The NFL Can SMD

The NFL Can SMD
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Anyone who knows me knows I love the Dallas Cowboys. Since the early 90's I've been all about America's Team. From religiously watching games, buying tons of merch, to over drafting in fantasy football to have Cowboys on my roster (every.single.year). Some of my earliest, and fondest memories involve the Boys. I can still vividly remember watching Cowboys playoff games in my living room, with Dad yelling "bring Emmitt dowwwwn" as he wrestled me onto the couch.

But today, as a black man in America the fundamental principles on which I was raised are now in direct conflict with the team I hold so dear. Colin Kaepernick's silent protest has been blown so far out of proportion that it is now being used to demonize black players and fans alike. And unfortunately Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is guilty of pumping this poison heavily. A week after locking arms with his players and collectively taking a knee, Mr. Jones made a complete 180 when he said " If there's anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play ". Basically letting his players know they would not be allowed to play if they decided to protest.

Honestly, when Kapernick initially couldn't get a starting job for the 2017 season I wasn't too upset, and naïvely attributed it to a lack of on field production. He isn't the greatest pocket passer in the world, and the read-option offense in which he excelled is virtually obsolete in todays NFL. Actually, the only teams that run an offense that is somewhat conducive to his skill set are the Cowboys, Titans, Panthers, and Chiefs. All of whom already have Pro Bowl caliber quarterbacks leading them.

I wasn't looking to the NFL to be a beacon of sociopolitical equality. It's one of the biggest industries in America, and therefore is still run by old white billionaires so I expect them to act accordingly. Growing up in the East New York section of Brooklyn I've had summers where my friends and I were illegally stopped and frisked literally every single day. I have multiple family members who've been wrongfully convicted of crimes and given ridiculously harsh sentences. So Kap not being signed as a starter wasn't exactly a huge injustice in my opinion.

In this capitalist society I expected winning games to trump all. I thought a player of Colin's caliber would at least eventually make a roster. But as the season progressed, multiple quarterback fell to injury, and Kaepernick still wasn't even signed as a back up I grew more suspicious. Would the NFL cut off their nose to spite their face? Would owners deprive themselves of an opportunity to win games over the politics of a silent protest? As time went on these ridiculous notions were proven to be true.

Here we are more than halfway through the season and Colin Kaepernick is still unemployed. He's actually suing the owners for collusion over conspiring amongst each other to keep him out of the league. And rightfully so, it is more than obvious that there is a conscious effort to make him an example and keep him out of the league. To discourage anyone else from using the platform to speak out against injustice. As a result, millions of people have decided to boycott the National Football League by refusing to watch and attend games, or buy merchandise.

Simply put, the NFL can SMD. I feel ridiculous for even giving them the benefit of the doubt to begin with. Racism is as american as apple pie, of course it has permeated the National Football League. This is the same establishment that allows the team that plays in our nation's capital to call itself the Redskins. I guess I expected them to be smart enough to at least do a better job of masking it for the sake of public perception. But no, they've given a figurative middle finger to every black and brown person that has ever played or watched the NFL.

Though I absolutely refuse to contribute to the NFL in any form or fashion I don't feel comfortable completely depriving myself of the game I've loved my entire life. Why should I miss the sunday gatherings with friends and family? How can I not mercilessly root for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York lil Giants, and Washington Redskins to lose every single week? So like the renaissance fan that I am, I found ways to enjoy the NFL without contributing to their hypocrisy!

Thank God for the internet!! The internet allows you to stream every NFL game through third party websites that contribute absolutely no ratings to the NFL itself! I will not disclose the names of the sites I use for fear of them being shut down, but with a little creative searching you can find dozens of websites that stream every single game. There are even sites that have a live stream of the beloved "Red-Zone" which will cut to any game when a team reaches inside the twenty yard line.

If you absolutely need to buy merch, use sites like Ebay, or Amazon. On these platforms you can buy from re-sellers who will not be paying percentages back to the league. I've used this method to buy a red authentic Kaepernick jersey myself. You can even do things like use the sports section of a newspaper to manually keep the stats for a fantasy league if you really wanna be creative! The bottom line is we love football and want to tune in to root for and support our favorite players, but such blatant disrespect can not be tolerated. Let's continue to lessen their revenue streams until they're forced to respect us.

At this point i'm not sure the damage can be undone. I expect that eventually a statement will be issued, a donation will be made, or some kind of bogus campaign will be launched to try and re-brand the league. Too little too late, your true colors have been shown, and from the bottom of my heart NFL you can SMD. 😬

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