10-16-2017, 13:29
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#1
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Area Commander
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Cochise Co., AZ
Posts: 6,177
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Roger Goodell Killed the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg
Interesting commentary given the recent death of Y.A. Tittle:
Quote:
Y.A. Tittle died last week. A Hall of Fame quarterback for the New York Giants, he is best known for the taking a knee on a football field. Actually, it was two knees.
In September 1964, the Giants were facing the Pittsburgh Steelers at old Pitt Stadium. Tittle was 38 years old and at the tail end of a 17-year professional career. He had led his team to three straight NFL Championship Games, in ’61, ’62, and ’63, but did not win.
In the game against the Steelers, he dropped back into his own end zone to throw a pass. He was viciously knocked to the ground and his helmet flew off. The pass was intercepted for a touchdown.
He struggled to his knees and stared blankly into the open field, bleeding from his head. The other players backed off and left him to himself. At that moment, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer Morris Berman snapped a picture.
It is among the greatest sports photographs ever taken. There is Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston and Ben Hogan with his one iron at Merion’s final hole. But those are about achievement and victory. This is about the struggle to rise after being knocked down.
People watch the NFL to revel in such mythology. A game where redemption is purchased at a great physical cost serves as an allegory for the common man.
In the 1960s, American culture was fracturing along a fault line, with the common man on one side and scorn against his mores and values on the other. The league’s commissioner at the time, Pete Rozelle, chose to take the side of ordinary Americans in the raging culture war, because they were his natural audience. The league sent star players to visit troops in Vietnam and issued rules requiring players to stand upright during the playing of the National Anthem.
In 1967, the NFL produced a film that combined sideline and game footage titled, “They Call It Pro Football.” The film was unapologetically hokey. It was crew cuts and high tops and lots of chain smoking into sideline telephones. With a non-rock, non-folk, non-“what’s happening now” soundtrack, heavy on trumpets and kettle drums. John Facenda, who would come to be called “The Voice of God” for his work with NFL Films, provided the vaulting narration. The production began with the words, “It starts with a whistle and ends with a gun.” There was nothing Radical Chic about it.
The NFL surpassed baseball as America’s pastime with careful branding that conformed to the tastes and sensibilities of middle-class Americans – Nixon’s silent majority. A half century later, Roger Goodell would kill the goose that laid the golden egg.
In August 2016, America was experiencing a polarizing presidential election. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the playing of the national anthem, to protest injustice. It was a politically divisive act directed at fans who regard the national anthem as something sacred. The league did not lift a finger to stop him.
Most employers don’t let their workers make controversial political statements to their customers. It is why you do not know your UPS driver’s views on the expansion of NATO. The Constitution does not prohibit private businesses from regulating speech during work.
A savvier commissioner would have reminded Kaepernick that he is being paid millions to wear the logo of the NFL, and the league does not permit players to use its brand to flaunt their personal politics. Instead, Roger Goodell permitted the pregame ceremonies to become the focus of intense political scrutiny, as the media lined up to catalog whether players stood, sat or knelt during the national anthem.
He knew, no doubt, that protesting the national anthem would be offensive to some people. With Hillary Clinton’s inevitable triumph looming, it was generally considered okay to offend those people. They would be described by Hillary Clinton a few days after Kaepernick’s protest as a basket of deplorables. The NFL was just pandering to the prevailing sentiment when it green lighted Kaepernick’s cause. Then Trump won.
The rule before Trump was that half the country had to endure any scold, put up with all name calling, and generally be treated like idiots by popular culture. The brilliant lights who made the rules never considered that scolding half the country may, in itself, have been divisive. And that people have been stewing about it for years.
When the 2017 seasons started, President Trump railed at the NFL for permitting the protests. Rather than back down, the NFL doubled down, employing the double speak of the cornered weakling. Try to imagine John Facenda speaking the words, “The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture” – you can’t.
Television ratings have tanked. By permitting its games to become a forum for liberal politics, the NFL broke faith with its fan base.
