I’ve grown tired of the soft responses to situations, by the quotes of “he just overdid it” or “it is a private matter.” I’ve heard them blare “Are you ready for some football?” I’d like to raise the question, “Are you ready for some backbone?”
How about you treat your players like human beings and not animals? How about you hold them to the same standards you would hold your children or office employees to? How about, oh powerful NFL, you follow the letter of the law and acknowledge that dog fights, elevator beat downs, and scrotum switching are all against the law?
How about you do something more than add pink wristbands four games a year to suggest that you give a sh*t about women? How about you have a playbook so that you don’t bumble and stammer as you try to figure out just how bad a certain thing is?
See, the thing is, eventually you are going to sidestep your way into utter irrelevance because you refused to take a stand worth sticking to for yourself, your players, or your audience.
Honestly, I can’t wait for the day that the NFL becomes irrelevant and I wish everyone would just boycott football completely. I have two little boys and we live in Texas, so football culture is huge here. We don’t watch it and my guys don’t really know what it is, but my plan is to tell them that their brains are too smart to play football, because they are. During the concussion scandal, one NFL doctor said if moms won’t allow their sons to play, it will bring about the end of the sport. I want to make sure that happens.
I think that as I get older I find that there are things that don’t matter as much, but the things that do matter are worth really digging my heels in on. I am going to follow Richard’s advice. I’ll research the sponsors like I would read food labels.
Yes. Just yes. To all of this.
Thank you, Jamie, it means a lot to know that there is a chorus building.
If you want to cripple these vile enablers of spousal and child abuse you must continuously wound them at their source of enrichment. BOYCOTT their sponsors. Nothing will send that lying dirt-bag Roger Goodell packing faster than to cripple the owners source of revenue and profit streams. This is an organization that has worked tirelessly to sweep player injuries, concussions and the fact that more than a third of those that have played their stupid game are afflicted with cognitive disabilities. They think they can circle the wagons and ride this out. I assure you, as women make up at least 50% of the nfl’s audience, if you join hands and focus on the sponsors they will be vulnerable.
Here, here!
So well said. Irrelevance, exactly.
Thanks so much, Nina.
Yes. I used to love watching football, and starting with the concussions issue and progressing to the latest news, it’s hard to support it. Yes, of course not every player is a woman or child abuser, of COURSE it’s not the majority, but you’ve hit upon it– the NFL as an organization is not doing right by anyone but their own pockets. I was encouraged that Anheuser Busch appears to be putting pressure on the NFL, but it could all be empty as well.
The NFL has a tremendous platform that they could use to DO GOOD and be a change agent in the larger culture. They have the clout to change the sport so it’s safer, to model healthy manhood, etc. And they’re just not doing it.
Yeah, I keep hoping for the not empty answer, but I don’t know…Thank you for speaking up here, it matters. Others are reading and deciding whether or not to speak up. I am so grateful.
I am grateful for all that you write. So thank YOU!