C’mon man…
Enough’s enough. Shut it down.
The NFL needs to put the pink jerseys into storage for a bit, and start fighting another insidious kind of Cancer altogether; its own secret, shameful disregard for women and children.
It would be terrible enough, if the most recent high profile cases involving Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, and Adrian Peterson were anomalies; just violent, disgusting aberrations in an otherwise decent record of protecting anyone not on their rosters or payrolls.
Sadly though, these are simply the latest examples of an organizational perpetuation of off-the-field brutality, that defy any other rationale, than that the NFL simply hasn’t cared, because it hasn’t ever needed to.
“It’s good to be the King.” – Mel Brooks
That’s what great power does in organizations.
It breeds arrogance.
It creates systematic blind spots.
It makes morality a moldable, pliable thing, to be shaped as one desires.
It makes rules and consequences an afterthought.
It devalues people who aren’t deemed essential, (which tragically in the case of pro football, seems to always include those who don’t suit-up on Sundays).
The NFL is Number 1 in America, by a long shot. Stadiums are packed, ad revenues are through the roof, and preseason games of B-List teams do better TV ratings that the World Series.
Bulletproof.
Because of that, they’ve cultivated a culture of lawlessness and violent behavior that spills far beyond the white lines; one where athletes can and do, commit some of the most despicable, reckless acts, without much more than a “stern talking to” from the boss; crimes that you and me as fans of the league, are now complicit in.
We’ve been the family friend, choosing to “mind our own business”, to look away when the nasty stuff goes down because we “really like the guy”. We’ve rationalized away the deplorable behavior, excused it as a cultural issue, or simply blamed the victims.
The NFL has made it clear in recent decades that they court and covet the female and youth markets. After all, getting a bunch of young guys and old dudes to support the sport has always been a given, but the way that the league has become the unparalleled financial/cultural juggernaut that it is, is because of its overt marketing and merch-heavy sales pitch to women and children.
“We really, really love you.”
That’s the message that’s spoken by the NFL to ladies and kids, and yet underneath the flashy summer camps, and the starry-eyed photo ops, and the sexy charity work; the employees of the league are punching-out girlfriends, bloodying 4-year olds, shooting-up nightclubs, driving drunk and running-over people; and they’re becoming, and sometimes remaining millionaires ten times over in the process.
Talk about a mixed message.
That’s the essence of any abusive relationship, though: commit violence, while professing love; speak adoration while breaking bones.
The sad truth, is that the only thing that’s been able to rouse the NFL into anything resembling a responsible reaction to the recent horrendous conduct of its players; has been disgusting, explicit, stomach-turning (and for them, embarrassing) video and photographic evidence. (Victims of domestic violence and child abuse often have to fight tooth-and-nail to get the benefit of the doubt, and they rarely have the benefit of TMZ‘s website).
Truthfully, the league’s response, even in these most extreme cases, has seemed more like an effort to address the black eye to its image, than of a young woman being pummeled unconscious in an elevator, by a star running back.
The NFL needs to step back and step-up, big time. It needs policies that match its promo campaigns.
It needs to give women and children a clear, consistent message beyond Sundays when the camera’s rolling; and that means holding their superstar employees to a standard higher than simply their rushing yards or sack totals; getting players help when they need it, and giving them punishment when they deserve it.
And we who call ourselves fans of the NFL, need to show women and children that they have greater value than our Sunday afternoon diversions and our fantasy team stats; and we do that with our voices, and our dollars, and our TV sets.
The NFL, and women and kids are in an abusive relationship right now. Let us not be among those who send mixed signals to either party.
