Counterpunch | Jerry Lewis starred in his condescending telethon parade of children
with disabilities in what came to be known as “Jerry’s Kids” (though he
disinherited five of his own biological kids). All this has now taken
on a whole new meaning with “Jerry’s Kids,” Jerry’s
(very-obedient-don’t-talk-back-or-bat-an-eye) Cowboys.
Owner Jerry Jones has now finally and unwittingly tripped himself up,
unmasking the Dallas Cowboys in particular, and the NFL in general, for
what they are. He did so by embroiling himself in something that is
revelatory now but will be discussed for years, and not for his benefit
or that of the NFL. The latter is openly desperate in admitting every
day that their role in society is to unify everyone, when there is no
basis for unity and cannot be, unless it is a contrived and ephemeral
one for the NFL’s profit.
As the nationally syndicated, well-known (native Texan), and
inimitable columnist Molly Ivins once observed, “it is possible to
strike up a conversation with anyone at all—CEOs, shoeshine boys, or the
barkeep—by inquiring, ‘How about those ‘Pokes?’” as a lingua franca in Texas. Her point was keen.
In a similar vein, the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht stated that
the invisible walls [such as those between the aforesaid CEOs, shoeshine
boys, barkeeps, or other contrivances] should be made visible.
Pertinent to our situation, the walls of poverty, racism, police
brutality, etc., need to be kept visible, hence the kneeling by football
players. Keep in mind as well that the anthem’s third stanza refers to
the killing of slaves, and most were unaware of that before Kaepernick.
Trump wants to keep those and other walls invisible. As former Bears
coach Mike Ditka himself added recently, there has been “no oppression
in the last 100 years.” They coerce this on us by dint of their money
and microphones.
Unsurprisingly, Trump called Jones four times before a game,
obviously to make sure Jones got what Trump said. It all came down to
an awkward scene with the entire team and Jones kneeling before the
anthem and then standing for the anthem. Jones is true to form now in
saying anyone kneeling during the anthem will not play. News accounts
say that Trump again spoke with him. That’s a lot of talk between the
two. Even the NFL Commissioner is caving in to Bush after all. Trump
wants them to be on the same page, his.
Parenthetically, both Jones and coach Garrett were directly or obliquely critical of Kaepernick months ago. That is not new.
No doubt Trump reminded Jones of how (the media-concocted) “America’s
Team” would fare during protests, and that the team is the most
monetarily valued. This is an oddity, given that the team so far has
not even been to the Super Bowl in some 23 years. It comes as no
surprise that Jones does not wipe the smirk off his face except for one
minute in any one of the past years, namely when he realizes that
they’re not Super Bowl-bound. It is easy to imagine, though, that come
February Trump would be grinning ear to ear if the Pokes won that
championship.
You see, the Cowboys and the NFL are in tandem with the violence in
our society, making the Las Vegas killings rather unremarkable a week
after they happened. Vegas said keep on gambling; Bush said go shopping
after 9-11.
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