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Trump vs. Tattooed Millionaires
City Journal ^ | 9/25/2017 | Steve Malanga

Posted on 09/25/2017 1:15:24 PM PDT by RightGeek

Once upon a time, professional athletes not only came out of working-class, scrappy neighborhoods, but they also pretty much stayed working class their entire lives. Until as recently as the late 1960s, NFL lineman worked construction or loaded trucks in the offseason to pay their bills. Players with a college degree traded on their celebrity status to sell stocks or insurance. (The policy my mother cashed in when my father died was sold to him in the early 1960s by a retired New York Giants player). Many of today’s players, by contrast, live in a world of ostentatious homes, fast cars, and red-carpet celebrity appearances, far from the struggles of those whose support pays their salaries. These players have deemed themselves important enough to impose their political views on ordinary fans watching sports as a respite from life’s daily grind.

[SNIP]

Though the league at first discounted any relationship between the ratings and the controversy, subsequent studies have confirmed that the protests have in fact in driven away viewers who find the posturing tasteless. That should be no surprise to Giants owner John Mara, who observed that when his team was considering signing Kaepernick, fans were vocally opposed: “All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue: ‘If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game,’” Mara said. Over the weekend, Mara called Trump’s remarks “divisive,” but given what Mara himself has seen and heard over the last year, what did he expect?

[SNIP]

Players, sportswriters, and maybe even the owners seem to think that fans will find it impossible to give up football on Sundays in the fall. It’s not.

(Excerpt) Read more at city-journal.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: nfl
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1 posted on 09/25/2017 1:15:24 PM PDT by RightGeek
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To: RightGeek

I worked at Ameriquest right beside an Arena Football center.


2 posted on 09/25/2017 1:17:59 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: RightGeek

In Virtue Signaling Commieland a 5% of reduction in profits is acceptable. In their minds, all for a “good cause,” and they feel so much better about themselves. However, 25% I’m not sure about.


3 posted on 09/25/2017 1:20:04 PM PDT by BlueStateRightist (Government is best which governs least.)
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To: BlueStateRightist

End the NFL’s corporate welfare.


4 posted on 09/25/2017 1:21:08 PM PDT by snarkytart
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To: snarkytart

End the Anti-Trust Exemption.


5 posted on 09/25/2017 1:21:56 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: RightGeek

Taking a knee or waiting in the locker room never helped one American of African Descent.

President Trump hired Americans of African Descent before he was President.


6 posted on 09/25/2017 1:22:06 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: RightGeek

Three Words: “High School Football”

Less expensive, more variety, local interest w/rivalries ... and they run the ball...


7 posted on 09/25/2017 1:22:21 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: RightGeek

The policy my mother cashed in when my father died was sold to him in the early 1960s by a retired New York Giants player

Tom Landry was in insurance for a while, wonder if it was him.

Tom Landry (Army Air Corps) Roger Staubach (Navy) and Ernie Stautner (USMC) could kick any of these guys butts, and two of them are dead


8 posted on 09/25/2017 1:22:35 PM PDT by Jolla
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To: dfwgator
I don't think they have an anti-trust exemption like Major League Baseball, do they?

If the NFL had an anti-trust exemption, I don't see how the USFL would have been able to sue them.

9 posted on 09/25/2017 1:23:37 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Tell them to stand!" -- President Trump, 9/23/2017)
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To: RightGeek

Sadly, one by one, institutions that Americans had in common are being ruined. Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, now the NFL. Even if the Left “loses” this and the NFL goes down, they’ve won.


10 posted on 09/25/2017 1:23:45 PM PDT by rightwingcrazy
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To: RightGeek
Trump vs Goons & Thugs in Tights
11 posted on 09/25/2017 1:23:53 PM PDT by CGASMIA68
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To: BlueStateRightist

actually it is 5% reduction is someone ELSE’s profits is ok by them. Just don’t you dare touch their limo.


12 posted on 09/25/2017 1:25:00 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Rurudyne

Three far better words:

“Go exercise yourself.”

Stop watching other people do it for you.


13 posted on 09/25/2017 1:27:02 PM PDT by MrEdd (Caveat Emptor)
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To: RightGeek
Over the weekend, Mara called Trump’s remarks “divisive,” but given what Mara himself has seen and heard over the last year, what did he expect?

That's a very interesting item in this piece. I suspect John Mara and Steve Tisch (the co-owners of the Giants) issued their public statement against Trump for a very simple reason:

1. As owners of one of the oldest franchise in the NFL, and the one that has been a fixture for decades in the city where the NFL has its corporate offices, the Mara family has assumed a sort of role as "guardians" of the NFL's interests.

2. Mara may despise these orc-like mutants protesting on the sidelines during the national anthem before NFL games, and he might even agree with President Trump even if he doesn't like the colorful language that the president used. But having the President of the United States criticize the NFL for ruining football by turning it into a boring game, and calling for fans to boycott the NFL over these protests, is about as damaging to the NFL's image as having every active player arrested for violent crimes in one weekend.

14 posted on 09/25/2017 1:29:57 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Tell them to stand!" -- President Trump, 9/23/2017)
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To: Jolla

Roger Staubach didn’t make a huge salary but was savvy enough to become a multimillionaire in real estate.
Many NFLers these days (with bogus college degrees) would of course pass that off as white privilege, not hard work.


15 posted on 09/25/2017 1:31:03 PM PDT by GnuThere
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To: MrEdd

Tattooed millionaires? I’m concerned with those getting some kind of government assistance who can afford to get painted. Who pays for it?


16 posted on 09/25/2017 1:31:34 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: RightGeek

The regular old time working class football players that had to scrape to get by vs the tattooed thugs and felon prone players of today.

Rhetorical questions. Who was more patriotic? Who owes more to this country’s prosperity?

These players today are total ingrates and out of touch with regular Americans just like the Holly-weirdos and most politicians (ie Dems and rinos).

This is not racial; it’s the peasant class vs the patrician class.


17 posted on 09/25/2017 1:36:06 PM PDT by grumpygresh (When will Soros be brought to justice? Crush the vermin, crush the Left.)
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To: RightGeek

One of the biggest ‘hurdles’ for many people trying to ‘cut the cord’ was giving up sports. Well, methinks this might just make the decision a little easier for some people. It was hard for me at first, but I now know that was simply because of a lifetime of bad TV viewing habits. I now have so much more time and better activities than watching TV.


18 posted on 09/25/2017 1:40:06 PM PDT by LoneStarGI (Vegetarian: Old Indian word for "BAD HUNTER.")
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To: rightwingcrazy

The USA existed just fine before the NFL, Girl Scouts, and the Boy Scouts. We are inventive folks, and can easily create organisations and traditions that will replace these corrupt institutions.


19 posted on 09/25/2017 1:40:13 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: MrEdd

“And now we take you to week seven of Middle Aged Men Playing Football East. Adam, how is the Chrystler Bolters vs the Atlanta Distillers going?”

“Well, Frank, the Bolters took an early lead and looked like they would prevail until unknown persons swapped out their beer kegs for something more ... medicinal. The Distillers are presently believed to not be involved because they joined in the drinking as soon as the substitution was known. Things turned sour after the concession stand ran out of chips and pretzels, with hordes of twenty-something fans charging out to the nearby Starbucks, upset at not getting any.”


20 posted on 09/25/2017 1:41:18 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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