When we heard about Sunday’s events, our first thought was: Easterbrook is going to be insufferable this week.
In retrospect, “insufferable” may not have been the right word. Perhaps “long winded” is better.
In that vein, and before the jump, we’d like to point you at David French’s National Review piece, “I Understand Why They Knelt”, which is one of the best pieces we’ve read so far on the subject.
After the jump, about 5,600 words of this week’s TMQ…
…of which about the first 1,100 are devoted to Sunday’s protest. Easterbrook pretty much echos the same talking points we’ve seen elsewhere:
- We first have to give Easterbrook credit for bringing up Trump’s involvement in the USFL. However, we’ve also seen “Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?” and we’d debate the position that Trump “drove the USFL into the ditch”. Trump may have been responsible for some of the USFL’s problems, but we also believe Trump and the other owners were making decisions they thought were right at the time.
- Trump is a narcissist.
- “…a national football boycott is not happening”. Perhaps not, but it is worth pointing out that this comes from a man who constantly reminds his readers that no law of nature guarantees the continuing popularity of the NFL.
- It’s okay to respect the flag. It’s okay to not respect the flag and protest.
- Why is so much hatred directed at black players, and not white owners?
- “If football is crummy, that’s just a matter of taste—but if violence is lacking, that is a disturbing notion”. We wanted to quote that because Easterbrook has also been writing regularly about the declining quality of play in the NFL. Matter of taste, indeed.
- The president is calling for more violence in football, and since 75% of the players are black, thus calling for “more violence against black bodies”. But is he actually calling for that? Easterbrook cites a NYT “paraphrase” of something the president supposedly said.
- And hasn’t Easterbrook also complained about the confusing rules on what constitutes a legitimate, fair hit versus an illegitimate, dirty hit? Could that be part of what’s making football “crummy”?
- Easterbrook doesn’t believe that Trump’s election was “fundamentally about hatred of blacks resurfacing in American life”. Good. To. Know.
Speaking of “crummy”…
Stats. Sweet: Buffalo. Sour: Houston. (Chicken-(salad) kicking! Ding!) Mixed: New England-Houston. “I’ll call and raise on my prediction that Houston will reach the Super Bowl.” Well, thanks, Gregg. You’ve doomed the Texans. Hope you’re happy.
We’re just going to say it. It’s interesting that Easterbrook now says TMQ was on hiatus as he completed his new book, but never mentioned taking a hiatus during the actual season. Instead, he responded to every question about the column with the same tweet.
Anyway, this is another 1,000 words you can pretty much skip. As we point out every year, this is Easterbrook thinking he’s “Regret the Error” and not doing it as well as the actual column used to (before it moved to the nearly worthless Poynter.org).
Unity?
TMQ takes note of last week’s deaths. Quoting his own book:
1. We doubt that 722 deaths in a year would lead to the “outlawing” of football, or any sport.
2. We think many people question the morality of watching the Tour de France. Less so because of the risk of bicycle accidents (because the Tour takes place on a closed course) and more so because of the doping.
3. Actually, as a quasi-member of the bicycle community, society increasingly does notice when there is a bicycle accident.
TMQ takes what we think is a curious position: “…whether there is a direct link between Hernandez’s CTE and his crime and suicide is hardly self-evident, especially since CTE is a newly discovered condition that is not well understood”. There may be some truth to that, but we’re pretty sure we’ve seen reports of not just erratic, but actual violent behavior, by players who were later diagnosed with CTE. TMQ may be right: it’s just surprising to see him take such a conservative position.
Chicken-(salad) kicking: Cincinnati.
“Adventures in Officiating”: there’s actually a good explanation of why that call in the Detroit game was right (or, at least, consistent with the rules) here. TMQ also disputes the Sterling Shepard non-TD (we think his argument here is more convincing) and the Von Miller unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (meh).
No snark: it was nice of Easterbrook to note the passings of June Foray and Haruo Nakajima. (Though calling Nakajima part of “The Golden Age of Silliness” is a bit much: yes, a man in a rubber monster suit is kind of silly, but the original “Godzilla” wasn’t.)
It’s fair to say that Americans dream about being sports stars. But Americans also frequently (just like Trump) sneer at their sports stars. The guy you daydream about being today may throw five picks on Sunday, and you find yourself saying “Even I can play better than that.” “Well, I certainly wouldn’t throw no five damn interceptions.” Fans are fickle.
The Golden Gate Bridge is an hour away from where the 49ers play.
There’s a TMQ podcast? Oh, God.
“Crummy”. Just saying.
The 500 Club. The 700 Club. Viewer mail: the EPA administrator has a full-time security detail of 18 people.
Carnegie Mellon 37, Thomas More 17. “Single Worst Play of the Season—So Far”: yeah, the Marcus Cooper bozo play.
And that’s a wrap until next week. Keep your powder dry, and your faith in God.