Rambling Thoughts about the NFL and their "Dixie Chicks Moment" (Vanity)

Self | 9/27/2017 | Alberta's Child

[Slyfox]

I was a huge Dixie Chicks fan from way back when they were doing cowgirl songs in cowgirl outfits. I still miss their sweet harmonies.

With that said, knowing the group as I did, I found that they really did not understand their audience. They had no idea who was really listening to them.

So, when Natalie made her stand on foreign soil during war time, they were very surprised at the fall out. I believe that they have still not gotten over it.

Maybe the NFL should look at their situation squarely and figure out who their audience is - BIG HINT - it is not the leftists.

And they also need to look closely at their own rule book which does not allow displays that look like political statements.

[Alberta's Child]

Thank you! :-)

[Alberta's Child]

Yep -- I focused on the Steelers for two reasons:

1. Their pre-game bullsh!t was particularly bizarre and played out disgracefully.

2. The reactions of some Pittsburgh fans I've seen online have been epic, to say the least. LOL.

[arthurus]

Very nicely put together.

[kanawa]

bkmk

[Alberta's Child]

It’s a good comparison. The Dixie Chicks are obviously much smaller than the NFL and not nearly as well entrenched in our culture, but their tone-deaf actions were amazing to watch.

[justa-hairyape]

The NFL is definitely a service Provider. That service is a team playing a game of football. Without the game, their players are worthless. Only other capital assets are equipment and facilities they may own for training. Any merchandise owned will also be worthless if the game collapses. They do not own the stadiums. So yeah, net worth is very low, possibly negative when debts are added, if the game collapses. Think the big losers will be networks that sell advertising. Could finally collapse parts of that crony industry. Personally think the NFL peaked right before they copyrighted the Stupid Bowl phrase. That was when a significant number of people started questioning the greed of the league.

[Alberta's Child]

The beauty of this was the way it was all played out by President Trump since last Friday.

When I heard his epic rant at the Alabama rally, my first thought was that he had tossed a hand grenade right into the NFL-media crowd.

After a couple of days I decided that it happened a little differently. He rolled a bunch of hand grenades into the circle-jerk known as the NFL and their media partners. And these @ssholes have spent five days running around trying to pull all the pins out themselves.

[abb]

Inspector Clouseau’s bomb-handling skills come to mind.

[Alberta's Child]

The Cowboys might actually be an unusual case among NFL teams. I believe they own their practice facility and a lot of real estate in that area of Dallas-Fort Worth.

[Alberta's Child]

LMAO.

[justa-hairyape]

Wow. 1988. You saw the light a long time ago. It was relatively easy for me to stop watching since I was a Lions fan.

[abb]

Lookee here!

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/09/begins-stubhub-advertises-10-discount-nfl-september-tickets/

It Begins: Stubhub Advertises 10% Discount on NFL Tickets
September 27, 2017 by Jim Hoft 81 Comments

On Sunday over 200 NFL players knelt during the US national anthem on Gold Star Mothers Day.

A poll on Tuesday found that nearly two-thirds of Americans stand with President Trump and the National Anthem.

And nearly 51% of participants in the poll say they watch less NFL football due to the politics.

Now this…
Stubhub is advertising 10% discount on NFL tickets.

[right way right]

“There's nothing more dangerous for a major U.S. entertainment business enterprise than to screw around with people who can easily spent discretionary dollars anywhere. The problem many of these professional sports teams face is that they have almost no hard assets of any value. Take away the NFL’s TV and merchandising contracts, and most NFL teams probably have a net worth of almost $0”

I liked that point, even though a bit exaggerated it makes a really strong point about what we can actually do.

The best thing that we could hope comes out of this is that 'Real' Americans would gain confidence in our own power. I hope the NFL goes teats up and a new American Football league takes its place.

[Alberta's Child]

That’s great news. TV ratings and secondary ticket sales are the best indicators of an NFL team’s appeal at any given moment. TV contract values and initial ticket sales aren’t good indicators because these are often done months and years in advance.

[IMTOFT]

“A real bellwether as to how this is going to play out is the typically very high visibility Sunday matchup between the arch divisional rivals Steelers & Ravens in Baltimore. Keep an eye on that one.”

