Game On!

Football season is finally here!! It’s time to root for your favorite team while watching America’s pastime. Sorry baseball. American’s love football! So much so, until people have large gatherings filled with food, laughter, and angst (hey, someone’s team has to lose). Every game is a reason to celebrate. Until the end of the season, of course. Then, all is doom and gloom until football graces our TV screens once again. 

How tragic!!

We won’t focus on the frailty of the human psyche without football. Let’s talk about the excitement that is the beginning of the season. How are we going to celebrate this fresh season of games and sportsmanship? What shall we do?

Boycott the NFL, of course.

Wait. What? People are boycotting the NFL? Oh yes, they are. Twitter has exploded into verbal warfare (just another day in twitterland) over Colin Kaepernick’s protest gaining traction. More so, they are angry that people are supporting his message. Take a look.

 

Colin Kaepernick’s sitting, later kneeling, during the national anthem has caught fire around the country. Several sports stars, former servicemen, and even President Obama has spoken up in support of Kaepernick’s right to protest racial issues in this country. It goes without saying people are in an absolute uproar about this. Instead of taking a step back to do some self-reflection, people attack the messenger. This only accents the issues Kaepernick originally spoke of. I mean how can a millionaire say they are oppressed for the color of their skin? Money surely makes everything better, right?

No. Money does not keep one from being profiled. It does not keep people from stereotyping you. It does not keep a person from being labeled.

What I find to be truly hilarious is how people look the other way on serious issues in favor of supporting football. For example, people were up-in-arms over Ray Rice punching his now wife, but not enough to quit watching the game. Greg Hardy had a stint with domestic violence as well, but people kept watching the Cowboys. Johnny Manuel is… well he’s just Johnny. People still tuned in. Michael Vick went to jail for racketeering, and will be forever known (to some) as the face of dogfighting. He earned his way back into the NFL and had been a model player ever since. The only peep heard was from animal rights groups that….. still watched the NFL.

The hypocrisy is shocking. 

Sadly, we live in a country where faux patriotism rules the roost. Truthfully, those wanting to boycott the NFL for not showing support for law enforcement and first responders are really dismissing the message of the protest. A I’ve stated before, they just don’t want to hear it.

It started with one person. Kaepernick had the courage to use his platform to speak on real issues. Sports figures across the country are following suit. Now,the entire nation is having a much needed conversation. A discussion that needs to take place. Of course, this discussion is ugly on some sides, but we have to get past the ugliness and start seeing each other as people.

That’s the only way we get better as a whole. 

Football season is upon us. Right now, it’s more than a game. It’s a message. Are you listening?

Game on!

[GIF Credit Giphy]

[Image Credit Flickr via Johnathan Moreau]