Important media headlines for September 27th:
Bottom Line: The advent of the Trump administration and mainstream media's decision to stop any pretense of objectivity in covering this administration brought about the daily feature (that's become a fan favorite) hysterical media headlines. I use it to illustrate the absurdity and lack of objectivity in media on a daily basis as well as it being a source of levity. I've toyed with the idea of having one focused on important, must read material as well. The debut on Friday was met positively so we'll keep it for now. Here are today's important headlines:
Pittsburgh Fans Conflicted About Game They Love Salena Zito, New York Post
Excerpt: “Watching Alejandro Villanueva stand by himself, honoring our nation and flag highlighted the pain and isolation so many veterans feel here at home,” he said (of a Pittsburgh veteran and diehard fan)
“Men and women that volunteer to serve this nation stand on a very thin line between hope and darkness. They watch their friends die in service to a country that they love. A place that they themselves would die for. Then they come home to a country where in some cases they feel like exiles, surrounded by citizens that don’t truly understand what they have, or what freedom truly is, or what it takes to protect and defend it.” “Villanueva stood alone out there. It hurt because not a single player or coach thought to go stand with him. Not one. And that’s tragic because Villanueva had their backs on the battlefield, and no one had his on the football field during our anthem,”
The story notes that only .4% of the country has served since the Vietnam war. That probably does account for a lot of the ignorance (well that and the deplorable state of our public education system).
U.S. Anthem Protests & the Disappearing Democratic Party Eddie Zipperer, LifeZette
Excerpt: Thirteen years ago, Jake Plummer quarterbacked the Denver Broncos with a small “40” decal on the back of his helmet — a tribute to Army Ranger Pat Tillman who was killed in Afghanistan. The NFL essentially said, Hell no! We can’t let that fly! Plummer was forced to remove the decal. In case you thought the NFL cares about “the spirit” of free speech, they don’t.
The NFL has the power to fine players for protesting the national anthem just as they had the power to fine Jake Plummer for a 1-inch tribute to his former college teammate and friend. But they’ve chosen not to. Maybe they think this is the way to Los Angeles’ heart. Maybe they think this will help the L.A. Chargers fill up that tiny 27,000-seat stadium.
Keep it up, Roger Goodell. Keep it up, billionaire team owners. NFL ratings were down an average of 8 percent last year, and, according to a J.D. Power survey, a plurality of those who tuned out blamed Kaepernick and the anthem protesters. I am one of them. I have hundreds of channels, a blu-ray player, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Pair all that with my identity politics fatigue, and it’s never been easier to change the channel.
I'd completely forgotten the Jake Plummer incident until this article. It's the perfect example of the smack in the face the NFL continues to give those who serve this country. Remember the recent controversy where NFL teams were forcing our armed forces to pay for tributes at stadiums? But what should we expect from a league that denies the Dallas Cowboys the ability to honor massacred police officers while allowing players to protest them on the field? Sadly, it appears that the only American value the NFL understands is the greenback and it's willing to sellout to ignorant players for them.
NFL Commits Suicide by Trump With PC Protests James Robbins, USA Today
Excerpt: The NFL is on a politically-correct suicide course, alienating fans and wrecking ratings. It can thank former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who last year started the fad of refusing to stand for the pre-game national anthem because he did not want to “stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." This year the flag protests are a mass phenomenon, with over 200 players taking a knee last week. Members of the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars appearing at London’s Wembley Stadium even chose to dishonor the U.S. flag on foreign soil. But they stood for “God Save the Queen,” the anthem that was playing when most of Africa was placed under British colonial rule.
The "God Save the Queen" component is symbolically significant in more ways than one. As pointed out in the article those players who theoretically are racial culture warriors opted for an anthem that A) doesn't represent their country B) From a racial/cultural perspective led to the enslavement of millions C) Happened to be the anthem of the country that the US won freedom from - the same freedom that allows them to be highly compensated but lowly informed football players.