Recommended by Ricochet Members Created with Sketch. Boycott The NFL – Please

 

I see Stad has already posted a nice post on this subject, but I wanted to be a little more upfront about it. To honor all Veterans, the NFL — which I believe is being disrespectful to our veterans (and America in general) — needs to be sent a serious message.

Twitter is alive with word of the Veterans Day Boycott of the NFL. Today, tonight, and tomorrow night, turn off the TV. Tear up your tickets. Don’t talk about “your” team — they aren’t “your” team any more. It’s now just a bunch of guys who are unified in taking pride in spitting in your eye.

I’ll make an exception: If you think the nation’s police force is dedicated to murdering people of color for no reason other than the color of their skin, then go ahead and join Colin Kaepernick and take a knee against America, and watch “your” team today.

I hope the rest of you will join me, and all other veterans, in this boycott, and spread the word.

There are 46 comments.

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  1. Steve C. Member

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):

    Richard Easton (View Comment):
    The NFL did not allow the Cowboys to honor the five policemen who were gunned down last year. They’re inconsistent.

    It looks like the boycott is working. Soldier Field was half full for a Bears Packers game!

    Yes, that was pathetic, Mr. Easton. Also the guy who wanted to wear a 9-11 tribute on his shoes was denied by the “First Amendment NFL”.

    I found this today – LA Rams versus Houston Texans, my old favorite team. “Some Seating Available”. Heh.

    Doesn’t the Coliseum seat like 90,000?

    I’m not sure that’s a representative sample.

    • #31
    • November 12, 2017, at 6:06 PM PST
    • 1 like
  2. JcTPatriot Inactive
    JcTPatriot

    Steve C. (View Comment):

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):

    Richard Easton (View Comment):
    The NFL did not allow the Cowboys to honor the five policemen who were gunned down last year. They’re inconsistent.

    It looks like the boycott is working. Soldier Field was half full for a Bears Packers game!

    Yes, that was pathetic, Mr. Easton. Also the guy who wanted to wear a 9-11 tribute on his shoes was denied by the “First Amendment NFL”.

    I found this today – LA Rams versus Houston Texans, my old favorite team. “Some Seating Available”. Heh.

    Doesn’t the Coliseum seat like 90,000?

    I’m not sure that’s a representative sample.

    There’s a Twitter site called “Empty Seats” or something like that. I’ll bet they’ll have your sample. I’m a bit busy at the moment.

    • #32
    • November 12, 2017, at 6:16 PM PST
    • 2 likes
  3. The Whether Man Inactive

    I read that attendance was actually slightly up this weekend.

    I put on my jersey and watched my team; a rare in market game for me since I live 1200 miles away from their home city. At this point, the protests have largely died down, and those that continue to protest have a huge variety of reasons for doing so, so it’s not exactly effective. But I’ve never supported any NFL boycotts, no matter who was calling for them this year. I remain okay with the refusal to hire Kaepernick, and okay with players making idiots of themselves by kneeling. Based on the number of service members at the games I watched today, the weekend truce held.

    • #33
    • November 12, 2017, at 7:41 PM PST
    • 2 likes
  4. JcTPatriot Inactive
    JcTPatriot

    The Whether Man (View Comment):
    I read that attendance was actually slightly up this weekend.

    I put on my jersey and watched my team; a rare in market game for me since I live 1200 miles away from their home city. At this point, the protests have largely died down, and those that continue to protest have a huge variety of reasons for doing so, so it’s not exactly effective. But I’ve never supported any NFL boycotts, no matter who was calling for them this year. I remain okay with the refusal to hire Kaepernick, and okay with players making idiots of themselves by kneeling. Based on the number of service members at the games I watched today, the weekend truce held.

    How sad.

    • #34
    • November 12, 2017, at 8:17 PM PST
    • Like
  5. OkieSailor Member
    OkieSailorJoined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):

    RightAngles (View Comment):

    JustmeinAZ (View Comment):
    We haven’t watched a game since they started this crap.

    Neither have I! (Well okay, I never did anyway. Is this the one where they have to bat the puck into the little hole?)

    This was the last moment of an NFL football game I have seen this year. Nor have I checked scores or anything else – I am free of them.

    That picture is misleading. Here is the real scoop if you’re interested:

    http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2017/10/09/jerry-jones-gives-cowboys-players-ultimatum-stand-for-anthem-or-sit-for-game.html

    I’m not a fan of Jones particularly but have always followed the Cowboys since I was born in Dallas. I don’t quite get boycotting an entire league over the idiotic actions of some players. When I do watch football I’m not thinking about the political or religious positions of any of the players but rather how well they perform athletically. The Cowboys are having a down year but I’ll still follow them, I’m not a fair weather fan.

