It’s been a rough few years for two of the biggest and most culturally prevalent forces in the U.S.: The NFL and presidential politics.
The former is a year-round experiment in how poorly a professional sports organization can be run before its fans start revolting, with the answer so far being “very.” The latter is the most important decision Americans face every four years, which has devolved into many people voting for Giant Meteor 2016 over either of the two major-party candidates.
Let’s take a look at five issues these two titans of the American zeitgeist have in common, but neither seems capable of or interested in solving:
1.) Oversaturation of coverage
The NFL is supposed to be a thing only from its first preseason game in August until the Super Bowl in February, yet you would think there was a game every week of the year based on the way ESPN, other sports media outlets and the Twitterverse pounce on even the smallest story like it was the Watergate scandal.
Likewise, the 2016 presidential election seems like it has been going on forever because it became a staple of the 24/7 news cycle long before the primary season officially kicked off in late 2015.
Starting practically after President Obama was inaugurated for the second time in January 2013, there was plenty of speculation about who would run for each party, candidates announcing their intention to run and then the strangest presidential primary season in recent memory, culminating in this insane home stretch of Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump that has taken years off the lives of politically engaged Americans.
As a member of the media writing about the election, I hope I don’t sound like too much of a hypocrite when I say: Please, after Nov. 8, let’s all calm down for a bit on covering this election.
2.) Lack of a quality product
One could argue that NFL players have never been faster or stronger, making the league’s current product the best in its history. But did you see that Seattle Seahawks/Arizona Cardinals Sunday Night Football game that ended in a tie and featured epic offensive ineptitude and two kickers missing chip-shot field goals in overtime?
There are many reasons NFL ratings are down this year, but the main reason might be that the prime-time games this season have been awful, stemming from a combination of unfortunately timed injuries to star players and general bad scheduling luck.
On a related note, remember when the alleged deepest crop of Republican presidential candidates in recent history were defeated by a reality TV star? Or when a scandal-plagued Democratic nominee barely defeated a geriatric socialist who wasn’t supposed to stand a chance against her?
Concussions can’t be blamed for the derth of talent produced by the United States’ two most prominent political parties.
3.) Indifference toward women’s issues
Not only does the NFL do a shameful job of dealing with its players found guilty of domestic violence or sexual assault, but its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month doesn’t generate a single cent toward research into curing the disease.
In presidential politics, you have one candidate who brags about sexually assaulting women and chalks it up to “locker room” talk (whatever that means), and his opponent, a woman, who may or may not have helped silence women who accused her husband of harassing or assaulting them.
Women are a pretty big voting bloc, and it’s tough to justify voting for either party’s nominee when they seem to dismiss these issues so callously.
4.) Out-of-touch leadership
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seems more concerned about his players twerking in the end zone than their more insidious off-the-field-antics. Most players get harsher suspensions for smoking the occasional blunt than Ray Rice initially got for knocking out his fiance in an elevator, with video evidence Goodell apparently sat on for months.
The head of the Democratic National Committee, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was forced to resign after an email leak proved she was actively trying to sabotage Bernie Sanders’ chances of winning her party’s nomination. The Republican National Committee has put its full weight behind Trump.
You decide which is a more egregious violation of the public’s trust.
5.) No secrets
Thanks to factors like social media and the advent of fantasy football, there is very little information about the NFL’s biggest names that isn’t out there in some form. Want to know Dez Bryan’ts favorite food? There’s a video for that.
At this point, politicians should know not to write anything they wouldn’t say out loud (or to the media) in an email, because WikiLeaks, Guccifer or some outside force (Russia?) will make sure those emails are readily available for public judgment.
In 2016, nothing is private.
Joshua Axelrod writes about the intersection of entertainment and politics for the Washington Examiner. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
