Originally published at: Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL | Boing Boing
…
1 Like
It’s even having an effect on two huge senate races right now. You have Dr Oz who has tried to dampen the public’s increasingly negative opinions about youth players getting CTE for the NFL (which was touched on in the Sony email leaks… heck I was the first person to find them on wikileaks many years back and then the press picked up on what I found) and the other senate candidate who can barely complete a coherent thought who has a history of violent outbursts that one time literally included a game of actual russian roulette who is polling quite well because sportsball makes me look macho to many in the public’s eye.
All that machismo ends up doing is encouraging folks to do the stupid thing. Sports culture is an extension of celebrity culture and my God aren’t conservatives so much more obsessed with celebrity culture than liberals are. I heard folks over the years complain about social media ruining society and not so much the power of celebrity because they usually end up siding with famous people who blame social media who do that to cover their own asses and refusing any sort of personal responsibility. Kanye repeatedly shoving his foot into his mouth even before twitter was a thing, Morrisey being a bellend since the 80’s and getting away with it a bit more recently because of his stans, C and D list reality tv stars promoting quack cures and fascism in both new AND old media, hollywood stars saying they love the environment online while also promoting crypto and their ugly ass monkey jpegs and doing red carpet/award show events knowing quite well what they wear will be cloned and cranked out in sweat shops the next day to be sold at a fast fashion retailer where at least 80% of that stock will be thrown in the trash and the rest will wear out quickly from really low quality standards and then be thrown in the trash a few months later or attempted to be resold online.
4 Likes
The NFL is consistently up there with FIFA and the IOC in the rankings of most toxic sports organisation. All three are awful in their own ways, but when it comes to treatment of their players and jingoism and encouraging degenerate gambling it’s at the top of the list.
9 Likes
I have never understood the appeal of professional sports, or at least the way it’s so profitable. I mean, Tiger Woods hits a ball with a stick. Michael Jordan throws a ball into a net. Soccer players kick a ball. Yes, these are activities that some people do extremely well, but in my head that doesn’t mean they should be worth millions of dollars. There are plenty of other things that some people do extremely well that are denigrated by most of (American) society-like Ballet. The financial shenanigans alone are problematic.
Why do people get so invested in team sport as spectators?
1 Like
2 Likes
Always thought in interesting that the NFL was organized as a non-profit 501(c)(6). They decided to change that in 2015. The only notable side effect is they no longer have to publish the commissioners salary. Wonder what that is about?!
2 Likes
Us vs Them is a dominant human trait all throughout history, and then sprinkle in some self worth via association and also the chemical things our brains do during large group shared experiences… All of this meaning if my team is doing well then I must also be doing well.
I think some people need this external self worth validation through association and some people do not.
2 Likes
And there I was thinking I started to support Carlisle United because there was fuck all else for me and my friends to do on a Saturday afternoon in Carlisle.
6 Likes
I’d post a “Why not both” gif, but I hear gifs are cringe now.
3 Likes
With all of the flack about nfl players not standing for the anthem, you think it would be common knowledge that no nfl player stood on the field during the anthem until 2009 and the US military paid the nfl $7 million to have more displays of patriotism
Really? 
3 Likes
Care to elaborate?
You followed a shot at Us vs Them thinking, with a very condescending “us vs. them” description of billions of people worldwide.
As a rule, anytime you presume very large swaths of humanity need or lack something different from “us”, maybe rethink that
4 Likes
Sports fandom psychology is well hypothesized, I’m not saying anything new or original. I don’t find it disparaging as much as it is enlightening.
Aside from that I follow three soccer teams, one football team and F1. I’m happy relating my thoughts of my fandom experiences as well as what I have observed in others, and in relation to the question I was answering the response is reasonable.
Edited to add… But I do understand making generalized statements. No offense intended.
Since when? Am I no longer “hip” or “with it?”
3 Likes
I think I was born like this…
Never managed to figure out what was cool when and what was passe, so here we are… posting cringe gifs on a BBS…
but back on topic… the NFL can fuck off.
2 Likes
2 Likes
Oh god, I can hear that in my head now… thanks…
2 Likes
Sorry. I didn’t mean to cause no trouble…
3 Likes
As claimed here:
My world is
(…shattered.)
3 Likes
3 Likes
