The NFL ignores its best opportunities to create a better society

These past several years, kneeling has not changed anything politically. It has angered a lot of people who don’t like seeing millionaire football players disrespect the American flag. However, the NFL and other professional sports leagues have opportunities to tackle political issues that directly affect their respective leagues — and continually pass up the opportunity.

First of all, the league requires players to be three years removed from high school to be eligible for the NFL draft under most circumstances. That’s the case despite it being clear that there are guys who are good enough to play in the NFL before then. Instead, they play college football, where the athletes do not earn a six- or seven-figure salary and cannot profit off their likeness. That’s a self-imposed burden that could make life better quicker for talented football players who don’t come from well-to-do families. Plus, it’s anti-meritocratic and prevents the league from having the best possible players.

On corporate welfare, the league does not do any better. The league regularly screws taxpayers by having them build, maintain, and repair NFL stadiums with taxpayer dollars. Since 1997, nearly $7 billion has gone to this cause, including $750 million from the state of Nevada to build a facility for the Las Vegas Raiders. The average NFL stadium receives $238 million apiece in public funding despite teams being owned by billionaires that can afford their own venues. The NFL continues this grift even though the so-called benefits of these venues have been debunked by multiple studies and articles.

Corporate PAC money in politics? The NFL has that too. Gridiron PAC has made $556,641 worth of campaign contributions in this election cycle; it also made $1,002,961 worth in the 2018 cycle. It’s like how Major League Baseball has a PAC and lobbyists to fight for its interests (like getting special laws written exempting minor leaguers from being paid at least minimum wage). But hey, at least the Red Sox have a Black Lives Matter banner outside of Fenway Park, and the official MLB Twitter account berates people who criticize national anthem kneelers.

How about labor rights? No. Nike makes the NFL’s official jerseys and much of its merchandise, including the legally authorized replica jerseys. Remember that Nike has benefited from forced labor in China. Not to mention, working conditions and wages for those who aren’t Uighurs in China are atrocious as well.

But hey, at least Nike had Kaepernick on a commercial — he’s woke.

And when it comes to vice, it’s no better. The NFL partners with Bud Light and has beer cans featuring logos for most NFL teams during the season. Game broadcasts heavily advertise alcohol, encouraging its use. Some teams even partner with their respective state lottery to either feature their logos on scratch tickets or promote a second-chance win game (the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles being examples). Those are two things people can become extremely addicted to and ruin their lives as a result.

It doesn’t matter to the NFL that the lottery is regressive and preys upon vulnerable populations such as the poor and people with gambling problems, costing them hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars a year. The NFL also doesn’t consider the issues caused by excessive alcohol consumption, of which there are many. It just wants that money; from Bud Light alone, it gets more than $200 million a year.

Additionally, the NFL could have a zero-tolerance policy against domestic violence, but it doesn’t. Rather, the league has a six-game suspension for a first-time offender and a lifetime ban for a repeat offender, and it doesn’t even enforce it fully. It could take a real stand if it started banning those who commit domestic violence for life, as long as there’s due process.

The NFL deserves a sliver of credit. As of this year, it is no longer suspending players who test positive for marijuana use; regardless of how one feels about legalizing marijuana, using it doesn’t make someone a bad person. It would have been nice if it did so earlier because the NFL suspended former Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams multiple times for positive marijuana tests; Williams, who rushed for more than 10,000 yards in his career, maintains that he would be a Hall of Famer if marijuana were legal when he played.

And if it wants to create positive change outside of its league, supporting school choice for low-income children wouldn’t be a bad place to start, especially since charter schools and private schools are oftentimes safer than traditional public schools.

Change has not come from athletes kneeling for the national anthem, nor will it. If the NFL wants to make real change, however, it has an opportunity. It won’t come without sacrifice, but it will make a difference.