Growing up in north central Missouri, the only sport I was really interested in was baseball. Our high school (good ‘ol Madison’s Panthers) only played basketball and baseball — no track, no soccer, only those two. Since I was short and slow, only baseball fit my skills. Besides, I had followed the St. Louis Cardinals since about ’52 or ’53, and my dream was to play second base for them in the future. Alas, that was not to be, as size and speed really did matter for baseball, too. Basketball I worked at, since that was the most important sport at the school, and the one that attracted the girls. But that is a matter for another entry on the blog.
Because football was a nonstarter for me, it took me until after high school to become interested in following the sport. Back then, the only team in the NFL we could watch was the Chicago Bears. Because cable and satellite TV did not exist, we only got CBS on network TV, since we were in the general area of that team. After awhile, my enthusiasm for even watching football waned as the announcers were notorious “homers”, shills for the home team. Every player was a superstar and every play was executed to perfection, at least to those who gave us the play by-play.
For me, becoming a fan of pro football would not become reality until early 1963. Although beginning in 1960, the American Football League, a rival to the established NFL (begun in 1920) began play. Of the several teams in that league, one, the Dallas Texans, won the third championship game held. But trouble was brewing, because the NFL had expanded into Dallas with the Cowboys, and the Hunt family, owners of the Texans, were bleeding money. (Of course, they, being oil multimillionaires, had plenty to bleed!) It was decided to move the franchise to Kansas City, naming the team the Chiefs after the Kansas City mayor who helped orchestrate the move.
Now I did have a team to support and one that could be watched, first on ABC and then on NBC. The Chiefs had a stellar run at the top of the league until the two rivals merged fully in 1970. They played (and lost) in the first Super Bowl in 1967, and then won it all in 1970. Since then their play has been like a roller coaster, up and down with no more Super Bowl appearances. Still, in the midst of Bear country (I moved to Edgar County in 1965) there was one beacon of sanity, a Chiefs fan, me.
So I enjoyed the banter with colleagues and friends who supported the Bears, as it really was and is just a game. Until now. With the league-wide acceptance and support of those who have decided to disrespect the national anthem and the flag, my interest in football, except on the local level, of course, had become almost nil. Even with the Chiefs the only undefeated team in the NFL (as of today, in 2017), it has become just light background noise. I have not watched a single down this season, nor even watched any highlights.
As most of you know, this all began last year when a San Francisco quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, decided to protest what he called “oppression” of the African-American population in the United States. His words were, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder”. And this year, many more players have gotten involved in the protest, one count topping 200 in one of the weeks so far.
How can anyone justify a multimillionaire player using one of the most unifying elements of our society, sports, to divide the nation? In addition, his rationale does not stand up to scrutiny. Oppression? Does he not know about how other nations treats its citizens of color? If his ancestors came from Africa, does he believe that he is worse off than they, and so he must disrupt the game that become the most popular in the U. S.?
How oppressed can he be? Before the 2014 season, Kaepernick signed a $126 million dollar contract, with many millions of that guaranteed. Oh, to be oppressed like he is!
I have not seen anyone who analyzed his actions look at his pro career up to that point. After becoming the starter for the 49ers, Kaepernick had some initial success, even leading his team to the Super Bowl. But with a change of coaches, his playing time was decreased, being benched from time to time. Before the 2016 season, he asked to be traded to another team. Just at a glance, it seems that an overpaid athlete was seeing himself lose relevance at his position, where pay comes for success. Does anyone but me seem to think that loss of relevance might have triggered an attempt to regain some popularity, or at least notoriety?
But back to being a “former” fan of the NFL. There is no question in my mind that this demonstration shows disrespect for the anthem and the flag. I also believe that many who so protested did so out of honest feelings, perhaps out of solidarity with Kaepernick. But disrespect it is, and now I cannot see myself as any kind of “fan” of the NFL any longer.
And the response of the league’s leadership (Commissioner Roger Goodell), team owners and the players Union just solidified my determination to let pro football get along without me.
Count me out of college basketball, also. When working full-time, I gladly participated in the pool about the NCAA tournament, even winning it once. But when we see the scandal that has caught up coaches, teams, camp officials and makers of team clothing and shoes, it has ruined any thought of rooting for such a corrupt game. They can bounce their basketballs without me watching or caring.
But you might charge, baseball had a work stoppage in 1994, and I am still a fan of America’s game. That was different. While working, I was in a union and helped write contracts for my fellow teachers several times. In ’94, although I did not agree with wiping out the end of the season, the playoffs and the World Series, I understood what it meant to not have the other side come to an agreement. Remember, they were “working” without a contract when the games stopped in August of that year.
Because of that difference, players like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, with their epic home run battle, were able to bring the fans back. Yes, they were both “juiced”, even though McGwire admitted it and Sosa has yet to do so. But fans the country over came back to cheer on their heroes. Sosa and McGwire have reaped their reward — neither has been voted into the Hall of Fame.
But back to the Chiefs and the NFL. I am not going to burn the sweatshirts and tee shirts I have. My cap with the Chiefs’ logo on it, however, will not be worn. Perhaps I will put the little rock with that logo on it away, or maybe just take a sledge-hammer to it. Even with the success of “my” team this year, I, like many others, will just let those overpaid players, with oversized egos, continue to accept their $2 million average salary without my help or support.
Besides, nowadays, I get a lot more satisfaction venting about the injustices of life and politics in my offerings on the blog.