    I think most boycotts are a little kooky and ineffective but if you must boycott something at least get your facts straight first.

    • #35
    • November 13, 2017, at 2:40 AM PST
    • 1 like
  6. OkieSailor Member
    OkieSailorJoined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    Steve C. (View Comment):

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):

    Richard Easton (View Comment):
    The NFL did not allow the Cowboys to honor the five policemen who were gunned down last year. They’re inconsistent.

    It looks like the boycott is working. Soldier Field was half full for a Bears Packers game!

    Yes, that was pathetic, Mr. Easton. Also the guy who wanted to wear a 9-11 tribute on his shoes was denied by the “First Amendment NFL”.

    I found this today – LA Rams versus Houston Texans, my old favorite team. “Some Seating Available”. Heh.

    Doesn’t the Coliseum seat like 90,000?

    I’m not sure that’s a representative sample.

    LA teams and a number of others have had low attendance for a number of years now, except when the Cowboys come to town. It’s not politics that is biting into the fan base but Soccer. I don’t follow soccer, don’t understand it and don’t much care. But the younger folks seem to love it. They believe it is safer and they don’t seem to care that in the words of Antonin Scalia, “In soccer everyone runs around furiously while nothing much happens.” Both Football and Soccer are fads and like all fads they come and go.

    • #36
    • November 13, 2017, at 2:50 AM PST
    • Like
  7. The Whether Man Inactive

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):

    The Whether Man (View Comment):
    I read that attendance was actually slightly up this weekend.

    I put on my jersey and watched my team; a rare in market game for me since I live 1200 miles away from their home city. At this point, the protests have largely died down, and those that continue to protest have a huge variety of reasons for doing so, so it’s not exactly effective. But I’ve never supported any NFL boycotts, no matter who was calling for them this year. I remain okay with the refusal to hire Kaepernick, and okay with players making idiots of themselves by kneeling. Based on the number of service members at the games I watched today, the weekend truce held.

    How sad.

    What’s sad? That despite all the calls for boycotting, it didn’t work and attendance was slightly up? That overwhelmingly the few players still protesting did not do so in honor of Veterans Day weekend? That some NFL fans are refusing the calls to boycott coming from both the left and the right and just going on with life? I do not agree with the premise that protesting during the U.S. National Anthem is an anti-veteran, anti-troops statement.

    And the veterans in my life – the ones that I interact with on a daily basis, not only on the internet – have not joined the boycott. Many, many vets have, but many others haven’t – because they have diversity of opinion on this too. One of our closest friends, an OIF vet, is currently dominating our Fantasy Football league. He was all over Facebook celebrating our shared favorite’s unexpected triumph yesterday. People are different, and they see this issue differently.

    • #37
    • November 13, 2017, at 4:21 AM PST
    • 2 likes
  8. Larry3435 Member

    Richard Easton (View Comment):

    Larry3435 (View Comment):
    I don’t quite get this. It’s not the NFL that is disrespecting the flag and the nation. It’s the players (some of them, anyway). And even if the NFL forced the players to stand for the national anthem, that’s not real respect. If some players don’t want to stand, I’d rather know who they are.

    And then I would boycott any company that pays those players for endorsements. And companies these days are such cowards that they would withdraw those endorsements at even the hint of a boycott. That would actually affect the players themselves, rather than the league as a whole. Then we could all enjoy the game.

    The NFL did not allow the Cowboys to honor the five policemen who were gunned down last year. They’re inconsistent.

    It looks like the boycott is working. Soldier Field was half full for a Bears Packers game!

    Or maybe it’s just that the 3-6 Bears simply suck.

    • #38
    • November 13, 2017, at 6:12 AM PST
    • 1 like
  9. Hugh Member

    I love football. But I don’t watch the NFL anymore. It’s hard but necessary.

    At least we don’t have this nonsense in the CFL.

    • #39
    • November 13, 2017, at 9:39 AM PST
    • Like
  10. DavidBSable Inactive

    I know I am probably repeating what folks have said in many different ways but I dislike the fact that our culture believes that because one is an entertainer (whether it is actors who spend their days pretending they are someone else or sports players engaged in a pretend war battle) has something more insightful or important to say about social issues than my friends who work an average regular paying job. I love my baseball as a diversion after a day’s work but if they began to turn into social commentators, I’d pull the plug.

