Bigotry Killed the Football Star (The NFL is Running Out of Chances)

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

In a previous article, I wrote about how successful the National Football League continues to be despite the past several seasons. The National Football League has experienced its fair share of controversial incidents. 

And trust the NFL will be fine, but… being as popular and as important as it is in 2019, will come to an end. 

Gonna use the classic one-hit-wonder song, Video Killed the Radio Star (1979) by the English new wave band The Buggles, to illustrate my point. 

This song has historical significance because it was the first music video aired on MTV, forever changing the landscape of music.

From that point, music was no longer just about making an album, getting radio play, and then going on tour. 

Music videos allowed pre-MTV artists to present themselves to a younger population, and for those apart of the “MTV” revolution, it allowed them to not only build a fanbase through their music, but videos as well (such as MJ’s Thriller). 

Radio, of course, continued, but DJ’s controlling what you heard was now over. That power and control had forever shifted to multiple players.

The NFL seems to be the radio of late whereas the National Basketball Association is MTV, Spotify, SoundCloud, basically anything but the boring radio. 

NBA owners and commissioner Adam Silver seem to have the formula for a winning culture, which includes both the players and fan base alike. A formula or culture the NFL simply doesn’t have.

Like radio stations and their bosses caring less about anything not directly linked to increasing their profits, the NFL wants no parts of. 

MTV caved to pressuring from noble English artists like David Bowie to play videos by Black artists like Michael Jackson. Think about that… in 1981, MTV didn’t want to play MJ. Yes, that Michael Jackson… and before you could blink, they came out with Yo! MTV Raps a few years later.

The NBA got rid of racist LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling. The NBA listened to players about playing back-to-back games, and now the NBA is listening to fans to curb players sitting games. 

The NFL on the other hand, we still don’t know what a catch is! And the newly implemented rules to protect the quarterback seem to be the latest change, which isn’t sitting well with their players or fans. 

Disclaimer – I’ve never played organized football. I fully support the NFL’s effort to curb concussions, head injuries, and increase the overall safety in football. However, new rules seem to protect one position the most… the quarterback. 

Why? 

It’s two-fold… the QB is the single most important player in any team sport, BUT (and you know it’s coming)… many believe that because the position of QB is still resoundingly White, more protection must be made to avoid injuries and further their careers. 

This new rule began in 2018. (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9(b)) calls for a “roughing the passer” penalty when a defensive player lands on a passer “with all or most of the defender’s weight.” In other words, falling on a quarterback is illegal, even when it’s the result of an otherwise legal hit.

Defensive players and surprisingly even former quarterbacks like Steve Young question these new “can’t touch the quarterback” rules.

These rules have changed the course of NFL history, literally. Case and point… last years AFC title game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots, New England QB Tom Brady was gifted a roughing the passer call, which of course led to a touchdown and ultimately a win in overtime. 

Then there’s the incident between Cleveland Browns Lineman Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Mason Rudolph. The helmet swung that has been seen around the world. 

The optics – A big muscle-bound Black man swinging his helmet against a clean-cut White man. 

The facts – both Garrett AND Rudolph contributed to the brawl. Yes, Garrett deserves a heavier punishment for swinging his helmet, but that’s about it. 

The outcome – Out of all players involved only the Black players received suspensions. Rudolph, the White quarterback only received a fine. 

The NFL should be careful… I can see and hear that Buggles music video playing now. 

Similar Read: Corporate Social Justice, By Jay-Z 

All Eyes on AB

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

The AB Raiders saga is over. AB arrived in Oakland with a contract guaranteeing him $30 million, and he’s leaving with $0, not even his “signing bonus.” 

You might ask how does this happen, it’s worth another article, but this is reason #1,249 why the NFLPA is the worst union in all of professional sports… (a lack of actual guaranteed monies and contractual language that highly favors the team)

A short AB in Oakland timeline might be helpful…

In July, he was placed on the non-football injury list for a foot injury.

In August, he missed several practices in training camp due to his helmet grievances.

On Wednesday, September 4th, he was fined for missing practices and had a heated confrontation with General Manager Mike Mayock where he allegedly called him a “cracker.” (Ummm, yeah)

Cue Adam Schefter…

AB let sources know that he refused to play in Oakland since his once guaranteed money was no longer guaranteed, and asked for a release the next day…. via Instagram, of course. He also secretly recorded a conversation he had with Head Coach John Gruden, and then released a mini video with audio clips of the coach essentially trying to have a heart-to-heart talk with him where he basically asked him to stop doing this, whatever this is.

