In a new study on low morale of academic librarians, Kaetrena Kendrick states that “low morale experiences were often triggered by an unexpected negative event or a relationship that developed in an unexpected and negative manner. (p.6)” With Jerry Jones adamant pronouncement that all his players will stand for the national anthem, I surmise that this may lead to low morale with his players. Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality against unarmed black and brown women and men. During a campaign rally in Alabama, President *45 said that NFL owners should fire the SOB’s that kneel during the anthem.
What did Jerry Jones do at the next game? He was on the field kneeling with his players before the anthem then standing and locking arms with them. Keep in mind that he’s usually not on the field during the playing of the national anthem. So, Jerry will take a knee to be defiant because no billionaire wants to be told what to do by another so-called billionaire (can’t say for sure that*45 is a billionaire because we still haven’t seen his taxes). But, when it comes to standing or kneeling against police brutality, he has threatened to bench any player who does kneel. In other words, to hell with what happens in the black community, I control these black bodies who incidentally are the majority of the team and his Big 3 – Dak, Dez, and Zeke. He doesn’t care that these players may have had encounters with police or run the risk of having these encounters a la Michael Bennett. Their lives are on the line daily, off and on the field, just by the nature of their skin color. 
In Kendrick’s study, participants “noted that the unexpected nature of the trigger event played a role in their immediate responses…. Blindsided/betrayal, shock, and anger (including its iterations, e.g., irritation, annoyance) were significant emotions that respondents felt during and immediately after their trigger events.” I know we often lose sight of athletes as human beings with feelings as if becoming millionaires strips you of any emotional response, but I wonder if this event or stance by Jerry will trigger low morale among players. Because players want to avoid Jerry’s “shit list,” we may not see a noticeable response on the field or even during any upcoming interviews. I think this will be something that will fester and simmer underneath the surface. Where it may come up is in negotiating contracts. Current players may opt out at the end of their contracts and pursue free agency. Free agents from other teams may choose not to sign even if the money is right. This may not be Houston, but Dallas, we have a problem.
*45 – asterisk because of possible interference from the Russians in the presidential elections – waiting on Mueller.
Earlier this month, Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks was held at gun point by Las Vegas police for being a big black dude running away from heard gun shots. On the streets, he didn’t have his celebrity and status. He very well could have been the next Alton Sterling or Philando Castile. It’s understandable to any reasonable person why he and others would use their platform to address a life or death issue that affects them and those they love.
Change in this country comes very slowly. The Civil War ended in 1865, yet, civil rights laws weren’t passed until the 1960s. Yes, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott played a significant role. But, the groundwork that came before was laid by Jackie Robinson when he integrated Major League Baseball in 1947. Not sure if we would have had the Brown vs. Board of Education decision that integrated public schools without the integration of sports. Additionally, the groundwork for Barack Obama becoming the first black president was laid by Tony Dungy becoming the first black head coach in the NFL to win a Super Bowl. Progress in sports seems to make progress in society more digestible.
Since 2002 there has been a boom in renovations for sport stadiums and the building of new stadiums. Even though these teams are owned by billionaires it is “We the people” who foot the bill for the stadiums by way of municipal bonds. Keep in mind that the NFL earns billions of dollars yearly and does not pay taxes. In spite of this, “We the people” seem gitty to foot the bill for it. Yet, we don’t want to pay for healthcare. Something that would benefit all. In some cases, having minimal healthcare is a matter of life and death. Take a look at this sampling of the millions of dollars taxpayers have spent on new stadiums and renovations:
Economists suggest that we should look at the opportunity cost. That is, when you spend money on one product, this takes the place of something else that could have/would have been bought. In other words, if you only have $50 of discretionary funds, you have limited options. You can either go to a ball game or to a museum. Most cannot fund both activities on a regular basis. So, while a new stadium is stimulating that segment of the economy, it is taking money away from another segment.
In the U.S., we love sports. Sports is all about competition. It can be argued that we love sports more than we love God. Football is the national pastime as well as foremost religion. The one thing you can count on in bringing different factions together in this country is sports. Enemies in every other aspect of life are suddenly friends or frenemies simply because they both wear Carolina blue, gold and garnet, and on and on. For some, the outcome of a sporting event may determine their mood for the rest of the week or how “friendly” they will be with their significant other.
So much for all that winning that *45 was going to bring to the federal government. In the wee hours of the morning, the replacement bill for Obamacare was defeated. AGAIN for the third time. You can add Muslim travel ban, keeping jobs in America (Ford, Carrier), and Transgender Ban in military (only a matter of time) to that losing streak. But, for those of us familiar with this so-called president’s history, we are not at all surprised.
To my forever president, Barack Hussein Obama, on behalf of this country, these United States of America, and the well over 65 million that voted for Hillary Clinton, WE ARE SO SORRY. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGY. The current level of activism for the #RESISTANCE keeps me hopeful of avoiding total destruction under the current administration, but it also makes me wonder what could have been. What could this country had accomplished if there was this current level of engagement?Maybe we could have stomped out the Super-Obstructionist McConnell’s evil plan and forced the Senate to vote on your justice appointee, Merrick Garland. Maybe we wouldn’t have to look at the passive aggressive and smug Speakerless Ryan (speakerless cause he ain’t said shit worth hearing) admit to his agenda of destroying health care options for 23 million citizens. Citizens that you fought so hard for to have health insurance. In some cases, for the first time. Instead of fighting so hard to keep what you put in place, if WE had done our due diligence and fulfilled our citizen obligations, maybe at this point in time WE would instead be implementing upgrades to strengthen the ACA/Obamacare that would stay in place regardless of who won the last election. 
Vick admitted that he hadn’t fulfilled his full potential because he didn’t work as hard as he should have. He just relied on his natural abilities which were pretty damn good by the way. If he had had the work ethic of a Peyton Manning or Kobe Bryant to match his natural abilities, just imagine how much better he would have been. We may be talking about him as a potential hall of fame quarterback. But, just like Vick, we had the talent in the intelligence, compassion, and steady hand of Barack Obama in the oval and we squandered it. We squandered it to a bunch of white male welfare kings. It’s welfare to get paid to do nothing. No one but elected officials can go on national TV and confidently say that they refuse to do their jobs and still get paid.