Y.A. Tittle quit football after kneeling in the end zone and sold insurance. He hung Berman’s photograph in his office with the caption, “Nothing Comes Easy.” Last week, his death coincided with the end the NFL mythology he represented. The league is no longer a fanfare for the common man, an allegory about the struggle to get up after being knocked down.
It is easy to drop to one knee in a deliberate pose to protest something. Rising from two knees after spending yourself in a physical battle, that’s not so easy. It is why people watched, Roger.
https://townhall.com/columnists/thom...n-egg-n2395496
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Rest in Peace, Y.A.
Pat
__________________
"Hector Lives!"
"The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." -- Frederick Douglass
"The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen." -- Dennis Prager
"The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it." --H.L. Mencken
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PSM is offline
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10-16-2017, 13:40
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#2
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Area Commander
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Midwest
Posts: 2,811
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RIP Y.A.
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cbtengr is offline
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10-16-2017, 15:59
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#3
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Area Commander
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 1,588
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One of the side effects of not following the NFL or ESPN, I missed the story that Mr. Tittle had passed last week. One can imagine what he and some of the other old players think about what the league has become.
Excellent article. If the owners decided tomorrow to fire Goodell and force the players to obey the league rules, I still wouldn't come back.
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bblhead672 is offline
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10-16-2017, 18:07
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#4
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,780
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RIP. Mr. Tittle.
I am glad to see that the rest of your life was well-lived and held meaning.
The guy who put that lick on him was John Baker, a North Carolinian who went on to become the Wake County, NC Sheriff for many years.
Roger Goodell can go straight to Hell, for all I care.
I am losing any desire to watch this show ever again with overpaid thugs who think they are above the law and who have no respect for the nation that affords them the opportunity to enrich themselves. And the owners are just as bad. 
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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10-17-2017, 12:56
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#5
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Nov 2012
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I didn't know YA died last week. Damn. He was one of my childhood idols and I remember that game. He always showed courage and class in the face of adversity. Too bad kids today don't have players like him to look up to. The NFL is a useless institution IMO.
Oh, and TR, I remember when Baker was Sheriff in Wake Co. Didn't make the connection at the time.
RIP YA! You and your kind are sorely missed more than you could know. 
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Trapper John is offline
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10-17-2017, 17:09
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#6
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: midwest
Posts: 353
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back in the day
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Remington Raidr is offline
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10-17-2017, 17:58
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#7
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 401
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Last week, I received this mail:
Some of the top Dallas Cowboys players have agreed to do a private “Meet and Greet” for IT Executives and their families on November 6th at the Verizon Theater, and I want to make sure you are included. There will be 60+ IT Executives attending with their families or guests. Players will be spending the evening singing autographs and taking photos with everyone.
This event is a unique opportunity for IT leaders to meet players from the Dallas Cowboys, while enjoying a fun night out with the family and interacting with peers. Below is a link to the complimentary registration, where you can also see some more details about the event and a list of registered guests. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I hope to see you there!
I replied back, declining the invitation. I mentioned how the NFL did not represent my values when it comes to the Anthem protests and the perception of being soft on domestic violence. Some IT vendor is paying a lot of money to sponsor both the group that puts this on and the Cowboys' appearance. I don't think they are going to get their investment back.
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BigJimCalhoun is offline
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10-17-2017, 19:13
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#8
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Area Commander
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Cochise Co., AZ
Posts: 6,177
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigJimCalhoun
singing autographs
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Heck, I'd go just to hear this. 
Pat
__________________
"Hector Lives!"
"The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." -- Frederick Douglass
"The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen." -- Dennis Prager
"The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it." --H.L. Mencken
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PSM is offline
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10-17-2017, 20:14
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#9
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Savannah, GA
Posts: 2,292
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigJimCalhoun
Last week, I received this mail:
Some of the top Dallas Cowboys players have agreed to do a private “Meet and Greet” for IT Executives and their families on November 6th at the Verizon Theater, and I want to make sure you are included. There will be 60+ IT Executives attending with their families or guests. Players will be spending the evening singing autographs and taking photos with everyone.
