And the reason I should give a damn about the NFL is what?
I don't know, but you sure did give a damn enough to take the time to tell us that you don't give a damn.
That's for sure.
Posted on 08/04/2004 1:45:12 PM PDT by GOP_Raider
Dear FReepers:
Being as how the NFL season is approaching and we've got some football fans here on FR, what better way for me to get my re-introduction to FR by pretending I know how to write? Actually in all seriousness, I like the feedback the posters here give, and I appreciate the honesty (even if it's a bit silly sometimes). So feel free to comment at your leisure.
What About "Conservatism's Team"? by GOP_Raider 4 August 2004
Most of us on the right who were alive at the time remember the very ill-fated Presidential campaign of Barry Goldwater in 1964. (Had I been able to voice my opinion, I'd have been the one holding up the "Spermatagonia for Goldwater" sign). Goldwater, a man who was very ahead of his time, was essentially roasted, toasted and burnt to a crisp in every way imaginable. Psychologists weren't immune to this, a group of them even deeming him "unfit for the White House".
The sports equivalent of the conservative ideology holds the same eruidtion and malice towards it that Goldwater and a laundry list of conservatives have garnered since then. Fans, armchair shrinks, and the league's powers that be do their best to smother this proud, yet much maligned franchise. The Dallas Cowboys are "America's Team", "Conservatism's Team" is the Oakland Raiders.
Now, there are many conservatives that are football fans that will probably then ask "Are you on crack? I mean, the Raiders?!?! Don't they play dirty?? Isn't their owner senile and psychotic?? Seriously, what in the world is a God fearing conservative such as yourself doing being a Raider fan??" For this I partially concede defeat, in that Oakland, California is perhaps the last place on earth that's even remotely associated with much of anything right of center. So let's leave our geographical predispositions behind for just a second, hard as that may be.
Indeed, most football fans who don't care too much for the Silver and Black will almost reflexively point to Al Davis as the reason for their hatred of them. Conservatives, however, can--and should--appreciate Mr. Davis. Who else can lay claim to, in this era of racial quotas and the NFL's shoddy affirmative action policies, hiring the first Hispanic head coach (2 time Super Bowl winner Tom Flores), the first "African-American" head coach (Art Shell), the first female executive (Amy Trask), as well as bringing in the gay community by signing several former 49ers (my apologies, sort of, to the Niner fans here. Old habits die hard.) Tell me, if this isn't at least conservative on some level, feel free to copy, paste, and post this at Democrats Underground.
Yet another misconception about the Raiders lies in the move to Los Angeles back in 1982. A few years earlier, Al Davis had made some suggestions to the City of Oakland to make improvements to the Coliseum, making it a state of the art edifice, including things like luxury boxes, something unheard of in those days. The City essentially said "you'll get nothing and like it! Oh, by the way, we own your team due to eminent domain. How do you like them apples?" Of course, the NFL tried to reassure Mr. Davis as fecklessly as they could that all would be well, akin to the UN telling the Bush Administration "we'll take care of the war on terror from here boys, have a nice day."
Al, ever the businessman, saw the LA market. His team already one of the marquee names in sports, and the #2 market in the country just sitting right there, Al did what any self respecting purveyor of the free market would do: Kissed the avarice of the City of Oakland's socialist politicians goodbye and moved on down to Los Angeles.
On the field the Raiders are slighted with the "thugs" and "dirty player" epithets in the same manner that conservatives are labeled "warmongers" and "fascists". One man's "dirty player" is another man's rugged individualist, and the Raiders have always embodied that (but maybe I'm just a sentimental young fool?). And for every Todd Marinovich or Darrell Russell, there's a Napoleon Kauffman, who is now a practicing minister. Or, for that matter, a Tim Brown, who has been nothing but a class act for his entire professional career.
Being a Raider fan also gets you branded as a criminal as well, which is entirely media misperception (stop me if you've heard that one before?). Allow me to simply say that about 95% of Raider fans are put their pants on two legs at a time just like you do. The fact that we have some derelicts walking amongst us (like there's always that one liberal in every family) doesn't change the fact that Raider fans are passionate, knowlegdable, loyal, and dedicated people. The Raiders are simply our hobby on the weekends.
Back when disco was considered "cool", the Dallas Cowboys were given the title of "America's Team". So naturally, any conservative would identify with them as the "conservative's team"?? I've always considered that a bit transparent (i.e.: what's American isn't always conservative, look at the Clinton's). When an owner, among the most successful men in the history of his profession, turns a fledgling AFL franchise into a 3 time Super Bowl Champion and one of the winningest teams in sports, thwarting bureaucracy and racial quotas along the way, the choice to me is clear--even if I am a partial observer.
"Conservatism's Team" is the Oakland Raiders.
And the reason I should give a damn about the NFL is what?
