The NFL is discovering that social justice convergence comes at a price:
“If we are disrespecting the flag, then we won’t play. Period.”
Those words from Jerry Jones on Oct. 8 were widely taken as a salvo delivered from an owner to all the players using the national anthem as a platform for protest.
But as I see it, that was no declaration of war on guys kneeling. I don’t think the Cowboys boss was even talking to players. My feeling: he was talking through the players, and hoping his message would land in living rooms from El Paso to Wichita Falls.
And to explain why, I’ll give you the three words that should serve as your guidepost in explaining almost everything NFL: Follow the money.
The Cowboys need those people in West Texas and on the Oklahoma border to watch. The NFL needs those people tune in too. And the proof came in the ratings not that you read about this week, but rather the ones that were privately presented to the owners over the league’s two-day meetings in lower Manhattan.
The focus Tuesday and Wednesday was on the players’ desire to have a stage to address social causes, and the associated protests during the anthem that resulted. But in the background loomed the reality that the discord of the past few weeks wasn’t good for anyone’s bottom line, and the ratings might just be the first proof.
“There’s no question this had an impact on the business,” said Giants owner John Mara. “But this is an important social issue. And sometimes you have to put the interests of the business behind the interest of issues that are more important than that.”
That sounds very noble. But there is ALWAYS an important social issue for which the interests of the business must be sacrificed. These owners would benefit greatly from someone in their inner circle reading SJWs Always Double Down, because they clearly do not realize that the SJWs will never be content no matter what concessions are made to them.