests and overall, don’t let the forces behind all the chaos win, or this country WILL be done for!
The Writings of Alex Garrett 