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Home End the NFL

End the NFL

An Army recruit starts off with a salary under $20,000. Thousands of active duty military personnel are on food stamps. Millions of veterans rely on them to feed their families and themselves.

That’s how we treat the best of us. Here’s how we treat the worst of us.

An NFL rookie’s minimum salary is $465,000. And the majority of NFL players are usually bankrupt a few years after retirement because they blew through most of their money. Dozens of NFL players are arrested every year on charges ranging from murder to rape to animal abuse.

2017 was a banner year for the NFL with three times as many arrests as last year.

Along with the usual drunk driving and disorderly conduct arrests, there were 7 arrests for assault/battery, 6 for drugs and 5 for domestic violence.

The Seattle Seahawks announced that they weren’t going to “participate in the national anthem” because of the “injustice that has plagued people of color in this country”. While they lost that game, they are one of the top ranked teams in arrests. Alongside the Los Angeles Rams, the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets, all of whom showed some solidarity with the anti-American protests, these top NFL criminal teams have racked up arrests for domestic violence, drugs, DUI and assault and battery.

It’s no wonder that so many of the NFL’s millionaire scumbags are eager to join Colin Kaepernick’s protests against the justice system by degrading our anthem.

It’s because they’re criminals.

And it’s no wonder that the NFL stands behind its thugs. If a team can shrug at abusing women, what’s a little anti-American tantrum by a prize property that makes them millions of dollars?

The only question is why are the rest of us subsidizing it?

NFL teams loot millions from taxpayers to fund their stadiums. The Seahawks have a point about injustice. And the injustice is that taxpayers had to spend $390 million on their stadium.

Who will let Washington taxpayers take a knee and opt out of being exploited by the Seahawks?

Ten New Orleans Saints players sat out the anthem. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton expressed pride in the players who rejected the United States of America. The Saints not only enjoy a stadium paid for by a billion in taxpayer money in a city with one of the highest poverty rates in the country, but are exempt from sales tax. And receive millions every year in “inducement payments” to stay put.

Sweetheart deals like these are not uncommon. The NFL comes with a pass on property taxes (those are for little people) and taxes in general. Until 2015, the NFL was a non-profit. "Professional football leagues" was actually inserted into the Internal Revenue Code to provide a special non-profit status. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got paid $44 million in one year. That made him the highest paid non-profit exec in the country.

The entire NFL is an illegal trust. It’s a monopoly that was illegally legalized by Congress.

That monopoly allows the NFL and its teams to cash in on television licensing and team gear. After the NFL uses its illegal monopoly to rip off broadcasters, ESPN rips off cable subscribers.

ESPN pays the NFL almost $2 billion a year. Even if you don’t watch ESPN, you’re paying $9 a month for it because of yet another illegal monopoly. If you subscribe to cable or live in a major city, the odds are good that your pocket is being picked by the millionaire racists “taking a knee” against America.

But the monopolies are dying.

ESPN is bleeding subscribers. The NFL’s anti-American turn is alienating fans. And cable is collapsing.

The NFL is built on government taking money from people and giving it to the industry. Its leftward tilt isn’t an accident. It’s a calculated move. Who are the folks most likely to bail out an industry? They’re on the left. Not the right. If your monopoly is dying, it’s time to go left and hate America.

Anthem bashing is popular with the left. And it’s very popular with the social justice bloggers who increasingly dominate sports journalism, and not just on ESPN. Hating America will score points with the left. It’ll buy the NFL more protectionism from the media and the 2020 Democrats.

The only question is why do we need the NFL?

Once upon a time there was a football free market. Multiple leagues competed with each other. And the NFL was just one of many. The NFL-AFL merger created a monster monopoly that has worked to crush any independent league through its control over broadcasting and venues.

That's what happened with the United States Football League which won an anti-trust court case against the NFL, but was forced under anyway.

The man at the center of the fight against the NFL was New Jersey Generals owner Donald Trump.