This event is a unique opportunity for IT leaders to meet players from the Dallas Cowboys, while enjoying a fun night out with the family and interacting with peers. Below is a link to the complimentary registration, where you can also see some more details about the event and a list of registered guests. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I hope to see you there!
I replied back, declining the invitation. I mentioned how the NFL did not represent my values when it comes to the Anthem protests and the perception of being soft on domestic violence. Some IT vendor is paying a lot of money to sponsor both the group that puts this on and the Cowboys' appearance. I don't think they are going to get their investment back.
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I guess you, "took a knee"!
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The Main Thing is to keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
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abc_123 is offline
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10-17-2017, 20:32
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#10
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: State of Confusion
Posts: 5,747
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out to dinner with NFL players and peers....
so, is the agenda to do some drugs, beat on a few women, get drunk, get a DUI, and then listen to millionaires complain about the shitty state of american culture and law enforcement?
I'd rather stay home and masturbate to an old Sears catalog
__________________
Opinions stated in this post are solely those of the author, and in no way reflect the opinions or policies of The Department of Defense, The United States Army, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, The Screen Actors Guild, The Boy Scouts, The Good, The Bad, or The Ugly. These opinions are provided purely as overly sarcastic social commentary and are not meant to be used for mission planning or navigation.
"Make sure your own mask is secure before assisting others"
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Last edited by Box; 10-17-2017 at 20:34.
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Box is offline
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10-17-2017, 21:25
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#11
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Box
out to dinner with NFL players and peers....
so, is the agenda to do some drugs, beat on a few women, get drunk, get a DUI, and then listen to millionaires complain about the shitty state of american culture and law enforcement?
I'd rather stay home and masturbate to an old Sears catalog
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Not the one with the man on page 602, I hope.
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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10-18-2017, 03:58
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#12
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Vonore, TN
Posts: 579
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NTF
Originally Posted by Box,
I'd rather stay home and masturbate to an old Sears catalog
I am so glad I bought the waterproof case for my iPad 
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Swoop is offline
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10-18-2017, 04:37
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#13
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Area Commander
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,235
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Box
out to dinner with NFL players and peers....
so, is the agenda to do some drugs, beat on a few women, get drunk, get a DUI, and then listen to millionaires complain about the shitty state of american culture and law enforcement?
I'd rather stay home and masturbate to an old Sears catalog
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LOL......Must be the "Tool and Hardware" Section...... 
__________________
“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Rita
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rsdengler is offline
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10-18-2017, 06:08
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#14
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: State of Confusion
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rsdengler
LOL......Must be the "Tool and Hardware" Section...... |
It is now...
...a younger version of me might have been ogling the ladies nightgown section but these days, I would likely be more interested in finding a good price on a soft-sided-2-bag grass-catcher for my Craftsman Riding mower.
__________________
Opinions stated in this post are solely those of the author, and in no way reflect the opinions or policies of The Department of Defense, The United States Army, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, The Screen Actors Guild, The Boy Scouts, The Good, The Bad, or The Ugly. These opinions are provided purely as overly sarcastic social commentary and are not meant to be used for mission planning or navigation.
"Make sure your own mask is secure before assisting others"
-Airplane Safety Briefing
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Box is offline
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10-18-2017, 06:14
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#15
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Area Commander
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,235
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Box
It is now...
...a younger version of me might have been ogling the ladies nightgown section but these days, I would likely be more interested in finding a good price on a soft-sided-2-bag grass-catcher for my Craftsman Riding mower.
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Ha...too funny....these days I still "glance" over the men's underwear section in my Jockey Catalogs, wink, wink, nudge, nudge ...LOL
__________________
“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Rita
Last edited by rsdengler; 10-18-2017 at 06:17.
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