NFL

NFL national anthem policy stirs reaction as 49ers owner says he abstained

A decision from NFL owners requiring players to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” if they are on the field when the anthem is played triggered intense reaction from supporters and opponents Wednesday, as one owner revealed that he abstained from the vote. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the change was approved unanimously at the league’s spring meeting in Atlanta. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Fox News in an email that San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York was the only abstention. “I want to work with my team to make sure everything we do is about promoting the right types of social justice reform and getting to a better America,” said York, who added that he planned to meet with his players to discuss the new policy. New York Jets chairman Christopher Johnson told Newsday that he voted for the new policy because “I felt I had to support it from a membership standpoint.” “[Y]ou have to understand that the plan we ended up with … was vastly less onerous than the one that was presented to me late last week,” said Johnson, who added that the team would not fine or suspend any players who choose to stay in the locker room while the anthem is played. “I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players,” he said. “Do I prefer that they stand? Of course. But I understand if they felt the need to protest. There are some big, complicated issues that we’re all struggling with, and our players are on the front lines. I don’t want to come down on them like a ton of bricks, and I won’t. “If the team gets fined, that’s just something I’ll have to bear.” York said other initiatives were in the works, including a suspension of all concessions sales during the national anthem. “If we want to be sacrosanct, if we want to honor the flag, we’ve got to make sure we go through a litany of things,” he said. “We’re not going to force people to stand in their seats, but we’re certainly going to make sure we’re not profiting during that two or three minutes of time during the game.” York’s 49ers kicked off the protest debate during the 2016 season when quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat on the bench when the anthem was played, then got down on one knee as a protest against police brutality. Other players took up the cause, and the gesture carried on during the 2017 season even after Kaepernick left the 49ers and failed to land a job with another team. Kaepernick and Eric Reid, a former 49ers teammate and fellow protester, have filed collusion grievances against the NFL. The controversy even reached the White House, with President Trump telling supporters in September 2017: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say ‘get that son of a b—- off the field right now, out, he’s fired.'” Vice President Mike Pence, who left a game between the 49ers and Indianapolis Colts this past October after some 49ers knelt during the anthem, tweeted a link to a news story about the policy change with the phrase, “#Winning.” Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, also tweeted about the story, saying he was “STILL NOT SICK OF WINNING!!!!”

This new policy certainly isn’t perfect.  But, it’s a step in the right direction.  So, we applaud the owners (the majority of them) for supporting this step.  For more on this story, click on the text above.

