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It’s Time for Christians in the NFL to Threaten a Boycott
Townhall.com ^ | March 29, 2016 | Michael Brown

Posted on 03/29/2016 7:34:10 AM PDT by Kaslin

If you are a Christian player in the NFL, it’s time for you to say to the league, “Stop making us pawns in the culture wars. Enough is enough.”

It’s time for you to threaten a boycott if the NFL continues to be an aggressive tool of gay activism and an aggressive opponent of religious liberty.

You already put your bodies on the line every week playing one of the world’s most exciting and yet most dangerous sports.

You already make all kinds of sacrifices to give yourself to the sport and the team and the fans, and even though you are paid well for your efforts, your career on average is just a few short years and after that, you have the rest of your life to deal with the injuries you endured as a player.

And when you stand between those lines to play on Sunday, you show grit and determination and courage and discipline, and millions of Americans cheer you on.

But don’t let yourselves be used to smash the religious liberties of the people of America.

Don’t let yourselves be used as pawns for gay bullies and their allies.

Send a message to the league with respect and honor, making it clear that the NFL has crossed the line one too many times and that you, as a person of faith and morality, will not be a part of it.

A few days ago, the Georgia legislature passed a very modest bill designed to protect the religious liberties of the people of that great state.

There was nothing radical or extreme about it, and it did not strip away any essential rights of gays or lesbians living there.

Instead, it “would have safeguarded clergy from having to officiate same-sex weddings, prevented faith-based organizations from being forced to hire someone who publicly undermines their mission, and prohibited the state government from discriminating against churches and their affiliated ministries because they believe marriage is between a man and a woman.”

That’s it!

Yet the NFL threatened to remove the city of Atlanta, home of the great Falcons organization, form consideration from future Super Bowls over this. Can you believe it? And the governor vetoed the bill!

The NFL was indignant about a bill that would have protected a pastor from having to officiate at the “wedding” of two men; that would have protected a Christian nursery school from having to hire a man who dressed as a woman; that would have protected a Church from lawsuits for defining marriage as Jesus did, namely, the lifelong union of a man and a woman.

Your league played the bully here, and they used you to attack the religious rights and freedoms of fellow-Americans, since without you, the world’s greatest football players, there is no league.

Gay activists were thrilled with this last Super Bowl, Super Bowl 50, claiming it was the gayest Super Bowl yet, from Lady Gaga singing the National Anthem, to more gay-themed commercials, to lighting up the Super Bowl in gay colors during halftime in celebration of “love.”

As one website noted, “The Super Bowl's pro-gay marriage moment was refreshing and unexpected, and illustrated just how much public sentiment on the issue has changed over the last several years.”

Dear athlete and fellow-believer, you are being used!

Not that long ago, rumor had it that the NFL really wanted to see Michael Sam drafted, and the league quickly disciplined any player who expressed the least problem with it. How dare you be uncomfortable with an openly gay man sharing your shower stalls and locker room. How homophobic of you to think that a healthy young homosexual man in the prime of life, together with other, testosterone-charged athletes, might want to check out one of the other players.

Now, sports commentators like Jason Whitlock on Fox Sports 1 are saying, “Michael Sam was a stunt by the NFL. It was a play to the politically correct crowd. The guy’s too short, not fast enough off the ball, he’s not an NFL player, and I think people did the homework on him and said, ‘You know what, I don’t know if he really, really loves the game.’”

It is being reported that the St. Louis Rams actually made a deal with the NFL to draft Sam so as to get out of appearing on HBO’s Hard Knocks, thereby sparing the NFL of not drafting the first openly homosexual player, even if he was not a good fit for the league.

Do you want to be a party to nonsense like this? And how did you feel when some of the biggest news of the draft focused on a 7th round draft pick while the NFL picture seen around the world showed Sam and his boyfriend kissing?

Is this what you want your league to be known for? Is this why you’re putting your health on the line?

