It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
The executives of the NFL have continued to prove they don't know their audience. Even those who know little about sports realize that nobody is tuning into the game to get their political fix. Sports are supposed to be an escape from politics.
The downfall of the NFL's popularity began with Colin Kaepernick's protest, in which he took a knee during the national anthem because he didn't want to "honor that flag of a nation that oppresses people of color."
It's an incredibly anti-American statement, and given that he has no problem wearing attire bearing the image of communist dictators such as Fidel Castro, it's clear he doesn't understand the first thing about liberalism or history.
Kaepernick was booed even on his home turf in loony-lefty San Francisco -- and you can infer from that incident that his silent protest was only more unpopular elsewhere.
Polls at the time showed that over 70 percent of NFL fans found the protest unpatriotic -- and that figure has stayed the same this season, as players are now taking the knee in defiance of President Trump, who has consistently criticized them.
By September, a Winston poll found that the NFL has become the least-liked sports league, with 44 percent viewing the league favorably and 40 percent perceiving it unfavorably. The figures a month before that were 57 percent to 23 percent, respectively.
And as you'd expect, ratings have continued to fall. According to ESPN,
Through the first six weeks of the NFL season, total viewership of games is down 7.5 percent, compared with the first six weeks of 2016. An average of 15 million people watched games for the first six weeks this year, compared with 16.2 million people through Week 6 last season, according to metrics from Nielsen.
In the past week, Credit Suisse lowered its price targets on both Fox and CBS stock, citing NFL ratings declines.
The NFL is going to bankroll a "social activism boot camp" for professional athletes in February, according to a new report.
"The league has agreed to finance a social activism boot camp at Morehouse College in February," ESPN's Jim Trotter reported on Monday.
The boot camp will reportedly take place over two days and will include professional athletes from other leagues besides the NFL. "And then, the organizers of that curriculum will work with the players throughout the year to try and teach them to get their message out and be most effective with it," Trotter added. [see video too]
Many of the National Football League players who participated in the protests against the national anthem and American flag on Sunday have had past run-ins with the law themselves.
In spite of their brushes with law enforcement and complaints about the criminal justice system, they are either currently making or did make a lucrative living in the league.
The 2016 NFL pre-season was the first time then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to sit for the national anthem, later turning to kneeling on the sidelines.
Almost overnight, professional football became politicized. Kaepernick said that he was using his public position as an NFL player to bring light to the social injustices black Americans experience, particularly focusing on the high-profile cases of police brutality against black men.
Since then, several other players have joined in the demonstration, which has triggered praise and disappointment from both sides of the political spectrum as well as many football fans.
After President Donald Trump denounced the protests on Friday and tweeted about the issue numerous times, NFL players, owners, coaches, and even former players knelt, sat, linked arms, raised fists, or stayed in the locker room during the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner" on Sunday.
I'm calling foul on all the leftists rushing to protect the NFL's protest crusaders from President Donald Trump's criticism of their national anthem antics.
Their shabby line of defense? The NFL is a "private enterprise" whose "rights" are being violated by those who dare to challenge the league's political radicalization. The anti-Trump Democratic Coalition has even filed an ethics complaint alleging that the president's comments constitute a criminal violation against using government offices "to influence the employment decisions and practices" of a private entity.
Funny. These fair-weather friends of corporate free speech and the First Amendment were nowhere to be found when Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were vowing to shut down Chick-Fil-A in their towns as government retaliation against the founders' private religious beliefs.
As for the NFL's status as a "private" enterprise? That's some Super Bowl-sized audacity right there. I first started tracking publicly subsidized sports boondoggles with my very first watchdog website, Porkwatch, back in 1999. Since then, taxpayers at all levels of government have foot the bill for football stadiums to the tune of an estimated $1 billion every year.
Over the past decade, new tax-supported NFL stadiums rose up for the Indianapolis Colts (the $720 million Lucas Oil Stadium), the Dallas Cowboys (the $1.15 billion AT&T Stadium) the New York Jets and Giants (the $1.6 billion MetLife Stadium, the Minnesota Vikings (the $1.1 billion U.S. Bank Stadium), the Atlanta Falcons (the $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium), and the San Francisco 49ers (the $1.3 billion Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara).
Next in the works: a whopping $2.6 billion stadium for the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams and a $1.9 billion stadium for the Oakland Raiders when they move to Las Vegas. Left behind? An $83 million taxpayer debt on two-decade-old renovations to the Alameda County Coliseum that the Raiders are abandoning.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he believes all players "should" stand for the national anthem - but stopped short of imposing a rule on standing for the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Goodell, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, said it is important for the league and its players to honor and respect "our flag and our country.
"We are not afraid of the tough conversations," he added. "Out of those discussions, [players] understand that owners and the NFL do really care about the issues."
Asked about owners who threatened discipline for players who didn't stand, Goodell said the owners didn't discuss it
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A Facebook group called "Boycott the NFL" is encouraging people to avoid watching football over Veteran's Day weekend in an attempt to show support for the national anthem.
The group is urging people to turn off the National Football League Nov. 12, the day after Veteran's Day, to show support for the country's veterans. Football players have increasingly taken to kneeling and protesting during the national anthem
"We will be not be watching or listening to NFL games on November 12th in solidarity with veterans around the country, as football players have continued to disrespect the national anthem, the American flag, and everything our nation stands for," the Facebook page for the event states.
The event also calls on people to not purchase NFL merchandise or support businesses that help the NFL. Over two thousand people have said they would be joining in the protest, while another two thousand have expressed interest in it.
Titans' Marcus Mariota supports NFL players who protest social inequality during anthem
Jason Wolf, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published 4:41 p.m
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota supports NFL players who use game day as a platform to protest for social change, he said Wednesday, after commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier in the day that the league will continue to "encourage" but not force players to stand for the national anthem.
"I think it's an opportunity for them to express their right and when you're able to do that, when you're able to bring awareness to some social issues, you give people voice," Mariota said. "And when it comes down to it, I think we're at a level, we're at a point in our careers where we have a platform. And if we're able to use that in the right light, I think it can be something that is very beneficial."
Head of police organization: Colin Kaepernick's socks 'disrespectful' and NFL at fault
Josh Peter, USA TODAY Sports Published 12:50 p.m. ET Sept. 1, 2016
The executive director of one of the largest police organizations in the country blasted Colin Kaepernick and the NFL on Thursday after learning that during training camp practices in August, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback wore socks that bear the image of cartoon pigs wearing police hats.
"It's just ridiculous that the same league that prohibits the Dallas (Cowboys) football club from honoring the slain officers in their community with their uniforms stands silent when Kaepernick is dishonoring police officers with what he's wearing on the field," Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations (a coalition of police unions and associations from across the country), told USA TODAY Sports.
"I think the league is in a downward spiral regarding their obligations to the public under (Commissioner) Roger Goodell," added Johnson, "and this is just another example of that."
The NFL chose not to provide an official response until the league office had consulted the 49ers, who play the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night in their final preseason game.
However Kaepernick posted an explanation on Instagram later Thursday. It read: "I wore those socks, in the past, because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust . I have two uncles and friends who are police officers and work to protect and serve ALL people. So before those socks, which were worn before I took my public stance, are used to distract from the real issues, I wanted to address this immediately."
