TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS SEXUAL ASSAULT AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The Superbowl is a great American tradition, this is the 53rd (yes, I had to look that up) Superbowl, and it is very much reflected in the program, and in the NFL. Superbowl Sunday is characterized by friends and families gathering wherever the biggest television is and screaming, yelling, and betting on underappreciated athletes. While that all sounds like the epitome of a good time, I’d rather not line the capitalist fat cats’ pockets by supporting the Superbowl, and engorging on the abundance of well produced, but very American ads.
1. The NFL does not care about their athletes
Football players are under tremendous stress; The average age for football players is 26.6 years old, and the average career span is 3.3 years, and concussions and injury are common. There is no contingency plan if they are not an essential part of the team. While NFL players are paid handsomely, they are also young and dumb, they spend their money before they realize they’ll need it; about half of the players in the NFL have degrees, but about three years after retiring most NFL players go broke. The team owners of the NFL care more about sponsorships and money than any of their players, as all large corporations do.
2. The NFL likes Trump
Trump (I refuse to call him president) is a problematic person, who has the country at odds currently. As if that isn’t bad enough, this is immediately following the first African-American president. The NFL has been outright in their support of Trump, with some moderate exceptions in the form of a couple team owners. The NFL speedily chose the side of their beloved POTUS, over the rights of their players when Colin Kaepernick was fired because he kneeled during the pledge of allegiance. This was seen as a direct attack on Trump. After he pitched a fit on social media, the NFL added a new rule; effectively putting Kaepernick and any others wishing to follow his lead out of commission, in fear of losing their jobs.
3. The NFL covers up so much rape and DV
It is public knowledge that the NFL has been actively involved in paying for victim’s silence in domestic violence and sexual assault cases. Many incidents, like that of Ray Rice, were caught on camera and made public. Yet they were settled out of court with hush money. This way the athlete no longer has to answer for their crimes, and the capitalists keep their interests intact. After an important event has passed or the season is over, sometimes the NFL will let the player go, but the NFL’s ability to buy silence sends a strong message to people who have dealt with sexual assault and/or domestic violence is one that I don’t want to be associated with.
4. The problematic ads that arise with the fight for Superbowl commercialism
Superbowl commercials are almost as important as the actual Superbowl itself to a lot of people. Many large brands shovel out lots of money for the opportunity that is given to Superbowl commercials; because the Superbowl attracts such a large audience, ad companies can sometimes go overboard when it comes to commercial and release something that gets a lot of negative attention, like the Kendall Jenner Pepsi commercial.
To avoid all of the potential problems that come along with the Superbowl, I’ll just not watch it. I recommend you don’t next year.
HCXO.