New in PJ Media:
Harrison Butker, a kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, is in a heap of trouble these days. The NFL has issued a statement distancing itself from him, there is a petition at Change.org calling for him to be released, and outraged commentators across our fair land have lined up to condemn him and declare him unworthy to be in the company of decent people. What Butker did to get all this abuse is a sad indication of what life is like in this Age of Absurdity.
If this were a sane society, you might get the impression that Butker did something like take a knee for the National Anthem in protest against an imaginary “systemic racism.” Or you might think that he mortally offended his employers by likening the NFL draft to a slave auction, saying: “What they don’t want you to understand is what’s being established is a power dynamic. Before they put you on the field, teams poke, prod, and examine you searching for any defect that might affect your performance. No boundary respect. No dignity left intact.”
Yet Harrison Butker did not do those things; Colin Kaepernick did. Butker’s outrageous crime was that he gave a commencement speech at Benedictine College, and took aim at some of the most cherished idols of our age. He encouraged the graduates to take pride in themselves and their accomplishments: “Not the deadly sins sort of Pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the holy ghost to glorify him.” As far as leftists are concerned, to criticize Pride Month would be akin to ripping up Betsy Ross’ American flag while standing in front of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and Butker wasn’t finished.
Addressing female graduates, Butker said: “It is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.” Uh oh. As Greta Thunberg would say, Butker, how dare you? How could you possibly conceive of endorsing an idea that has been taken for granted throughout human history in virtually all the cultures of the world, and has only been controverted in the West for the past two centuries?
The NFL wasn’t standing for this. The values of our society had to be affirmed against this renegade. The league’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, Jonathan Beane, announced Wednesday that “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
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cornelius says
Great commentary Robert.
I’d surely be willing to boycott the NFL….(particularly since my beloved home team sucks these days). But I doubt most of America would. Unlike Bud Lite and beer, the NFL has a monopoly on football….and if Americans love anything, they love their football.
James Lincoln says
After Colin Kaepernick got away with “taking a knee” I have boycotted of the NFL.
I’ll stick with following the service academies – won’t miss an Army-Navy game.
PRCS says
College games, due to the greater probability of rookie mistakes are (IMO) more exciting anyway.
Cato the Elder says
My team has a good chance this year, but I won’t be watching, buying merchandise, or watching the game at a bar.
I’ve had it with these people. I already suspect the games are rigged. Maybe they were before, but now that billions are bet legally every Sunday, it’s a certainty.
They’re not going to miss me, but the feeling is mutual. I know it’s more important to management to piss their pants about institutional racism. But God help you if you profess your faith.
Reziac says
Yep, I’m also pretty sure the important games are rigged. Doesn’t take much, just slant the often-ambiguous holding penalties one way or the other and the advantage shifts, and you can’t prove what the ref did or didn’t see.
Wellington says
Used to be a Steelers fan. Haven’t watched a Steelers game since 2019.
The NFL has gone stupid, unpatriotic and disgustingly woke. What a waste of a once great professional sports organization. The days of Johnny Unitas and Jim Brown are long gone and I doubt they are ever coming back.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Yeah, that was Rush Limbaugh’s favorite team as well, from what I recall. But I heard Andrew Wilkow discussing this recently, & he said that while he himself wasn’t into ?, he wasn’t gonna berate those who were, and who after boycotting a few matches went back to it
I did consider familiarizing myself w/ sports in this country, which is the one blind spot I have on American culture. But after all those Kapernaeck demonstrations, as well as that of other sports – ⚾?…., I just dropped that from my list. Like Wilkow, I believe that it’s a lot easier to boycott something that one was not into in the first place
PRCS says
Years ago, I’d go into a funk after the Super Bowl.
As I said, years ago.
tgusa says
I stopped watching before the turn of the 21st century. I did go to super bowl parties and watch (and laugh) as my friends burnt their team hats in the fireplace after a super bowl loss. Haha. In the years that I did watch I rooted for certain players that I liked, not a particular team.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I think that everybody who was disgusted enough w/ the NFL to boycott it has already done so, and those who couldn’t b’cos of their love of ? are not gonna do it now either. So either way, the NFL has nothing more to lose this time by renewing its wokeness: it has already lost everyone it stood to lose
When they play these alternate anthems before every match, they’ve already signaled on which side they are on. In future, I can see them “resolve” this by banning all anthems – from the Star Spangled Banner to the “Lift every voice & sing”, and thereby achieving the original goal of these Marxists of getting rid of the Star Spangled Banner before every game
somehistory says
The gentleman is probably aware of Isaiah, chapter 5, verse 20. The idiot response from the nfl fits that verse to a T.
If there had ever been a well-established Powder Puff league, it’s certain that males would be claiming to be female and making waves to get to play…all those who were lousy players in the nfl or never made it to the draft.
The whole world has gone insane with wrong ideas and practices; and in the treatment of others. Personal opinions are no longer allowed, especially if they come from a religiously trained conscience.
I stopped watching football many years ago. I don’t miss it and can use those three hours to get other things done.
PRCS says
“and in the treatment of others”
Ron says
The NFL is nothing more than a street white diving after a dime. Anything for money.
Stick to football NFL and leave the political arena to others.
The “sport” left that game a while back. Now it s overpaid memes who change allegiance to a different team for a dollar.
Misguided and lost. What’s wrong is right.
Ron says
Should read street whore, not street white. Damn spell check.
Ron says
Should read *** street whore*** not street while. Damn spell check
PRCS says
Better to give it up, eh?
40 rounds says
I totally agree, the players are essentially legalized prostitutes and the NFL is the pimp. Stopped watching years ago.
OLD GUY says
Paying someone millions of dollars just to catch or hit a ball or puck is insane. It’s a game ! It’s NOT important. Way too much money spent on entertainment.
somehistory says
Both Whoopi and Bill Maher have come down on this man’s right to his opinions.
though they disagree with those opinions, saying he has the right to express them, and people can choose to agree or not.
40 rounds says
It was nice of them to grant him that right
somehistory says
they do have platforms and people do listen to them.
tgusa says
He wasn’t an NFL spokesman in a Chiefs uniform on NFL property so why doesn’t the NFL just shut the hell up? I would have thought that the NFL would be too busy sweeping felonious behavior of players under the rug to get involved in Butkers private affairs.
somehistory says
We are in the middle of an epidemic of people telling other people what to think and what to say and punishing some for past *infringments.*
Like the three teens who were kicked out of school for wearing “blackface.”
They got an attorney and sued….because they had on acne masks some four years previous to the time the photos they had taken of themselves came out . The acne masks turned green, but on the pics, looked black..
Had they actually been “blackface” for whatever reason the kids may have wanted to wear them, it was still beyond the rights of the school to expel them.
It was really no business of the nfl to decide that this man had broken some rule. Freedom of speech should apply.
tgusa says
I know. They have to do that stuff to distract themselves from their miserable lives. Here is a song for those types. I hope they listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBoHTTAe_50
tgusa says
If the busybodies wont listen to my nice guy approach I have others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd0uQJLUElE
somehistory says
I have always liked this song. It fits so many circumstances.
Barbara says
Butker gives encouragement and compliments to women and the radicals go off the deep end.
That tells you something about what they value. Success in self, marriage, and family is something to despise and discourage. They want personal destruction and unhappiness. They do not want success in the strong, well-adjusted person and family.
Gary Fouse says
What’s next-Free Palestine in the end zones?