The illegal monopoly that created the NFL was the work of Senator Russell Long, the son of radical criminal Dem kingpin Huey Long, who illegally took over his father’s Senate seat (previously held by his mother) and spent almost four decades in the Senate with no qualification except his last name.

The NFL got a monopoly in exchange for New Orleans getting a franchise.

Congressman Hale Boggs, the corrupt Louisiana Dem boss who went to war with the FBI, got it through in the House by appealing, “The Republicans are out to get me. I need this to save me."

And Boggs held things up until he got assurances from the NFL commissioner that the franchise was in.

That’s the corrupt Democrat deal that created the NFL monopoly. Of course the NFL thinks the justice system is unfair. It was created by a crime and it’s full of criminals.

Before the anthem protests, the NFL was just one of the corrupt legacies of Democrat rule. It’s a reminder of the fact that social justice politics, whether it’s Obama’s “You Didn’t Build That” or Huey Long’s “Share Our Wealth”, is nothing more than organized thievery from the working class.

But the NFL is no longer just a corrupt monopoly. Instead it’s becoming a radical anti-American organization that uses its taxpayer-subsidized stadiums and monopoly broadcasting rights to spread hatred toward this country and disrespect to the soldiers who fought and died for it.

America could have tolerated the NFL’s corrupt thievery. But there’s no way Americans should be subsidizing this diseased leftover of Democrat corruption when it spews hate at the United States.

It’s time for the NFL’s anti-trust exemption to go the way of Ma Bell.

Break up the corrupt Democrat monopoly of the NFL and demolish the barriers to the formation of independent leagues by taking on the NFL, ESPN and its broadcasting partners in crime.

It’s time for the NFL to take a knee and for the free market to rise.

Football must become an American sport again.

(This article originally appeared at Front Page Magazine.)

Comments

  1. The NFL is a "non-profit organization for tax purposes? That nonsense needs to stop now!

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  2. I loved it and watched as many games as possible every weekend for decades.
    I'm done with the NFL. Not For Long to be league.
    It will be tough missing the playoffs and Superbowl but I'm taking a knee.

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  3. D.D.Mao27/9/17

    One way for Trump as Commander in Chief to take action against the N.F.L. (No Fans Left) is through executive order. He could pass an E.O. saying No active members of the military will participate in fly overs, Honor Guards or advertisement with the National Football League. If he took this tact I'm sure the police departments would also follow suit.

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  4. D.D.Mao27/9/17

    Observations from my living room:

    Why did Trump come out and make the statement about the NFL during a primary campaign for Senator? Especially since the state he made it in hasn't one NFL team. It's the same reason he gave a pardon to Sheriff Joe to deflect interest to another topic. He saw he wasn't going to get his wall funded so he gave the pardon. He saw that his repeal of Obamacare wasn't going through so he attacked the NFL.


    Isn't it ironic that he made the comment in a southern state where they are having their own battles to display another flag?

    Why does the NFL have more concern for players wearing unauthorized items (the Jim McMahon rule) on their uniforms then in their conduct BOTH ON AND OFF THE FIELD?

    Players are forbidden to wear their team uniforms or team insignia when filming commercials why is a protest that has nothing to do with football any different?

    Since so many of the NFL owners participated in these protest I'm assuming Colin Kaepernick will now be hired by one of them?

    How is NOT SHOWING UP for the national anthem NOT being disrespectful to the flag?


    Can the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room now be considered their "SAFE PLACE"? Will they be called the Pittsburgh Snowflakes?

    Why is Tim Tebow taking a knee a distraction but these protest aren't?

    Now for my mea culpa: I stopped watching football a few years ago after 56 years of being a New York Giant fan because of numerous reasons. The numerous arrest of players for wife/girlfriend beatings, arrest for gun/drug possession and shootings, and as the President said rule changes that is making it into flag football. On the other hand as many of you know I'm also no fan of Donald Trump. So I'm sitting back with my popcorn watching each of them attack and humiliate each other...."SCHADENFREUDE ! "

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  5. One sentence among all the rest portends the future of the NFL.
    It made me smile— biggly!

