No, CNN, The Super Bowl Does Not Need MORE Politics; It Needs None

Even though studies consistently show sports fans don’t want to hear about politics while watching games – and ratings support this – one can’t watch something like the Super Bowl these days without getting leftist politics jammed down their throats.

But CNN’s highlight coverage of the game insisted it needed more politics. In the past year, I’ve taken to switching to football games only right when the game is supposed to start in an attempt to avoid all the political messaging. Based on the CNN highlight article, that seems to have been a smart move, as I was not aware of most of the political brainwashing that occurred before and after the game.

CNN, of course, included these moments in its “highlights” section, except for one that was included in the “lowlights” section – but only because the NFL’s “anti-racism” public-service announcement didn’t include ex-Quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“The NFL delivered a strong public-service announcement regarding its financial commitment to a campaign against systemic racism, but the failure to make any reference to Colin Kaepernick – the outspoken quarterback who hasn’t found a home in the league – felt like a glaring oversight,” CNN’s Brian Lowry wrote.

Yes, that was the problem with the PSA, not the completely meaningless gesture or the fact that the $250 million will do nothing to stop “systemic racism,” a term whose definition is constantly changing in order to keep victimhood alive.

Is there racism in America? Absolutely, though not at the levels many who profit from the claim allege. Is there systemic racism? Maybe, but again, the people who insist it is pervasive are the ones who stand to make a fortune from continuing the claim.

Since the Super Bowl always occurs during Black History Month, we get a yearly reminder of the history of black NFL players, which is always fine and interesting, but this year we also had to listen to James Brown suggesting NFL team owners are racist because there aren’t as many black coaches or black front-office workers.

“That might not sound like much, but it always takes some guts for a network to call out the NFL, given the value of those football contracts,” Lowry wrote.

Actually, it takes no guts at all, considering the current political environment. It was an utterly pointless statement with no teeth. It aired once, so NFL owners may not have even seen it, and it’s not going to make them change anything.

It also didn’t put CBS’s NFL contract in jeopardy at all. It was easy to ignore, and unlikely to anger any team owners to the point that they band together and force the NFL to end its contract with CBS. It’s just not realistic. Do you think Jerry Jones gives a hoot about Brown’s complaints, or that he would be angry enough to demand CBS lose its NFL contract?

We’re also living in a political environment where the “brave” thing to say is exactly what the Left wants to hear. It’s why so many companies pointlessly pledged allegiance to Black Lives Matter. Saying they’re “anti-racist” was a no-brainer, supporting a Democrat-approved organization – regardless of whether that organization hates American principles and prefers Marxism or is quietly tolerates violent – took no bravery whatsoever. They were all just statements and empty commitments, no one is asking for updates and accountability.

The same goes for the NFL’s commitment to spend $250 million on fighting systemic racism. That commitment is spread over 10 years, and will go to “programs that address criminal justice reform, police reform and economic and educational advancement for African Americans,” according to a press release from the NFL. That same press release said the league had already donated $44 million to social justice programs.

“That money had funded 20 national social justice grant partners and made matching contributions to 350 local grassroots organizations identified by players and former players,” the press release said.

Okay, so what has that money accomplished? Has “systemic racism” been dismantled in any measurable way?

The truth is the accusation that America is racist will never go away, because a billion-dollar industry exists to keep that accusation alive, constantly morphing to demand more and more money. Think about it, diversity training programs and anti-racism campaigns have been going on for decades, yet apparently America just keeps getting more racist or, at the very least, doesn’t improve in the slightest. How many billions of dollars have gone to organizations fighting racism over the decades without any improvement?

Perhaps there has been an improvement, but it’s just too tempting to keep the gravy train going, and that requires new and constantly shifting definitions of racism.

But it doesn’t matter, because the Left has decided to push its agenda at every opportunity. We’re never allowed to escape politics – not in sports, TV shows, movies, or the products we buy. And let’s be real, the message isn’t simply “don’t be racist,” it’s much more inflammatory, insisting white people are racist no matter what, minorities are constant victims (an infantilizing message), and capitalism is evil – agree with the Left or stop existing.

It would be nice to watch just one game that was all about sports, not politics.

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