In a tragic event Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin (#3) collapsed unconscious after a routine collision during with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. The game was in the first quarter at Paycor Stadium. After the hit and tackle, Hamlin got up off the ground, stood in place for a moment and then collapsed unconscious on the field.

The 24-year-old was immediately tended to by medical personnel and was administered CPR for roughly 10 minutes. He was unresponsive as he was put on a stretcher. Hamlin was given oxygen as he was loaded into an ambulance on the field. He was then transported to UC Medical Center, a level one trauma center, where he is in critical condition, according to the league. Hamlin has a pulse but is not breathing on his own.

The NFL suspended the game and issued the following statement:

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The NFL has been moving further and further toward the political left for several years.  Many NFL players and teams openly castigate their fans and denigrate anyone who doesn’t conform to their political correctness.  Overall, the NFL has become a toxic stew of identity politics and divisive intollerance.

However, the Denver Broncos are taking division up a notch today by declaring if their fans do not stand with their brand of virtue signaling politics, then you stand against them.

(Official Team Position Source:  “If you ain’t with us, you against us.”)

Quite a remarkable position.  Apparently, in the endless quest to be the most virtuous, the team has decided to eliminate over half of their potential support base.  Against the recent pressure upon NFL quarterback Drew Brees to apologize for supporting the U.S.A flag; it appears the NFL is a lost cause.

Let the market decide.

Never before in the history of corporate branding decisions has a multi-billion dollar company had such a massive and swift drop of brand image as Nike.  The results from Morning Consult Intelligence, a firm that specializes in monitoring and measuring the brand image and reputation for thousands of major companies, reflects a massive drop in brand image across every single demographic.
We suspected there would be a diminishment of brand image, but nothing like the scale discovered within the polled data:

The report features over 8,000 interviews conducted among American adults, including 1,694 interviews pre-campaign launch (8/26/18 – 9/3/18) and 5,481 interviews post-campaign launch (9/4/18 – 9/5/18). Additionally, Morning Consult conducted a study among 1,168 adults in the U.S. about Nike’s ad and the decision to choose Kaepernick as the face of the campaign.

• Nike’s Favorability Drops by Double Digits: Before the announcement, Nike had a net +69 favorable impression among consumers, it has now declined 34 points to +35 favorable.

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In the latest example of a corporation making a ridiculous decision to brand itself based on politics, Nike apparel has decided that Colin Kaepernick is the modern face of the brand:

“We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward.”

~ Gino Fisanotti, Nike’s vice president of brand for North America

Apparently Nike has been paying Colin Kaepernick since 2011, and made the decision to go full social justice as part of their 30-year anniversary.   As with prior endeavors for corporations who engage in political advocacy, this will likely not end well financially.

A statement from The President: “The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.

These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem. I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America.” (link)

The business decision of the NFL to isolate and ridicule well over half of their fan (customer) base will easily, very easily, go down in history as the most stunningly stupid decision in the history of any American business enterprise.
The vast majority of NFL fans held a middle-class, center-right, common sense, and patriotic outlook toward sports and entertainment overall.  In essence most of the NFL fan base are/were positively MAGA-minded.
It reflects the profound disconnect between the corporation and their customer base that the NFL didn’t recognize the danger in making social justice causes part of their business enterprise.  That blame lays squarely on the well paid leader of the NFL, Roger Goodell.

So, against the backdrop of increasingly empty stadiums on Sunday, it just doesn’t come as a surprise to see a report of Roger Goodell possibly not having his contract renewed yet:

(Via ESPN) The debate over NFL player protests during the national anthem has become so big within the league that it has delayed the completion of commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract extension, league sources told ESPN.

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When a business entity forms the largest and most important decision they make is who will lead the organization.  That decision, beyond all other decisions, has the potential to destroy the business and long-term brand image of the entity.
The National Football League has destroyed itself.  In a free-market system customers have the ability to turn away from any product or service against their interests.

Announced during a post-meeting press conference today, the N.F.L has decided not to enforce it’s own rules on player conduct.  Instead the league will continue to let players kneel or sit during the national anthem without a penalty, capitulating to demands by the athletes for free expression but potentially further alienating fans who object to the protests and feel those expressions are disrespectful to the flag and the military.
Conversely, after the meeting with union representatives and players, the social justice league promised to support causes targeted by the protesting players, including reform of the criminal justice system and continued disparagement toward law enforcement officers.
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The governing board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to kick out recently exposed rapist and sexual deviant Harvey Weinstein.  All currently non-exposed sexual deviants and rapists remain protected in Hollywood. Announcement:
“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors met today to discuss the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, and has voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority to immediately expel him from the Academy.
We do so not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over.
What’s at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society. The Board continues to work to establish ethical standards of conduct that all Academy members will be expected to exemplify.”  ~ Hollywood

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President Trump has turned the 2017 NFL into 2015 Megyn Kelly, and now the league president, Roger Goodell, is trying desperately not to end up in Kelly’s isolated position.

NFL owners are preparing to address the player National Anthem controversy at their fall meeting in New York Oct. 17-18.  According to Reuters NFL chief spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters:

“Everyone at this point is frustrated by the situation.  The commissioner and the owners do want the players to stand. We think it is an important part of the game.”

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Social Justice Warriors are not the sharpest tools in the shed.  Cue the audio visual demonstration.
On one floor within the ESPN corporate HQ there are a group of salespeople who sell NFL advertising on the network.  However, on another floor, activist ESPN Pundit Jemele Hill tells the ESPN audience to boycott those same advertisers.  Because, Trump.

No, really.  You cannot make this stuff up.  After Jemele Hill uses her social media account to tell ESPN/NFL fans to boycott an NFL team (Jerry Jones – Dallas Cowboys), Ms. Hill finds her employment suspended:

“Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines. She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet. In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that much actions would have consequences. Hence this decision.”  ~ ESPN

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
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