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  6. Deserttrek28/9/17

    over 25 years too late

    the nfl has been threatening cities and states and being subsidized since the 90's and in some cases longer
    the entire security bill is paid for by the taxpayers under the patriot act
    glad to see people waking up, just wonder why it took one item to oepn eyes

    the nfl is as evil and corrupting as any criminal organization

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  7. Anonymous28/9/17

    As a taxpayer subsidized organization, the National Football League (NFL) and its members should not be permitted to publicly insult veterans, first responders, families of those who have sacrificed their lives for this country, and any patriotic American with its public displays of sitting, kneeling, exercising or other disrespectful behavior during the performance of our national anthem or flag ceremonies.

    We the people petition the Federal Government and the United States Air Force to abstain from providing the traditional "flyover" aerobatic display performed during the opening ceremonies of the NFL Superbowl, beginning immediately, until representatives of the NFL publicly apologize for their insulting behavior and pledge to abstain from any such similar future behavior.

    Click below to Sign and then share

    https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/abstain-performing-flyover-united-states-air-force-nfl-superbowl

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  8. A recent news article on the N.O. Saints players that participated in this travesty stated that a Slidell, LA, Mardi Gras Krew had did-invited two players to act as grand marshalls in their next parade. Shunning - a useful practice.

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  9. Love your article, Daniel. Probably the best on the subject of the NFL (NO FANS LEFT! Perfect!) to date. And you reveal that Trump "resisted" the NFL a long time ago. Another obsession the anti-Trumpers in and out of Congress can feed on, it'll drive them nuts. I think the Steelers and the Packers and Seahawks ought to enlist in Antifa.

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  10. You are the Master!

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  11. Anonymous28/9/17

    There is nothing about the game of football I can support. Time for it to go!

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  12. I hope they do something to stop this continued attack on our symbols and veterans. It was only a matter of time before the Communist left showed its ugly face in a national past time. What is amazing to me is black people don't understand how the left uses them and has been for the past 50 years. Let the NFL go to Africa. The hate blacks from America and they are black. It's really a shame politics has to ruin sports, but Americans have to stick together on this one. Our national symbols are not something to be destroyed, and the lives of those who died for the American flag and served our country and still do should not be dishonored.

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  13. Daniel, you just keep getting better and better! THANK YOU for taking the time to say what needs to be said!!

    A blessed Yom Kippur to you!

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  14. If you know a junior high, high school or college coach who will talk with you and tell you the truth, you will learn that kids who "can runz fass wid duh fuhbaw" get away with anything and everything, from dope dealing to rape to armed robbery to burglary to assault, etc., ad nauseum. I've know a few coaches. I'm sure it's great, in their minds, for the little savages to get away with probably almost anything. And, guess what, kids, WE enable it! Teachers, principals, coaches, police, lawyers, judges, politicians, fans, parents, etc., enable it, just because they are skilled at playing a sport. You think all of those enablers are minorities? Hardly. The underbelly of sports is so vile it reeks like a pile of fresh dog sh*t on a hot, humid July day on the turf at the 50 yard line.

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  15. It's real easy. Don't buy tickets. Don't accept free tickets. Don't watch it on TV. Don't buy any of their sh*t. Believe me, you can live without it and the weekly emotional enema it provides.

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  16. Anonymous28/9/17

    No. No executive order. We will handle this. We have the power of the purse. Our viewership is the main thing. The people who pay big bucks to the advertisers will dry up. We can handle this. There is no need for the President doesn't need to get involved.

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  17. Anonymous28/9/17

    Interesting! having written all that you wrote and lets say its all true. It took a peaceful protest by a very few players for you to draw a line.

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  18. I have taken the liberty of referencing your superb posting. I apologize for the barrage of hateful comments you may receive. But I know you will handle it with your usual aplomb.

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  19. I have taken the liberty of referencing your superb posting. I apologize for the barrage of hateful comments you may receive. But I know you will handle it with your usual aplomb.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Mao. I like your idea.