    • #40
    • November 13, 2017, at 12:21 PM PST
    • 2 likes
  11. Tom Davis Member
    Tom DavisJoined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    I have stopped watching the NFL because I cannot give a damn about a bunch of folks who have largely been privileged since about the 5th or 6th grade when it became apparent that they were good athletes. They got to slide through junior high school, high school, and college (at least as far as they went in college) solely on the basis that they were bigger, faster, and stronger that most of us. You have to look no further than the mess at UNC where the athletes were steered towards non-existing classes where everyone got As or B+s despite never going to class.

    Many of these guys got into school with grades, SAT scores, etc that would be an embarrassment if they those credentials were widely known.

    It infuriates me to see these folks who have been given break, after break, after break, complain about how unfair it all is.

    I find it impossible to do anything but to hope that both teams could lose.

    • #41
    • November 14, 2017, at 8:31 AM PST
    • 1 like
  12. JcTPatriot Inactive
    JcTPatriot

    Tom Davis (View Comment):
    I have stopped watching the NFL because I cannot give a damn about a bunch of folks who have largely been privileged since about the 5th or 6th grade when it became apparent that they were good athletes. They got to slide through junior high school, high school, and college (at least as far as they went in college) solely on the basis that they were bigger, faster, and stronger that most of us. You have to look no further than the mess at UNC where the athletes were steered towards non-existing classes where everyone got As or B+s despite never going to class.

    Many of these guys got into school with grades, SAT scores, etc that would be an embarrassment if they those credentials were widely known.

    It infuriates me to see these folks who have been given break, after break, after break, complain about how unfair it all is.

    I find it impossible to do anything but to hope that both teams could lose.

    Wouldn’t it be great if next year, suddenly new player contracts were much smaller in dollars because of lack of income from lack of ticket sales? It would still be a huge amount of money (at least from my standards) but instead of some WR walking away with a contract worth a few million, he ends up with a few hundred thousand? That would make me happy.

    • #42
    • November 14, 2017, at 6:28 PM PST
    • 1 like
  13. Steve C. Member

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):
    Wouldn’t it be great if next year, suddenly new player contracts were much smaller in dollars because of lack of income from lack of ticket sales? It would still be a huge amount of money (at least from my standards) but instead of some WR walking away with a contract worth a few million, he ends up with a few hundred thousand? That would make me happy.

    TV money is what funds those inflated salaries.

    • #43
    • November 14, 2017, at 6:58 PM PST
    • Like
  14. JcTPatriot Inactive
    JcTPatriot

    Steve C. (View Comment):

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):
    Wouldn’t it be great if next year, suddenly new player contracts were much smaller in dollars because of lack of income from lack of ticket sales reduced TV money or something else which may or may not produce money for the NFL? It would still be a huge amount of money (at least from my standards) but instead of some WR walking away with a contract worth a few million, he ends up with a few hundred thousand? That would make me happy.

    TV money is what funds those inflated salaries.

    Fixed It For You. Sorry to be such an ignorant lout.

    • #44
    • November 14, 2017, at 7:06 PM PST
    • Like
  15. Steve C. Member

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):

    Steve C. (View Comment):

    JcTPatriot (View Comment):
    Wouldn’t it be great if next year, suddenly new player contracts were much smaller in dollars because of lack of income from lack of ticket sales reduced TV money or something else which may or may not produce money for the NFL? It would still be a huge amount of money (at least from my standards) but instead of some WR walking away with a contract worth a few million, he ends up with a few hundred thousand? That would make me happy.

    TV money is what funds those inflated salaries.

    Fixed It For You. Sorry to be such an ignorant lout.

    Kind of odd when you think about it. The outlay for two people at an NFL game is hundreds of dollars. It’s not chicken feed.

    • #45
    • November 15, 2017, at 5:00 AM PST
    • Like
  16. DavidBSable Inactive

    @jctpatriot and @stevec: In the famous NY Jets Joe Namath Superbowl 3, one of the controversial play is that the Baltimore Colts had a perfect play to win the game. Johnny Unitas has an open receiver down field but he didn’t see it because the jersey blended in with the marching band that was at the end of the field getting ready for half time. The point? HALFTIME ENTERTAINMENT WAS A MARCHING BAND!!!

    How did we move as a culture where we are entertaining ourselves to death and vastly overpaying celebrities?

    • #46
    • November 15, 2017, at 7:34 AM PST
    • 1 like

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