Posted on 02/02/2017 8:17:21 AM PST by HomerBohn
HOUSTON — N.F.L. officials pointed to the country’s obsession with the presidential campaign as a big reason the league’s television ratings fell during much of the regular season.
This week, those two cultural phenomena — politics and football — are coming together again in an extraordinary, and for the league, uncomfortable way on the country’s biggest sports stage.
The Super Bowl, scheduled for Sunday night in Houston, is infused with national politics like never before. Fox’s pregame telecast will include an interview of President Trump by Bill O’Reilly. The owner, coach and star player of one team, the highly successful New England Patriots, are friends of the president’s.
(Opponents of President Trump’s new immigration policies protested on Sunday near the Super Bowl LI fan zone in Houston.)
Last Sunday, hundreds of people opposed to the president’s immigration policy protested at the convention center where the N.F.L. is holding many of its events for fans. The next day, many players on the Falcons and Patriots — including Mohamed Sanu, who is Muslim — were peppered with questions about their thoughts on the president and his temporary ban on refugees from some Muslim-majority countries.
The political overlay made the league so uneasy, apparently, that it omitted any references to the president from the dozens of official transcripts of interviews with players on Monday.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Sports players as political figures is laughable. Most could not find Russia on a map. Their actions are just posturing.
The new BUD commercial will turn off the NFL fan base. Monday mornings storyline.
Let’s begin a NFL BOYCOTT!!!
Funny how the Times is acting like a presidential interview in the pre-game is a new development. As for the Bud ad, people are reading into it what they want to see, the immigrant part is like 15 seconds. Meanwhile the Pats have a history of exciting last play Super Bowls, I’m for it.
So - they think they lost their audience to politics? So they are bringing politics into the Super Bowl?? I hope they didn’t pay their consultants a lot for this ‘information.’ I hate the NFL for THEIR politics: Kapernick? Good grief! and nobody said a thing! I am not going to watch football and have anti-American junk crammed down my throat. And now the Super Bowl will be infused with politics? Oh, puleez. Think I’ll have to not watch.
Not watching it this time.
Not ever in the future.
The NFL is a shining example of what is wrong with the country. F em.
What are the odds Lady Gaga does something stupid that pi$$es off at least 1/2 of America and 3/4 all football fans?
I say 90%
Don’t boycott the NFL. Take up another hobby and forget it exists.
The new BUD commercial will turn off the NFL fan base. Monday mornings storyline.
During the election there was a Bud Ad that was subtle but definitely pro HRC it alluded to first woman bla bla and equal pay bla bla. The Ad Agencies have been taken over by leftists generally and Radical Feminists specifically. But a companies ads are reviewed and approved by said company so their hands are dirty too.
Ask the Dixie Chicks how that one turned out for them.
Let's just hope the NFL didn't pay her in advance
Agree.
The situation between ‘fans’ and the NFL is tenuous at best. It won’t take much for whitey to realize that he is paying the bill to keep these players rolling in dough.
The raunchy half-time disgraces and the political commercials are helping to bury the NFL.
Same here.
They've been talking about this likelihood on the local Houston News stations this week. I hope she doubles down, along with the cast of Hamilton. I'd like to see the NFL immolate itself this Sunday (except I won't be watching).
NFL is dead to me. Funny I thought they would be brought down by the left from the outside using concussion lawsuits
etc. Instead the left burrowed inside as they always do and are killing the host.
So my take on this is easy. Budweiser won’t receive any of my business in the future. I’ll have to switch brands. As for the Super Bowl. I haven’t watched a game in my home this year. I will however be watching this year since I’d been vetoed by my daughters and my wife. We finally live in a city with a team that is in the bowl. I will give them that additional tv tune in this time. Following that I’m done.....
Me, I’m taking a knee on watching the Super Bowl this year.
The owner, coach and star player of one team, the highly successful New England Patriots, are friends of the president’s.
Go Patriots!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.