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  21. There is a big problem with 'non-profit' organizations in this country in general. All too often, 'non-profit' merely means that there are no pesky shareholders with whom the loot must be shared.

    Roger Goodell is getting paid more than many CEOs who run large, complicated, and vital corporations. Boeing CEO Dennis Mullenberg, for example, was paid $14 million in 2016, less than half of what Goodell the 'nonprofit' executive is getting annually.

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  22. As lawyer Abraham Lincoln told a jury a story over a lunchtime trial break, a farmer’s daughter came running to him to tell him that sis and the farmhand were up in the barn loft taking their pants off fixing to pee. The farmer said to his daughter that she had the facts right but drew the wrong conclusion.

    So I think it is with Greenfield. It seems hard to dispute his assertions. Many of the NFL problems are real, and should be addressed, but they are not truly relevant to what’s going on. I believe that if you were to follow Greenfield’s prescriptions you would be falling into the Left’s trap and potentially giving them an enormous victory in the Culture Wars. At Duke, and increasing numbers of colleges and universities, there are now courses to “question and deconstruct toxic masculinities.”

    What does the NFL represent: alpha-male masculinity, strength, toughness, our flag, anthem, our military, America – all things the Left hates. The Left believes that the NFL has a toxic influence on American culture and has hijacked the game to drive customers/fans away to diminish the NFL and its influence. They are clever and ruthless; we can’t take the bait even if some players and owners have. We can’t give them another big victory.

    My hope is that once the fans start going away – from their stadiums or TVs – the owners will wise up before it’s too late. I am not the biggest NFL fan, by a long shot, for many of the reasons that Greenfield points out. However, we must grasp the big picture – see the patterns - and deny the Left another Cultural War victory.

    On a related note, Trump has been criticized by the Left for wading into an area that’s none of his business, not part of his job description. However, there are veterans with no legs in Vet hospitals or at home in wheelchairs watching these games. Likewise, there are active-duty military on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and subs off the Korean peninsula watching these games as they put their lives at great risk. And there are parents watching too whose children came home in caskets draped with the American Flag. How dispiriting must it be for them to experience this display of ignorance and disrespect? How outrageous this is. If the Commander and Chief did not speak up strongly on behalf of his troops, then it would be a demoralizing disgrace.

    Kevin Mitchell - Wayne, PA

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  23. Anonymous29/9/17

    I agree the NFL needs to go. And, if I understand what I have read, their deal is only one among many other sweetheart deals that ought to end. It's called crony capitalism. The corporate types, either in person or through lobbyists, go to our congress and senate with hand out stretched for perks from the tax payers. There is a difference in honest competition and influence bought and paid for by tax payers.

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  24. I am sick to death, fed to the back teeth, with these Pavlovian "social justice warriors." Warriors, my (bleep). These are nothing but ignorant, brainwashed spoiled brats, who think they can do anything and not expect consequences .. ok, all lefties are like that, but bear with me for a mo.

    The truth is that non-whites have been conditioned to believe they are their skin color automatically makes victims of them. In a mockery of Descartes, non-whites believe that "I am black/brown skin, therefore, I suffer." Which is undiluted BS, as every sentient person knows. The indoctrination has been so successful that blacks and Hispanics consider themselves race victims even when they make millions and are venerated by pretty much everyone. I wish I could be such a victim!

    So my message to all these Pavlovian victims is GET. OVER. YOURSELVES.

    And my message to the American people is don't waste your time trying to reason with these neanderthals. Speak to them in the only language they understand: money. Take a knee to their wallet. When their half million dollar contracts vanish, and with them the limos, the palatial homes, and all the rest of the tricks in the bag, these ungrateful, spoiled brats will go down on their knees for a very different reason.

    There, I said it. Let the caterwauling begin.

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  25. Making this a Liberal v. Conservative Historical Rant then assumes that the Object of the Rant ( What was the problem) is solved by merely Voting for the Opposite Perp.
    Southern Dems are the Modern day Modern day Bigots and Racists which we call "Republicans"today. The Names get changed to protect the Guilty and confuse the innocents.

