If you know this story:
Yes, maybe I am piling-on…but I promise it is with with my own, specific take (on two separate issues).
If you don’t know this story because you don’t care about football:
Don’t worry, there’s no football talk here…just social commentary.
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Richie Incognito of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins
…weird that a guy is racist AND has a tattoo that says, “MADE IN THE USA”. #sarcasm
This next video deals with Mike Pouncey. This is the player called out by the panel on the podcast who plays next to Incognito and should have done something about his behavior. He doesn’t seem like someone we should expect too much from.
This next video shows the lead-up to the Incognito/Antonio Smith incident involving the helmet-swinging that I talk about in the podcast. I still don’t think swinging a helmet at someone’s face is a good idea, but it certainly wasn’t out of thin air.
In my opinion, we as individuals are to blame whenever people are racist and we let them get away with it. This is the case in our personal lives AND in what we choose to support as consumers.
The Miami Dolphins deserve blame because they have tried repeatedly to suppress reports of Incognito’s actions (racist and others) and have shown him that there are little to zero consequences for what he has done. With this ‘leadership’ style, the Dolphins lost the chance to demonstrate the weight of those actions & the teaching opportunity to let him know that those actions will not be tolerated in today’s society.
The NFL itself should also shoulder a lot of the blame here. Leading by example means not allowing the team from Washington to use the name ‘Redskins’. Can’t we think of something better than naming teams after ethnicities? The NFL is running the risk of losing a generation or more of its prized fan base (and revenue stream).
Keep in mind during all of this that the NFL is considered a non-profit organization. Therefore, this $9 billion/year business pays zero income tax & receives hundreds of millions of dollars per stadium in public-funding…all while charging hyper-inflated prices & refusing to allow fans to see their home team play on television if the game doesn’t sell out. The owner of the ‘Redskins’ (that phrase sounds hideous), Daniel Snyder, has said that they will never change the name. Maybe since he makes millions/year in profit because of the public he should consider listening to the public. Maybe he could pay for his own fucking stadium…or maybe he could at least pay some taxes like the rest of us.
Read about the NFL’s tax-exempt status here.
Sign a petition to end that tax-exempt status here.
The R-word = The N-word
Here’s a counter to the “it’s tradition” argument: Get better traditions.
Here’s a counter to the “we’re honoring you” argument: Nope.
This topic extends to Major League Baseball as well:
One of these is a real hat for a real team. Why is that one considered ‘okay’?
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If you like what I’m doing:
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“US should return stolen land to Indian tribes, says United Nations
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/04/us-stolen-land-indian-tribes-un?CMP=twt_gu “
…or this, from Dec 4, 2012:
“It’s weird DC changed the name of the Bullets to the Wizards because it was ‘offensive’…but they STILL have a team called the ‘Redskins’.”
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'portlandians' 