Opinion: MLB’s Opening Day: What the NFL could learn from Major League Baseball

On Major League Baseball’s opening day Thursday, hope springs eternal across the country. Even as Chicago Cubs fans shiver in their puffy blue jackets, New York Yankees fans rub their hands together in the Bronx, and millions of baseball fans search box scores at work, a unity among people from all backgrounds not only exists, it flourishes. So does patriotism. The “Star-Spangled Banner” actually debuted in the sports world thanks to baseball. In 1918 during Game 1 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs, Babe Ruth – a man who would become arguably the most iconic home run hitter – and his teammates first sang along to the national anthem. The Cubs followed suit, and the pageantry quickly spread to every team across the league. Appropriately, baseball earned the nickname “America’s Pastime.” Now, compare that to the modern-day National Football League, where the en vogue trend has been to kneel for our country’s most emblematic sign of solidarity. This movement, spearheaded by the now-unemployed Colin Kaepernick, is meant to protest police brutality against African-Americans. Supporters will tell you it has nothing to do with the flag … despite players using the American flag as a prop to give themselves the most publicity. When President Trump weighed in on the matter, which he repeatedly and rightfully did, at least 200 players knelt or sat during the anthem last Sept. 24. Many of those players – on the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars rosters – actually had the audacity to still stand for “God Save the Queen” prior to kick off in London. It was a blatant sign of disrespect, followed months later by an even more egregious act. The league rejected a print ad for this year’s Super Bowl program that read “#PleaseStand.” In response, a NFL spokesperson said the Super Bowl has “never been a place for advertising that could be considered by some as a political statement.” Hey, Commissioner Roger Goodell, how about you tell your own players that? You know how many baseball players have knelt during the national anthem? One. Bruce Maxwell, a catcher for the Oakland A’s, joined in the protest late last fall. It was short-lived and he failed to garner any participation from teammates. This is in part because most baseball players see the consequences of an ongoing problem in this current political climate: Debate isn’t just relegated to politics anymore. Athletes and coaches increasingly use America’s beloved pastimes, and their participation in them, as a method of division. But in reality, sports should exist as a way to bring Americans together. Just one regular baseball season provides 162 opportunities for refuge from tiresome rigors of everyday life or from the wounds of tragedy. At Yankee Stadium in Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, baseball helped Americans transcend the most horrific act of terrorism on U.S. soil – 9/11. Against security recommendations, then-President George W. Bush decided to make an appearance and throw out the first pitch. He strode onto the field waving one hand and holding a baseball in the other. Smiling ear to ear, the president took the mound and calmness instantly enveloped the stadium. As soon as the ball hit the catcher’s mitt, cheers and chants of “U-S-A” erupted. “The country, which was rallying at the time, had further caused a rally to see baseball being played, and I was just a part of that,” President Bush told ESPN. “I didn’t realize how symbolic it was, though, ‘til I made it to the mound.” Even before that game, baseball helped bring Americans back to normalcy after 9/11. The Mets and Braves played each other when games resumed that season after the tragedy, and for one beautiful, brief moment two bitter division rivals tipped their caps to the people of New York City and shared a feeling of resiliency. That same embodiment of hope propelled an already extremely talented Houston Astros roster to a World Series clinch over the Dodgers last year. Game 6 scored Fox its best ratings in almost a decade after the Dodgers staged a rallying comeback. Even though the larger market team didn’t win the Commissioner’s Trophy, it felt like the whole country shared a piece of joy with the Astros. As Houston learned from Hurricane Harvey, catastrophe can strike from Mother Nature too, and even though thousands of Houston residents lost most of their belongings and homes, a baseball team managed to rekindle their spirit. All of our spirits will once again reignite with pleasure as the 2018 baseball season kicks off. As you enjoy a hot dog, watch a flyover, and tip your cap to veterans, take a minute to appreciate the beauty of a sport that, unlike the NFL, contributes to and enhances the patriotic fabric of our country.

Agreed!  And, well said Britt!  Former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry is the author of that spot-on op/ed.  Excellent!!     🙂

Racism charges fly over indictment of NFL’s Bennett despite liberal prosecutor, black victim

Allegations of racism have erupted over the indictment Friday of NFL star Michael Bennett, even though he’s being prosecuted by a liberal, Soros-backed district attorney for a crime against a black victim. Progressive activists and commentators weighed in after the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end was indicted by a grand jury on a felony count of injuring a 66-year-old disabled black woman last year at Super Bowl LI, calling the charge “bogus,” “BS,” and a “set up.” Columnist Shaun King said Mr. Bennett was charged because he “touched a woman’s shoulder,” although Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said the paraplegic woman, part of the stadium security team, suffered a sprained shoulder after Bennett shoved her as he tried to get onto the field after the game. According to the chief, Mr. Bennett told a police officer at the scene, “F— you” and “You all must know who I am, and I could own this motherf—er. I’m going onto the field whether you like it or not.” His defenders argued that the 32-year-old Philadelphia Eagles player was targeted as a result of his race and his social-justice activism. Mr. Bennett has refused to stand for the national anthem and last year accused Las Vegas police of racial profiling after he was briefly detained. At the same time, Mr. Bennett could have hardly drawn a prosecutor more sympathetic to the rights of defendants than Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. She ran in 2016 on a reform platform that called for reducing incarcerations, aided by a half-million dollar ad buy from Democratic megadonor George Soros via his Texas Safety and Justice PAC as part of his national effort to elect progressive prosecutors. Ms. Ogg has since been accused of being soft on crime by seeking alternatives to prison such as deferred adjudication, including in a case last year in which a man shot at deputies but received no jail time, which she attributed to his mental-health issues, according to ABC13 in Houston. The county’s first openly lesbian D.A., Ms. Ogg fired 37 experienced prosecutors shortly after taking office and replaced them with “a far more diverse group of experienced and talented lawyers,” she told the Texas Observer. “I also am trying to diversify our lower ranks because we need prosecutors who the public can relate to,” said Ms. Ogg in the July 26 interview. “If they’re all Caucasian, and they’re all straight out of law school, they’re just not going to have the life experience that I think is important when you have people’s lives in your hands, like we do.” She released a statement Friday saying that Mr. Bennett was told by security staff to use a different entrance as he tried to gain access to the field for the post-game celebration at NRG Stadium in Houston. “Instead, he pushed through them, including the elderly woman who was part of the security team,” said the DA’s statement. The charge of “intentionally and knowingly” causing “bodily injury to a person 65 years or older” carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