    A contemporary of Russel Long was Jack Brooks. Jack looked me straight in th eye at a Montana State Society Meeting ,that welcomed Max Baucus to the Senate, and said" They are all Suckers" and walked off. I was in my early Twenties and was taken back by that statement. He was telling me the Truth.

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  26. D.D.Mao30/9/17

    Personally I believe a demonstration is a demonstration no matter how it's done and doing it during the national anthem whether it's kneeling, cowering in the locker room or locking arms is disrespectful. If it isn't against the flag or country as they insist then why do it during the anthem which is a symbol of our country. The Green Bay Packers asked the fans to lock arms in unity but if the owners really believe in "E pluribus Unum" they are sadly confused who exactly is buttering the bread that feeds them. I can easily see the league taking the cowards way out and suspending the anthem entirely prior to games in an attempt to placate both sides.

    There have been many demonstrations against the flag over my life time. John Carlos with his raised fist during the 1968 Olympic games, Dodger outfielder Rick Monday extinguishing the burning flag in the Dodger Stadium outfield and of course the anti Vietnam war demonstrations. And each time there would be talk about passing a law against doing it which would eventually end in failure. The thing we must differentiate here is being disrespectful and illegal. We as Americans are blessed with the essential liberty of free speech which helps preserve all other freedoms. It has been interpreted many ways from burning the flag to corporations giving campaign donations to candidates. As been pointed out by many here free speech is only government protected and not when in business sector. It would seem however that in this case THE BUSINESS SECTOR either condones their employees actions or are fearful of them killing the golden goose in which case it is up to the customers to show their displeasure at their "disrespectful" actions. Not in any tribalism knee jerk response to either any politician twitter or synthetic social justice warriors twiddle of reality but in response to our veterans. Please weigh this upon your conscience. God bless !

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  27. Why wasn't my post approved? It never was before. Well, I'm miffed.

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  28. Anonymous1/10/17

    I thank Mr. Greenfield for a great article. Much has been written on this topic but I still do not find it possible to side or even understand the players and their "protest." Their claims of righteous indignation of treatment of blacks in America ring hollow when so many of them are ex-cons, and wind up on the wrong side of the law while becoming millionaires.

    What the league needs is leadership that holds to standards and rules. Players, regardless of their income, are employees, and as we all know, no one is irreplaceable. To me, the problem stems from a lack of leadership, of political correctness and the problem that Kevin mentions above, the insidious and on-going attacks by the Left on any and all American institutions. The game of professional football can be saved but radical changes will be required.

    As for President Trump, I think he did two important things. He stood up and provided clear leadership representing the country. Too many people have grown accustomed to the panty-waist response of our last president. And secondly, he raised the issue of another stinking corner of the swamp, the crony capitalism that is the NFL and the lobbying and blatant looting of the American taxpayer with Congressional blessing. We have been sold out again. The NFL is a business and they make a lot of money. They should not be subsidized. That is part of the reason the athletes get paid so much. If the market was working fair and square, I'm sure there would be more costs to absorb and less profit to pay these self absorbed idiots who have nothing better to do than posture and try to make themselves some kind of paragon of virtue by kneeling for justice of others. Just pitiful.

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  29. NPRs Cokie Roberts is the daughter of Hale Boggs, who is mentioned above.

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  30. NFL players need to keep their political statements political with words. This crap with the anthem and flag is such a moronic act from a bunch of overpaid whinny babies. The worse part is the people making a "STATEMENT" have no clue what the anthem or flag even means nor do they know what the words represent. If they want to impress people, make a statement like normal people have to do. By yourself in public and work for people to back you. Any freakin numb nuts can get on national TV and make a statement. Not impressed and I will not watch not support the NFL any longer. We should all get a lesson in history about the anthem and flag and all the other issues that are on the table right now. Read a little bit, don't take people's word for it.

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