We know that there are many fine Christians playing in the NFL, and you use your incredible platform to set good examples for young people, to get into schools, to encourage others to live right, and to share your faith with a hurting world.

That’s an incredible witness, and it’s one that can continue for many years after your career is over.

But right now, you need to stand up like the men of courage you are, and you need to say to Roger Goodell, “Mr. Commissioner, we are privileged to make our living playing professional football, and it’s the honor of a lifetime to have this international stage. But we are asking you to leave us out of the culture wars. The NFL is about sports and achievement and excellence, not about political correctness or gay activism or attacking religious freedoms. So, we’re asking you to quit threatening states for protecting our liberties and to quit using us as tools of a political agenda. And if you refuse to modify your position, we will have to sit out the next year.”

We all know that the NFL will not risk losing some of its most respected and prized athletes, so in a sense, all you need to be is sincere, and the NFL will have no choice but to back down. And there are countless millions of fans who will stand with you in sending this non-hateful, non-discriminatory message.

And if taking a stand costs you in any personal way, you know that many others before you, like the heroes in the Civil Rights movement, determined to do what was right rather than what was expedient, and we call them blessed to this day.

Will you say, then, to the NFL, “Stop using as pawns in the culture wars”?

And to every NFL fan reading this article, how about sending this link to the Christian players on your home team, encouraging them to stand up for what’s right and telling them you have your back?

It’s time to make a difference. It’s time to make your voices heard.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: boycott; christians; nfl

1 posted on 03/29/2016 7:34:10 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

NFL players have such a short life span, they will never boycott playing over this. They need to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible

Most would have “boycotted” over the Redskins name if they actually were worried about political principles, but none do.


2 posted on 03/29/2016 7:37:01 AM PDT by MadIsh32 (In order to be pro-market, sometimes you must be anti-big business)
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To: Kaslin

Government to NFL. “Nice anti-trust exemption you’ve got there.. hate to see anything bad happen to it.”


3 posted on 03/29/2016 7:37:54 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Kaslin
This was the last straw for me. I'm sure the league can be supported by the gay fans. Goodall is a douchebag.
4 posted on 03/29/2016 7:38:21 AM PDT by peeps36 (Save The Tortoise And Kill The People)
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To: Kaslin

Meh. The point is missed here.

It is, and always will be, about $. Why do you think the GA Gov vetoed that legislation?

Spitting into the wind on this issue.


5 posted on 03/29/2016 7:41:22 AM PDT by RIghtwardHo
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To: Kaslin
Roger Goodell makes one bad decision after another.

NFK football is at its peak in popularity. It is fun to watch and gets a big audience. That is not caused by Goodell.

What is cause by Goodell are terrible decisions on player discipline. Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, the fraudulent Wells Report and the whole Tom Brady mess are Goodell’s fault.

The whole Michael Sam fraud is Goodell’s fault.

The pressuring of states to favor homosexuals over sincere Christians is Goodell's fault.

The replacement refs fiasco was Goodell’s fault. The stupid and incomprehensible rule changes are Goodell’s fault. The playing of more and more games in foreign countries is Goodell’s fault.

6 posted on 03/29/2016 7:43:20 AM PDT by detective
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To: Kaslin
"Now, sports commentators like Jason Whitlock on Fox Sports 1 are saying, “Michael Sam was a stunt by the NFL. It was a play to the politically correct crowd. The guy’s too short, not fast enough off the ball, he’s not an NFL player, and I think people did the homework on him and said, ‘You know what, I don’t know if he really, really loves the game.’”

Anyone who saw his performance at the NFL combine knew he was not an NFL caliber player. Too small and week for D line and way to slow to move to LB. As it turned out he wasn't even good enough to cut it in the Canadian league.

7 posted on 03/29/2016 7:44:05 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: Kaslin

I’m ready to give up on the NFL over a few things - 5 hour games and 1000 commercials per game. Armed security and TSA-style searches at stadiums, prices for everything they sell - and of course, the NFL injecting itself in politics.