On word…karma!  Normally we don’t do the whole human interest story thing here at The Daily Buzz.   But, ya gotta love the irony here..  This loser of an NFL player is shamelessly trying to play the race card.  But, the victim is a black elderly woman, and the prosecutor is a lesbian minority herself.  So, that’s blowing up in his face..  DOH!!  Just another entitlement-minded, America-hating, black racist, NFL loser…  For more on this story, click on the text above.

Super Bowl Ratings Plummet to 8-Year Low

Super Bowl LII will go down as one of the most entertaining championship games in recent memory. However, for the NFL, it will go down as the lowest-rated Super Bowl game in recent memory. The Eagles 41-33 victory over the Patriots drew a 47.4/70 in metered markets. That’s down nearly three percent from last year’s thriller between the Patriots and the Falcons. It’s a 5 percent drop from the last time NBC had the big game in 2014, when the Patriots beat the Seahawks. Looked at broadly, Super Bowl LII is the lowest-rated Super Bowl game since 2010, when the Colts and Saints, two smallish market teams, faced-off against each other: The 2015 Super Bowl clash between New England and Seattle holds the title for most watched Super Bowl game ever, with over 114 million viewers. However, since then, the numbers have steadily decreased. Last year’s game for example, drew 111.3 million watchers. The Saints-Colts Super Bowl, which this year’s contest beat by one point, drew just over 110 million viewers. Which projects final total viewing numbers to fall into the 110-112 million viewer range. The NFL took a ratings hit of ten percent during the regular season in 2017. While the numbers from Sunday’s game do not reflect a 10 percent drop from last year, one wouldn’t necessarily expect them too, since the Super Bowl is more of a cultural event which draws a larger audience. However, to have Tom Brady and two large market teams play one of the most thrilling championship games ever only to have it rate as the lowest Super Bowl contest in eight years, has to be hugely disappointing to the NFL.

Starnes: NFL rejects veterans group’s Super Bowl ad urging people to stand for the anthem

The National Football League has rejected a Super Bowl advertisement from American Veterans urging people to stand for the national anthem. The nation’s largest veterans service organization had been invited by the NFL to place an ad in the Super Bowl LII program. AMVET’s advertisement included a two-word message – “#PleaseStand.” “It’s a simple, polite request that represents the sentiment of our membership, particularly those whose missing or paralyzed limbs preclude standing,” wrote National Commander Marion Polk in a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. American Veterans accused the NFL of outright censorship by rejecting the advertisement. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy defended the league’s decision to ban the American Veterans’ advertisement noting that the game day program “is designed for fans to commemorate and celebrate the game, players, teams and the Super Bowl.” “It’s never been a place for advertising that could be considered by some as a political statement,” McCarthy told Army Times. So, the NFL believes that politely asking people to stand for the Star-Spangled Banner is akin to making a political statement? The NFL has been rocked by national anthem protests throughout the season — leading to a massive decline in television viewership and game day attendance. Still, the NFL and most team owners refused to order players to stand for the national anthem. Instead, the commissioner and many owners shamefully turned a blind eye as football players took a knee and disrespected not only the flag, but the brave men and women defending our freedom. Perhaps Goodell was concerned that a “political statement” in the game day program might take away from the “political statements” being made on the football field when players take a knee. “Freedom of speech works both ways. We respect the rights of those who choose to protest, as these rights are precisely what our members have fought – and in many cases died – for,” Polk wrote. “But imposing corporate censorship to deny that same right to those veterans who have secured it for us all is reprehensible and totally beyond the pale.” McCarthy told Army Times they gave American Veterans the option of changing their proposed advertisement to read, “Please Stand for our Veterans.” But the NFL said they never heard back from the group. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the NFL’s disdain for American patriotism is not just isolated to the gridiron. It’s apparently infested the front office. “Veterans are good for more than just military aircraft flyovers, photo opportunities during halftime, or props to sell camouflage-style NFL apparel; although, the NFL’s stance on not allowing the veterans’ unfiltered voice to be heard says otherwise,” Polk wrote to Goodell. I wholeheartedly concur and might I suggest that freedom-loving Americans stand up to the National Football League by turning off the Super Bowl.

