rolling American football death spiral thread

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/07/opinion/sunday/nfl-retired-pension.html

Most N.F.L. players who retired before 1993 receive a pension of about $365 a month per season they played, meaning that the typical seven-year player gets about $2,500 a month. Thousands get considerably less, and have stories you won’t see on network broadcasts.

One star of those New York Jets’ Super Bowl team videos now lives in a trailer; unable to afford a dentist, he barely has any teeth. A standout lineman from the storied 1970s Minnesota Vikings played 17 years and gets just $2,300 a month (he took some of his pension early). That’s not enough to cover his football-related medical bills, leaving him and his wife living check to check. There are countless more like them.

NFL fans are remarkably resistant to noticing poverty, physical debility, and suffering among ex-players. The NFL is an entertainment business and these facts are not entertaining.

not sure focusing on pensions is great messaging -- i don't think too many fans are getting pensions from jobs they had for a while 30 years ago. better to demand coverage of football-related medical bills

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/sports/cte-bennet-omalu/

players like Luke Keighly and Andrew Luck retiring so young is really going to have an effect in the coming years

Trump is convinced that w/out the reopening of the NFL and the normalcy it projects, he's not getting reelected. The NFL (and its billionaire Trump donors) and ESPN by trumpeting a schedule that may not even happen, is now in partnership in the Trump reelection project.

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) May 7, 2020

Sure, there's that, but those billionaire owners make a mint off those teams and they stand to *gasp* lose a shit ton of money if the season, or some facsimile of one, doesn't happen.

still enablers

i can't believe i'm not blocked by zirin on twitter considering how many tweets i've drafted calling him an idiot

figures

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29144297/mlb-return-play-proposal-expected-week-sources-say

theyre just tryin to catch up in the delusional game

Trumpists only care about NFL, NASCAR

this is silly right? obviously these major sports want to return to normal bc their raison d'être is playing sports not bc they are hoping trump wins. maybe they even do collectively hope he wins but why would that be on their mind when it comes to reopening their businesses.

i'm actually kinda surprised in this take from zirin i thought he was more of a lefty guy but this take reeks of #resistance hysteria

lol if only the XFL could've figured out how to do live sports during a pandemic

watch what happens starting in mid-August, i'd say

they want to return to normal because they stand to lose billions in tv revenue. that is the only story here.

surely the NFLPA will object to unsafe working conditions

virus isn't too much worse than their regular unsafe working conditions

https://www.theringer.com/2020/5/11/21253986/college-football-season-coronavirus-pandemic-ncaa-amateur-model

I read that yesterday, it definitely made me feel better about the crappy Monday I was having

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29293290/panthers-moving-jerry-richardson-statue-stadium-precaution
imagine how shitty of a human being you have to be that the people who run the house that you built don't feel comfortable leaving a giant bronze statue of you out in public

NEWS: @gmraynor reports that 23 -- yes, 23 -- Clemson football players have tested positive for COVID-19.

Up from just two last week. https://t.co/nfTQXp6W6L

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) June 19, 2020

yes but has dabo called them pussies yet

14 at Kansas State. I guess one way to have football in the fall is to expose all the players in the summer.

https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article243686637.html

getting literal with the thread title
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2898491-report-nfl-may-ask-fans-to-sign-liability-waivers-to-attend-games-amid-pandemic

sheesh

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29454756/nfl-unveils-oakley-mouth-shield-combat-coronavirus
i mean come on

Yes, and

https://www.theringer.com/2020/7/10/21319314/college-football-season-coronavirus-players-coaches-tipping-point

grim

If covid puts an end to college football forever I would have to give covid props for that

agreed tbh

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2900454-nflpa-reveals-72-players-were-diagnosed-with-covid-19-as-of-july-10

seriously fucked up

meanwhile the NFL is like “hey! sneezeguards INSIDE the helmet? can that be a thing? ARE U READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL”

assholes

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2020/07/26/mike-ditka-kneeling-athletes-national-anthem/112416850/

Ditka is such a piece of shit, it's impressive he kept such a good public image for so long

stick to trading your entire draft for one guy, Mikey

https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-de-anthony-thomas-latest-nfl-player-to-opt-out-of-season

https://imgur.com/gallery/Nfphh2U

Is there a thread to talk about what a complete and total piece of anti-Semite shit former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson is?

I am starting to doubt that this season is gonna happen

The NFL owners would just declare massive losses and write them off their taxes over half a decade or so. The players would take massive losses, too, but for most of them it would be lost salary, not business losses. If it cut into the NFLPA pension fund, that might hurt the most vulnerable of ex-players. Since I'm not a fan, for me it's not about missing the games. I wouldn't.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/browns/2020/08/03/odell-beckham-nfl-shouldnt-hold-season-coronavirus-covid-19/5573957002/

the Packers' decision not to draft a WR makes more sense now, just grab one next year

DP was told an hour ago that the Big 10 and Pac 12 will cancel their football seasons tomorrow... The ACC and the Big 12 are on the fence.. And the SEC is trying to get teams to join them for a season.

Watch live: https://t.co/sMaeXQkLfl pic.twitter.com/oSUNGMTEqw

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 10, 2020

college football under quarantine

tyvmtbo

frogbs at 3:36 3 Aug 20

the Packers' decision not to draft a WR makes more sense now, just grab one next year


loool that's definitely why they did it, such foresight

'murrica NEEDS college football, next thing you know they'll be banning bass fishing and sexually harassing bar cart servers on the golf course