The Raiders hire rejects from other teams as a sort of "rehabilitation" assignment, simply like the lefties who give ex-cons jobs just to show how much they care about the plight of the criminal element. The owner sues any time things don't go his way, just like Johnny Edwards. They haven't truly been in power for years, yet still behave like they're the cock of the walk, just like the Democrats in Congress. They are more interested in preventing others from winning (e.g. their AFC West rivals) than winning themselves, as evidenced by their signing of some obvious gawd-awful players just to keep other teams from claiming them. And if THAT isn't a leftist trick I don't know what is!
Now, a true conservative's team would be owned by the public instead of a governing authority, would play a blue-collar game in a small town, would take another team's reject because he can play, not because they want to keep him out of other's hands (or because he has that stylish "house arrest" anklet so popular with the Raiders). That team (of which I'm not a fan, by the way) would be the Packers.
The Raiders. Hah. Seriously. (spit)
America's team should be the Buffalo Bills.
They wear red, white and blue.
Kept trying over great odds to get to 4 straight SBs. Despite the second smallest market sells out almost every game in a 75.000 seat stadium (they still hold the one season attendance record).
And the reason I should give a damn about the NFL is what?
I don't know, but you sure did give a damn enough to take the time to tell us that you don't give a damn.
That's for sure.
And the reason I should give a damn about the NFL is what?
Because they support the United Way which stopped supporting the Boy Scouts because the BSA didn't want homosexual troop leaders.
Besides, where else can you spend $100 dollars to go to your taxpayer supported stadium to watch millionaire players for billionaire owners?
Of course, you could always watch soccer.
The idea that the Cowboys are America's team is so offensive to me that it make me want to spit.
Go Packers, Go Patriots, Go DirecTV Sunday Ticket.
As many lawsuits as Al Davis has filed, I'd have to call the Raiders "John Edwards' Team"...JFK
Oh yeah, almost forgot. GO SEAHAWKS!!!...JFK
The Denver Broncos. They salute when they score.
Bill
www.ackle.com
USMC
So9
If your team plays in a state where a Clinton is your senator, you're out. So goodbye Buffalo, NY Jets, and NY Giants. Teams from fruits 'n nuts California are also out. Goodbye Oakland, San Diego, and San Francisco. One can't forget the home region of Fat Jack and JF'nK. So goodbye New England. Finally if your team comes from a state stupid enough to elect a dead guy to the Senate in order to put the stiff's wife in office, you're out. Goodbye Kansas City.
If your team uniform has pansy colors like teal or pewter you're out. Real conservative teams don't wear pansy colors. Goodbye Miami, Jacksonville, Houston, and Tampa Bay. In fact, if your team mascot IS a color you're out too - no matter what color it is. Goodbye Cleveland.
If you're team is perennial loser or choker, you're out. Conservatives believe in market forces and some teams should have gotten the boot long ago for putting out an inferior product. Goodbye Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Chicago. If the team's fans boo Santa Claus, you're out. Goodbye Philadelphia.
If you're team has been moved from another city in a U-Haul in the middle of the night - you're out. Real conservative teams don't jump in U-Hauls and run out like pansies. Goodbye Baltimore.
Still remaining: Pittsburgh, Denver, Dallas, Washington, and Green Bay. Dallas doesn't play in a dome, but it's too damn close to one to give them a pass. Goodbye Dallas. Washington? Forget it. Any place that gave electoral college votes to McGovern, Mondale and Dukakis can't be a conservative fan's team. They're out. Denver? Sorry - godawful ugly uniforms. True, no teal but still butt-ugly. They're out.
The elite: Pittsburgh and Green Bay. How to choose? Both working class towns, playing outdoors in whatever weather comes up. Manly uniforms. Proud traditions: Bradshaw, Rocky Blier, Mean Joe Greene, Favre, Starr, Nitschke, etc. But here's the tie-breaker. There is only one team that is "of the people", "for the people" and "by the people". THE GREEN BAY PACKERS - THE TRUE CONSERVATIVE'S TEAM.
Gad! "Hell's Angels Team" maybe.
Don't know the politics of today's Cowboys players, but do know Captain America (Roger Staubach) has been a Good Republican since Academy days.
Still, I'd love to see the Dems hold a convention in Oakland if the Raider fan base was pee-oed at them. Now, that would be something to watch!
"Ya'll calling my Cowboys Liberals?"
"Well, we don't need a rope..."
As long as it's English Premier league futbol. It's a tough choice between that and NFL for me these days.
At least I can watch NFL live, instead of on tape delay.
I wouldn't consider any NFL team as "Conservatism's Team", except maybe Green Bay--as another poster suggested.
The Mighty New England Patriots...Heres why.
Owner Bob Kraft built Gillette Stadium through 100% private financing under budget and on time.NO PUBLIC MONEY.
and have one of the finest new stadiums in the league.
If you are a Patriot under the terms of your contract you must perform some sort of public service through charities and you must maintain decent and reasonable lifestyle.
1st super bowl team ever to visit vetrans hospital to see wounded solders in DC after vist with Pres..
Tom Brady was at GW's state of the union addy... also had vist with pope.
Kraft took super bowl trophy and team to visit all smaller cities in New England.
Patriots are all team guys not me guys.
They are the model for what a proffessional sports team should be on the field and off.
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