8 posted on 03/29/2016 7:47:39 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: Kaslin

How nice of the author to volunteer the players to not get paid.


9 posted on 03/29/2016 7:49:14 AM PDT by discostu (This unit not labeled for individual sale)
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To: Kaslin
How long until the NFL stops allowing this after their games?


10 posted on 03/29/2016 7:49:24 AM PDT by dfwgator
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I am done with the NFL. My viewing has been less and less the past few years. Yesterday was the final nail in the coffin


11 posted on 03/29/2016 8:01:39 AM PDT by Nashvegas (What do you get if you offer a liberal a penny for their thoughts? Change)
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To: PGR88

The Lefts/NFL’s perpetual promotion of Satanism is promoting a religion and it is unconstitutional since it is antithetical to our Constitutional Natural Rights (from God only and they can’t be removed).

Everything promotes a “faith”-—just some faiths are a lot more rational and free and just than other “faiths”.

There is nothing worse than satanism which normalizes using human beings as a slave-—in really irrational, demeaning, degrading, filthy ways-—like homosexuality and abortion——and they call it “Good”——destroying a babies Natural Right (guaranteed by God/Natural Law) to their biological mother and father-—making it cool to buy and sell human beings.

It is pure Satanism and Marxism (destruction of Natural Law Theory (Objective Truth/God) and it is unconstitutional since our “Justice” (virtue) System has ALWAYS been based on Christian Ethics ONLY-—since human beings are NOT to be used as a Means to an End-—like in Satanism and Marxism and abortion and homosexuality.


12 posted on 03/29/2016 8:02:02 AM PDT by savagesusie (quq)
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To: Kaslin

A great game that has been hijacked to create a gladiator style environment to allow a segment of the population that cannot succeed to be able to become wealthy and status symbols for a targeted youth audience to give them “heroes” outside of what true role models should be...


13 posted on 03/29/2016 8:04:23 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: Kaslin

It also, like everything else is becoming globalized which will dilute the game even more just for a buck.


14 posted on 03/29/2016 8:05:25 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: Nashvegas

I quit caring in the early 80s.


15 posted on 03/29/2016 8:26:13 AM PDT by wally_bert (I didn't get where I am today by selling ice cream tasting of bookends, pumice stone & West Germany)
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To: Nashvegas

The last SB half time I watched was SB 4 in Tulane Stadium, New Orleans. The Chiefs beat the Vikings. We probably can’t boycott the NFL as long as a Manning is still playing (Eli).


16 posted on 03/29/2016 8:29:42 AM PDT by duffee (CRUZ 2016)
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To: Kaslin

The NFL will continue to do these things. As some have pointed out, the Feds will threaten the antitrust exemption. Local/state governments will threaten funding their stadiums (what a joke that taxpayers pay for those things).

The NFL doesn’t care though. They know their liberal viewers will keep tuning. They also know their conservative viewers will bitch about them, but still keep tuning in thus funding the slime.

I used to love that game. I haven’t followed any of it for 4 seasons now. Its a joke. There’s a rule for everything now. On almost any given play, some kind of penalty can be called. I think they like it that way ... they can keep the games somewhat close. Once the NFL started getting *really* political, I simply stopped watching all together.

You’d be amazed how light traffic is on Sunday when everyone is at home watching their game show on TV. You can get a lot of running around done :-).


17 posted on 03/29/2016 8:35:11 AM PDT by edh (I need a better tagline)
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To: MadIsh32

Preciously.

Lots of people may hate their employer’s politics, but money is money.


18 posted on 03/29/2016 12:11:50 PM PDT by Impy (Did you know "Hillary" spelled backwards is "Bitch"?)
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To: MadIsh32
Most would have “boycotted” over the Redskins name if they actually were worried about political principles,

I would guess that most here on FR care about "political principles", but few would boycott in favor of changing the team name, "Redskins".

19 posted on 03/29/2016 6:56:29 PM PDT by BwanaNdege
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