The other day Lucy and I were debating who to root for (euphemism for who to bet on) in an NFL game between the Patriots of New England and the Jets of New York. Neither of us has the least bit of affection for either team. So I blurted out that we should pick the Jets because the Pats are owned by Robert Kraft — he of the $1 million gift to the Trump Inaugural Committee and the kerfuffle at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa down in Florida. 

 

I’d often cited Kraft’s donation as the most obscene use of money ever. Then again, maybe not. Trump named Jets owner Woody Johnson as ambassador to the Court of St. James, a post traditionally reserved for the incoming president’s biggest campaign donor. 

 

So which right-wing suck-up did Lucy and I want to side with?  

 

Our dilemma got me thinking about the NFL and its owners, billionaires all. While Kraft and Johnson are especially odious, they weren’t the only owners who lavished megabucks on Trump in 2020. Others who wrote six- or seven-digit checks included the owners of the Dolphins (Steven Ross), the Texans (the late Robert McNair), the Jaguars (Shahid Khan), the Rams (Stan Kroenke), the Browns (James Haslam), the Buccaneers (Edward Glazer), and the Cowboys (Jerry Jones). It’s a safe bet that other owners also supported Trump through company donations that concealed their identities; no need to diss the Democrats in their fan base. 

 

Kraft and Jones are widely regarded as the first among equals — the most powerful of all the owners in the NFL’s exclusive club. Both are ardent Trump supporters, as is Jets owner Johnson, who regularly appears publicly with Trump. He was on the podium with Trump when he clinched the Republican nomination last February in South Carolina. Recalling it causes me to gag.

 

The odious political leanings of Kraft, Jones, Johnson and some other owners are reason enough to shun the NFL cabal, but there are more. Consider:

 

• Colin Kaepernick — Colin was a star quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who led them to a Super Bowl in 2013 and an NFC Championship in 2014. In the 2016 season, he began a protest against racial injustice and police brutality. He continued to kneel that season, and during the 2017 season, many other NFL players joined him. He became a free agent afterward and, surprise, no team was interested in him. He started his protest at age 29, when he was in his prime. NFL owners, egged on by President Trump, presented a united front and Kaepernick never played again. It was a stark warning to other players to avoid social and political uppityness. 
• Head Injuries — As neurological evidence emerged over the past decade-plus about the long-term effects of concussions, macho traditionalists howled that a bunch of softies were attacking their beloved game. Trump, of course, couldn’t resist weighing in: “What used to be considered a great tackle — a violent, head-on-head violent (tackle) … Now they tackle…Bing! Flag! Football has become soft like our country has become soft.” By contrast, President Obama had said in 2014 that if he had a son, he would urge him not to play football. 

The NFL owners have made all the right noises about their concern for player safety, and I believe many of them really are concerned. But they have a conflict of interest because the appeal of their sport is all about hyper-masculinity and violence. Any attempt to make meaningful changes in the product on the field threatens their massive profits. With more and more retired players developing dementia at relatively young ages, one wonders how — or whether — the NFL will make the game safer.

• The Exaggeration of our Cultural Excesses — NFL football reflects our macho American culture. Indeed, it is almost a caricature of it. Machismo is on full display not only during the game, but well before kickoff, too, with flyovers by military aircraft, giant American flags stretched across the field, and honor guards shouldering rifles. It’s patriotism on steroids. (To me the pregame ceremonies seem an orgy of jingoism, but maybe I’m being cynical.) On the sidelines, buff  cheerleaders tantalize manly men in the stands with alluring dance and acrobatic routines. And all this is wrapped up for the TV viewer with a giant bow of hyper-commercialism lubricated by Bud Light. 
• Incessant Shilling for Gambling Websites — After decades of decrying  gambling on football as the devil’s work, the league has embraced gambling with a fervor worthy of born-again Christians.  I’ve been betting on football for over 50 years — mostly with one old reprobate friend from St. Augustine — so I can’t criticize legalized sports betting. To me, it’s like legalizing marijuana: Simply recognizing reality. Yet even I am astonished, and a bit put off, by the ubiquity of the advertising for betting sites. I wonder if they should be allowed to advertise at all. Specific bets — usually high-risk parlays — are openly touted by commentators. Betting hype is so inescapable you can’t help but wonder how it affects addictive personalities. The betting sites — FanDuel, Draft Kings, MGM Bets, and Caesar’s Sportsbook — pay good money to advertise, which makes the whole TV package more lucrative for the TV networks and the league.

Sports betting and the NFL are a marriage made in …. I’m not sure where. 

• A Showcase for Capitalism Unchained — One of the unfortunate realities of our country is increasing inequality of income, wealth, and opportunity, all showcased by the NFL. Only the most super of the super-rich can own a team. And as for players, the Tom Bradys in the NFL are the exception. Most players don’t have gazillion dollar contracts and 20-year-plus careers. Many earn the minimum salary negotiated by the NFL Players Association, currently $705,000. Not a bad salary, to be sure, but not a lifetime annuity either, especially considering that the average player’s career lasts only 3.3 years. At the low end of the pay scale, that’s not long enough to be “set for life”, as some would have you believe. And the risks players run in their short careers are significant. An article published on the website completepayroll.com in 2019 reported the following: 

 

Although there are definitely a lot of retired players who find successful careers, there is an undeniable financial strain on retired players. In fact, in 2009, there was a report that 78% of retired players declared bankruptcy or went through significant financial stress.

 

You’re probably wondering whether I’ll give up watching the NFL; thinking that I’m the biggest hypocrite ever if I don’t. Yes, I could avoid the wretched excess, militaristic jingoism, hyper-masculinity, crass commercialism, the lure to gamble, the half-naked dancing girls, and the fat-cat owners in private boxes gazing down on the gridiron like gods on Olympus. My spirit tells me I should go cold turkey.

 

But my flesh is weak, so I won’t. I’ll keep watching pro football for the same reason others do: Despite its appeal to our baser instincts, it is entertaining, pure and simple.

 

Just like any vice, though, too much football can ruin you. If you watched no sport but American football — either college or pro — all the negative cultural baggage you’d have to put up with might turn you off on sports entirely. So I have a suggestion for a remedy. 

 

Watch  some women’s sports, college or professional. Soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball, golf, and rugby (yes, women play rugby) all come to mind. If you think sports has been tainted by the excesses of the NFL, you might find women’s sports refreshing. 

         

N.B. Lucy and I decided to pull for the Patriots.  And we lost.

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