Of The Season After They Didnt Listen Too Late Now. They say if you want to know why something
is happening, all you have to do is follow the money. Unfortunately for the NFL, they grossly miscalculated
what would be the results of their stance on the National Anthem protest started by
Colin Kaepernick and all of those supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. The plan was obviously to bring awareness
to an issue that they considered to be problematic, however, all they seem to have drawn awareness
to is the rampant nature of the entitled racist mindset held by many players that most of
the NFL fans wanted to overlook.
In the case of the Denver Broncos, their plight
is worse than most. Not only do they have to deal with the league
itself tanking as the ratings and ticket sales go down the drain, their local sponsors are
pulling away from them in droves. Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall was at
one time a college teammate of Kaepernick and an early convert to the cause. This caused Marshall to lose some of his personal
endorsements, but even bigger than that is the mass exodus from the team itself.
Westword reports that local radio stations
are starting to lose advertisers for the slots taken up during the broadcasts of the Broncos
games. At least two advertisers have asked that
their commercials no longer run during KOAs radio broadcasts of Denver Broncos games because
theyre upset by national anthem-related demonstrations prior to the kickoff of NFL
games. Yeah, theres been a couple that have
pulled out, confirms Tim Hager, market manager for iHeartMedias Denver stations, including
KOA, and thats the rationale.' No matter what the entitled millionaires think,
the small business in the heartland just arent going to want to be associated with a group
that is against everything we stand for. Controversy bubbled up again last month
when teams throughout the league took part in various protests before and during the
playing of the anthem and this time around, there was fallout for Von Miller, the Broncos
biggest star.
Millers decision to take a knee, along
with dozens of teammates, was followed by reports that Phil Long Dealerships had dropped
him as an endorser. Millers reps subsequently insisted that
his deal with the company had lapsed months earlier and negotiations were ongoing but
a statement from the firm strongly suggested that he shouldnt hold his breath waiting
for a new pact to be signed. It read in part: When we bring in celebrities
to represent us, we run the risk of being misinterpreted.' Basically what Phil Long Dealerships is saying
is that when they entrust their name to a celebrity, their reputations are entwined
at that time. In other words, if that celeb acts badly,
it reflects badly on the business that theyre endorsing.
Weve seen this in the past with other businesses
who got mud on their face because someone that they entrusted with their brand acted
badly. Hager characterizes [their reasons for
pulling their ads] as general displeasure with the NFL over the controversy. In response, he says, we immediately found
ways for the advertisers to get their message out and support what they wanted to support. And weve also been airing the national
anthem in our game broadcasts, which we didnt do before this year.
So weve found ways to strengthen what were
doing.' Americans are still working on wearing down
the NFL on a national level, but at least for now the local stations are beginning to
see just how importation patriotism is to the American people. It was one thing when an individual player
wasnt willing to respect the flag, but with signs of disrespect across virtually
every team in the league, its a problem too large to ignore. Television ratings for NFL contests are
reportedly down by 7.5 Percent compared to this time last year, and many pundits think
the protests are one of the main reasons. However, Hager says KOAs broadcasts, starring
new booth-mates Dave Logan and Rick Lewis, havent suffered the same fate.
[Hager] acknowledges that there was a groundswell
immediately after [the September protest] happened, but thats calmed down. Right now, Im not seeing anything that
has me overly concerned. Good thing, because iHeartMedia recently launched
Orange and Blue Radio, a station at 760 AM. That boasts of being all Broncos, all the
time.
And more kneeling by Denver players could
be very bad for business. Theres going to come a time very soon when
the Broncos and all the other teams who insist on being disrespectful will have to choose
between their principles and staying in business. This isnt an issue that Americans are ready
to let go, probably because its chipping away at the very foundation of our countrys
ability to stay free. The sooner this protest is put to rest, the
more likely we will be able to show the rest of the world that those of us with integrity
are still indivisible.
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