Why I Really Don’t Care About the NFL This Year

[Marc Zarlengo]

Welcome to the Twilight Zone. As the major media obsesses over the NFL’s decision to hire a former head of the FBI to investigate itself on how it handled the situation of one player beating up his girlfriend that happened to have been captured on video, the real world is crumbling all around us.

Normally the beginning of the NFL season is an exciting time for me. But not this year. Thousands of Americans in 32 major American cities will be spending hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars on seats to watch games in stadiums, while others spend countless hours in front of the television at home or at bars. There is no doubt that the NFL has become one of the biggest, most time consuming, money consuming, and the most profitable sports enterprises in the world.

As an unapologetic, free-market capitalist that understands basic economics, I have absolutely no problem with football players making millions of dollars or rich white old men team owners selling a product that people are willing to pay for. Congratulations to football players and rich white old men team owners, you have created a product that American consumers find so intriguing and interesting that they are willing to give up their Sundays, Monday nights, and a whole bunch of their hard-earned money (or government benefits) to experience. Some people are even willing to wear shirts with other people’s last names on them and pay $100.00 for the honor. Amazing.

I love the game of football. And I used to love the NFL. Heck, my favorite team went to the Super Bowl last year. Despite the Broncos’ egregious loss in the Super Bowl, I cannot deny that the NFL produces a great product—certainly superior to any other professional sports league. But I can’t watch anymore.

There are two main reasons I simply cannot invest the time and money into the NFL this year: (1) the NFL is in the process of being completely hijacked by the far-left, politically correct statists that are corrupting the product and the game of football; and (2) spending such enormous amounts of time, money and energy on a game is unjustified while our American culture and our fundamental Constitutional liberties are being stolen right before our eyes while we drink beer and cheer on our favorite sports heroes.

Just like every aspect of American life, the far-left in this country is hell-bent on imposing their will on the game of football and the NFL. And just like Old Guard Republican Establishment Republicans on Capitol Hill, the NFL is cowering in fear to liberal Democrats and allowing them to destroy the game in the process. The leftist statists are in the process of systematically destroying our churches, the Boy Scouts, our schools, the family, successful entrepreneurs, the Constitution, and just about every other great American tradition you can think of—why should they leave the NFL alone?

Think about it—football represents everything the left hates: competition, masculine aggression that excludes women from participation, clear winners and losers, and successful African Americans that are not dependent on rich-white liberals for their survival. Of course the far-left needed to get their grimy hands on football and control it. This type of fun and excitement simply cannot be allowed to continue.

Since about 2010, we have seen the statist-left infiltrate the NFL through extortion, threats and political correctness, all perpetuated through a liberal sports media more than willing to accommodate a leftist political agenda. We have seen incomprehensible rule changes designed to protect “defenseless players” that no one fully understands and cannot possibly be enforced in a consistent manner. The kickoff rules have changed to make run-backs on kickoffs less frequent, and every year they contemplate eliminating the kickoff all together because it is too dangerous. I am waiting for the day it will be illegal to touch the quarterback completely.

Players can no longer be mean to each other. Taunting on the field, in locker rooms and even in voice mails is outlawed. We have learned that it is possible for grown 300 pound men in a football locker room to “bully” each other. To make sure the NFL’s sensitivity to women is displayed, it is necessary to wear hot pink and even change the color of penalty flags to pink in support of breast cancer “awareness” every year. Not that there is anything wrong with raising money for breast cancer, but what about heart disease, lung cancer or God forbid abortion prevention. It’s all political.

For some reason the statists have a had difficult time forcing the Redskins to change their name—probably because they haven’t found enough Native Americans willing to pretend to be offended yet. Where is Elizabeth Warren when we need her? Don't worry though, the Redskins will be "The Rage" or "Pelicans" before long. 

And then how can we forget Michael Sam. What cause-celeb would be more progressive and more sensitive than to force the gay agenda on the overly-masculine NFL. Bottom line: Michael Sam better get placed on a team no matter how good or bad he is simply because he declared himself to be sexually attracted to other men. Don’t worry, NFL officials singled out Sam for special attention by calling NFL teams begging them to pick-up Sam.

Yet, despite all the politically correct nonsense, horrible pre-game shows that focus on any leftist issue they can hi-lite, and despite the never ending tinkering of the game itself to conform to a statist, liberal agenda, the NFL is still fun to watch! So why not just watch it? It’s still a good product right?

I just can’t do it anymore. While denying that the Islamic State is Islamic, Obama has allowed and continues to pretend the Islamic threat to the American way of life does not exist. He denies Islam is a threat to the very existence of Israel. Russia is re-establishing the USSR with no opposition from the United States government. The United States borders have been essentially opened to allow anyone, including Islamic terrorists to enter our country at will. Inflation continues to destroy our ability to buy basic necessities of living while the government continues to borrow more and more money from the Chinese.  We have a communist sympathizer President, who doesn’t even like America or her traditions, that has waged war using the force of the federal government on American churches, small businesses, and those who disagree with him politically.

Given all this chaos and destruction, I think it makes much more sense to spend the limited and valuable time I have with my family and going to church on Sundays. I took up an online Bible Study course. I am going to read more books about our American traditions, history and Constitution. I know for some people this is a strange way to spend a Sunday—with family and friends and God—but it seems like a better alternative than the NFL right now.

The great part about liberty is that we are supposed to be able to make life and economic decisions free from government oversight, control and influence. I have decided to exercise what little liberty I have left to not go out of my way to watch or care about the NFL this year. Do what you will.