So upon his request the Raiders released him, and within hours the New England Patriots signed him to a 1-year deal worth $15 million with $9 million guaranteed. Yeah… despite his tumultuous exit from Pittsburgh, his short and rocky time in Oakland, he’s now a New England Patriot, who were already picked to return to the Super Bowl. With the addition of AB, it’s hard to think they won’t return with all the talent Brady now has on the outside.

Is that fair? Probably not. But what does that say about AB and the NFL?

AB has a lot of issues, clearly… whether he’s selfish, conceited, the money has gone to his head, mental health issues, or maybe he just doesn’t want to play football anymore and loves the attention, who knows, but something is going on. Whatever it is, we know the NFL is still willing to deal with it because at any moment this 5’9-185 lbs wide receiver can change the game in the blink of an eye. Based on his numbers alone, you can make the argument that he’s arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. And maybe that’s why the NFL is the only employer in the world, with the exception of other professional sports leagues, who will put up with such behavior and conduct detrimental to their organization and reputation, just because he gives them a greater chance to win, and win it all.

Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was trending on Twitter over the weekend… people were praising him for essentially controlling AB for all those years and somehow managing a locker room of 53 guys and still finding a way to contend for a championship every year. If that’s true, including many of AB’s former teammate Ryan Clark’s recent comments in which he’s criticized AB’s selfish behavior, then Tomlin probably does deserve some slack and an award or two for holding it together for as long as he did.

Will his antics stop in New England? Probably long enough for him to collect a few big checks. If that’s before or after they hoist the Lombardi trophy for winning Super Bowl LIV (54) in Miami Gardens on February 2, 2020… only AB knows.

Similar Read: Segregated Rosters 

A Bowl of Soup, Super Bowl Politics

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

You ever have a good bowl of soup? I mean a really good bowl of soup. Either jumbo, crab soup or Étouffée… well, I don’t think Étouffée is soup but it’s served in a bowl with soup like features… all of which leave mouth watering feels if you don’t eat it that often. That’s because soup is generally blah served via a can and you’re only eating it cause you’re a little under the weather or cold. So when you do get a good bowl of soup, my God, it’s amazing. More amazing than a traditional dish of food sometimes. 

I for one gladly break my plant-based diet during my annual trip to New Orleans to satisfy my desire for some shrimp Étouffée or jumbo. Delicious!

I thought about a bowl of soup while thinking of a Super Bowl recap. Whether you’re a casual football fan or a die-hard fan like myself, it’s hard not to say this Super Bowl lived up to the hype. It was a bowl of disappointment, reminding me of regular soup. The soup we all order at a restaurant that isn’t terrible, but not memorable.

Each football season we look forward to the Super Bowl. It’s an unofficial holiday, and despite never knowing exactly who will be playing, it’s mega get together akin to Thanksgiving and Christmas. We love the Super Bowl, even if our respective clubs aren’t playing.

Last Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots was exactly that – a bowl of soup on the menu that looked promising, but ended up not being eaten and made you have that awkward talk with the waiter to “try something else” instead.

Outside of Patriots fans, no one had an interest in seeing the Patriots appear in their third straight Super Bowl and their fourth in the last five years. Most knew if the Patriots got in, especially against the Rams, they were going to win. No matter what transpired in the actual game, a super dud in many opinions, the outcome was going to be Tom Brady hosting up the Lombardi trophy. 

The backdrop of the Super Bowl didn’t help the lack of interest either. The conference title games between the Patriots and Chiefs and the Saints and Rams both ended in major controversy. Between a bogus roughing the passer call on Tom Brady, not shocking, to the missed pass interference call against the Rams, many fans felt as if the Patriots and Rams didn’t even belong in the Super Bowl, let alone excited to watch them play. 

To make the situation worse, the game was terrible. Terrible in every sense of the word. It didn’t deliver the same excitement we saw in earlier season games, and it was definitely underwhelming in comparison to last years Super Bowl with the Eagles and Patriots.

The Super Bowl was supposed to be some world famous Wolfgang Puck tortilla soup, but instead, it tasted more like hard strips of stale chips in broth. Yuckers! 

Next year’s presidential election will likely be similar to the stale chips. It’ll pit Trump against a Democrat primary sure to be full of drama and intrigue. While we’re all excited to see the complete list of candidates, we know the eventual primary winner is sure to be common and uninspiring. Obama ’08 was an anomaly, not the norm. 

Every now and then we get a Patriots comeback against the Atlanta Falcons (SB LI – 2017), or the Seattle Seahawks (SB XLIX – 2015) Russell Wilson throwing an interception on the goal line when everyone in the stadium just knew they’d score and take the lead with seconds remaining. Those Super Bowls were anything but common, just like Obama ’08. But, for the most part, Super Bowls have either been blowouts or okay at best. Or should I say, just a regular bowl of soup… and 2020 will be no different.