And as a former diehard Ravens fan and Steeler-hater, I agree, I am curious as to how that game will turn out...I’ll read about it later, my desire to watch that game has dissolved to zero...when I sat down and watched the Baltimore Ravens - who previously represented the birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner kneel for the national anthem, then stand respectfully for “God Save the Queen” on foreign soil, it sickened me and angered me...they deserved that loss and the loss of support of many hard-working, patriotic fans of all races, religions and creeds...when I saw the final score later on Sunday, my immediate reaction was one from Seinfeld...that’s a shame...looking forward to my Sunday as I’m free from the NFL...

[Billthedrill]

Great stuff, and thanks for posting! This affair is still in its beginning stages, so no definitive comment is really possible at the moment, but you've brought up some very interesting points. I think that the majority of players are fuzzy at best on precisely what it is their teammates are protesting, and are participating out of a sense of team loyalty that has run them into conflict with the loyalties of their fans and their country. Quite a few people of less than discerning intellect have been persuaded by sheer repetition that America is evil and must be punished, and the peer pressure brought on by others of even less discerning intellect in the popular media has persuaded them into an act of unreasoning vanity. One notices that precisely none of these incredibly high-paid protesters has offered either to quit his job or to donate its proceedings to the disadvantaged. It's all about the optics.

The outrage that is pervasive in those media concerning Colin Kaepernik's failure to land another job in the NFL is a case in point. Mind you, the guy turned down a qualifying offer worth more money than any of us ordinary citizens could hope to see in a lifetime; the outrage is for him paying any price whatever for behaving in a deliberately provocative manner toward what he, and the media, knew perfectly well were perhaps the ultimate hot buttons in American politics. In short, they are the enlightened superiors of a fan-base that they deny has any right even to object.

It isn't turning out like that. They're blaming Trump, but this is older than Trump's Presidency, and his role in the matter was not to take any action within his power as Chief Executive, but merely to speak out. That is all he has done. The people who started this inferno are blaming the guy who pointed his finger at it and said "Fire".

I think that a very large number of people in the sports media who have hooked onto political correctness in their own professional ascension are now stuck with it as their reason for existence, and are likely to go down with it when finally the public has had enough of it. It shouldn't be too difficult to anticipate that blatant disrespect for the flag and the anthem and the people it represents would be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. The purpose of political agitation is to provoke, and they've managed that brilliantly. Now, the deluge.

[justa-hairyape]

These national anthem protestors just don’t get it at all. There are times when you HAVE to drop politics. For example, when the US sends troops overseas for a significant conflict. The goal of every citizen should be to support the troops and get them back home successfully. Disagreed with the need to send troops on a few occasions, but once they were sent and American life’s were on the line, I stopped the politics and got behind the effort.

[Chainmail]

Well done - really succinct and covers all aspects.

Excellent work.

[jeannineinsd]

The biggest problem they face is that they have too many different kinds of “customers” (fans, TV networks and sponsors), and they may not be able to keep all three of them happy at the same time.

I agree about the too many "customers". I think, dollarwise, the NFL gets more cash from the TV networks that they do directly from fans purchasing tickets to see games in the local stadiums. The TV networks get the cash to pay the NFL from the sponsors. The sponsors are actually paying for the attention (or eyeballs) of the fans watching the game. So, I think this goes around in circles.

I think most seats at local stadiums are already sold for the season, to season ticket holders. I believe the NFL has multi-year contracts with the TV stations. I don't think the NFL will immediately feel a cash pinch if fewer people are viewing the games.

I think the TV Networks, and the media companies in general, are the most vulnerable financially. The networks need the NFL as a content provider. If you look at the Nielsen ratings of most-watched TV shows, football games are always at the top of the list. The singing shows (The Voice, America's Got Talent) and dancing shows (Dancing with the Stars) do well in the ratings, but not as well as football. The network-produced comedies and dramas do not do so well. The networks no longer have the ability to produce entertainment that large numbers of people wish to watch. If people are no longer turning in to football, there goes a large part of their audience, and part of their ability to charge for advertising.

The NFL owners may nor may not change tactics. They may or may not come to appreciate their fans. Time will tell.

My own belief is that the media will not change their focus. They are content to roll left and die. They give the impression they hate America and Americans. I believe the people running those companies will push their politics no matter what, even if their corporations are run into the ground.