Will This Be the Last NFL Game I Watch?
Dave Ritter
Multi Industry Sales Champion: Experienced Insurance Agent;, Automotive Service Manager; Home Audio/Home Theater Sales, (Please PM me for my CORRECT email address.)
September 25th 2017 - This is an open letter to my Arizona Cardinals and tonight’s opponent, the Dallas Cowboys. Please stand up for what is right! Please do not acquiesce to your peers because of some cause which has not been clearly explained, much less defined, to those of us who are fans of your teams and the sport of professional football.
We the fans, and you the players (and coaches and other contributors to your respective teams) enjoy many rights and freedoms - including the right of free speech and free expression - because of the brave servicemen and women who fought and died for them! The flying of our flag and standing for our national anthem are celebrations of the privileges with which you, the highly skilled and incredibly talented athletes of the NFL, are blessed. You are each very well paid for playing a game in which we the fans emotionally immerse ourselves.
Do each of you truly believe that these premeditated, and escalated protests are galvanizing the league, your fellow players, the coaches, etc.? Based on the actions witnessed yesterday, the answer seems to be, “Yes”.
However, what many of the fans, are seeing is profound disrespect of this great country! Regardless of intent of these protests, perception is reality for a significant number of us. The United States is the same country which perpetuates the capitalist principles on which the business of the NFL is based. Why do so many of you (and/or your peers) fail to understand that participation in a capitalist economy is a democratic process? In short, we vote to support and invest in any particular business venture with our pocketbooks. This includes your respective teams and the NFL!
That being said: Your actions tonight on Monday Night Football may very well dictate whether or not countless fellow fans choose to invest any more time, money, and emotional support into your endeavors. The reality is that my breakfast tomorrow will not taste any better if my Cardinals win tonight game. My quality of life will not be diminished if my Cards end up on the loss column.
However, any protests tonight may lead to significant losses in the receivables column for the league which makes your paychecks possible. Why, because we the fans, most likely will no longer be buying into any of this – LITERALLY!
Multi Industry Sales Champion: Experienced Insurance Agent;, Automotive Service Manager; Home Audio/Home Theater Sales, (Please PM me for my CORRECT email address.)
7 年The number one conversation at physical therapy this morning was the NFL (NO F___KIN’ LOGIC). The gentleman next to me, a man who WAS a Cowboys fan of 35 years said in no uncertain terms (using language that I cannot repeat here) that HE IS DONE WITH THE COWBOYS AND THE NFL! DONE! This man spoke for everyone in the facility, regardless of any one person’s team (former) loyalty! Candidly, I am on the fence regarding my Cardinals because I don’t genuinely know what standing – yes standing – arm in arm was supposed to represent. All I know is that when the ratings drop (102% in week 1, 15% in week 2) below a certain level, the NFL is contractually obligated to refund (x amount) to television sponsors. Oh yeah, of the NFL Code of Conduct a62 63 specifies the following: The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem. During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses. Ironcially, when I did the search for the above on Bing, this statement appeared at the bottom of the page: Some results have been removed. I will NOT be watching any NFL games played by any of the teams who kneeled or refused to come out on the field last weekend. I’m done. DONE!