Sounds like a good idea..  Thanks to veteran culture warrior Todd Starnes for calling it exactly right.

Ratings Down for All Four NFL Playoff Games, Chiefs-Titans Least Watched in 5 Years

Following a regular season where most NFL fans decided they had better things to do on Sunday afternoons than watch football; it appears those same fans still have better things to do on Saturdays and Sundays in the postseason. The first round of playoffs suffered double-digit ratings drops, as the NFL begins the most important part of its calendar year, Awful Announcing reported. Saturday’s Tennessee Titans-Kansas City Chiefs game didn’t deliver for ESPN or ABC, losing two full ratings points over last year’s game. The game drew a 14.7 overnight rating compared to last years 16.6 for the Houston Texans-L.A. Raiders game. It was the worst rating since 2012, Awful Announcing said. Later that evening, the Atlanta Falcons-Los Angeles Rams game did only a little better, seeing a similar if not quite as bad ratings loss. According to SportsTVRatings, the Falcons-Rams game lost 10 percent over last year’s game. Sunday’s Jacksonville Jaguars-Buffalo Bills matchup earned better ratings than the Saturday games, but it was still a 21 percent loss over the 2016 season’s game, Josh Carpenter noted. “Fox drew a 20.4 rating yesterday for Saints-Panthers, down 21% from a 25.9 last year in same window (Giants-Packers). CBS drew a 17.2 for Jags-Bills, down 10% from last year (Steelers-Dolphins),” Carpenter wrote. These Wild Card game ratings come after a season of some of the worst ratings in NFL history. By some estimates, the 2017 regular NFL season is down nearly 10 points from 2016. It should be noted that the 2016 season itself saw an 8 percent tumble over the numbers from 2015; with the sports media claiming it was all due to a raucous 2016 presidential election season. But with the 2016 election long ago decided, one wonders what their excuse is for this year.

The fact is…there is no excuse.  The ratings are down because fans have simply decided to spend their time (and money) on other things.  They’ve decided to change the channel and not have a bunch of disrespectful, entitlement-minded, self-righteous, millionaire, spoiled brats disrespect our American Flag, the National Anthem, and veterans….while the NFL so-called leadership looks the other way (thereby tacitly endorsing such behavior).  More and more NFL fans are just over it.  So, they’ve changed the channel and haven’t looked back.  I know for myself, I’ve not seen an entire NFL game in 2 seasons since that tool Colin K. started this whole nonsense, and my team was in the playoffs!  Furthermore, when Roger Goodell had his contract renewed for over $200 MILLION, that was the final straw for a lot of folks who saw that as the NFL giving the finger to the fans.

ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ Sacked Again by Low Ratings

The NFL is still getting tackled in the ratings and this week is no exception, as Monday Night Football seems to have once again taken a knee with numbers approaching a season low. The Atlanta Falcons, defending NFC Champions, pulled out a 24-21 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Monday. And just as fans avoided attending the game at the stadium, leaving tons of empty seats, TV ratings were similarly anemic; bringing in a low 6.5 percent with 11.7 million viewers in metered markets, according to Deadline. Monday’s game took a 24 percent hit in the ratings over last week’s Monday night game, Deadline said. Matched against last year’s Week 15, Monday’s game saw a 19 percent loss of viewers. Deadline also notes that the game earned only slightly better numbers than last year’s game in the important 18-49 age demographic bringing in a 3.8 rating this year compared to 3.6 last year. The networks have stopped showing the playing of the national anthem, and fewer players are still protesting. However, despite the smaller number of protests, the NFL’s TV ratings are still falling to all-time lows. Ratings for Week 15’s broadcast of Thursday Night Football, for instance, crashed to a season low. And last week’s edition of Monday Night Football was down double-digits from the 2016 season. Things have gotten so bad for the NFL that a chicken wing company has blamed its falling profits on fewer fans munching down during games, and one Saints season ticket holder even sued his favorite team over the year-long anti-American protests.