06-10-2020, 08:20 AM
(06-10-2020, 04:16 AM)samhain Wrote: It's not going to kill football. Not even close. The league will be behind it this time around. NASCAR has a BLM themed car that will run this Sunday. They have literally one black driver and a predominantly white, southern fanbase. Do you really think the league won't follow suit with similar gestures?
The NFL is like Amazon or Nike at this point. It may have peaks and dips, but it's way too much of an established product for anything outside of outright criminal activity to derail it financially. It survived the last round of backlash from the kneeling just fine, and public sentiment has turned significantly in favor of the protesters since then.
If anything, the league stands to hurt itself by cracking down on player protests. It's never been against league policy, and it isn't now.
I'll guarantee you two things: 1.There will be an uptick in player protests. 2. The league will continue to flourish relative to the current economy. This is especially true since the public is extremely eager for any sports entertainment, and the most popular one in the country will be a welcome return to semi-normal for anyone that watches.
I don't care if they do it or not. I don't care if Donald J Trump buys the Bengals and names them the Cincinnati MAGAs. I'm watching football because I enjoy the hell out of it and there's nothing that can compete with it from an entertainment standpoint.
The league survived the last round, but it hurt it significantly. If you think they cannot be hurt to the point of closure, you're kidding yourself. Yeah, they bring in a lot of money, but they put out a lot of money too. Emptier stadiums and more importantly loss of television viewers could easily send this league the way of one of other leagues that have failed. Viewers who are fed up with protests can get their football fix on Saturday or Friday night.
