We hold this truth to be self-evident that with our nation in decay from an abandonment of common sense and the unwillingness of media to tell plain, indisputable truths, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stands out for his transparently pandering, bad-is-good leadership.
This week, the NFL, with its $42 million-per man at the wheel, committed another act of putting up while shutting up. It named Jay-Z and his entertainment/rep company Roc Nation to “enhance the NFL’s live game experiences and to amplify the league’s social justice efforts.” Jay-Z also will contribute to and supervise Super Bowl halftime acts.
Of course, having named the fabulously wealthy and popular rapper its “social justice” monitor, no one from the NFL — certainly not Goodell — would dare read the lyrics of the scores of numbers that have brought Jay-Z his fame, fortune and, now, NFL-assigned social justice muscle.
They can’t. Jay-Z’s work is anathema not just to social justice but minimal common decency. In fact, his “artistry” profits from, promotes and perpetuates every negative, values-twisted stereotype of urban black male life.
His are seldom songs of caution, protest or hope. Quite the contrary. But you name it, Jay-Z has cashed in on it.
He, more than most, has helped re-resurrect the N-word into African-Americana, so much so that broken-spirited black urban teachers can’t prevent 11-year-old black boys from calling one another n—-s while calling 11-year-old black girls the worst of sexually vulgar terms.
Jay-Z, now assigned as the NFL’s face of social justice, has for years sexually objectified young women in the lowest of expressions. While episodes of domestic abuse among NFL players remain high, both the NFL and Jay-Z will now have to ignore his commercial contributions to the boast-filled, self-entitled sexual use and abuse of women.
Jay-Z was among the first to establish requisite rappers’ rules: Fondness for assault weapons and ammo, expensive booze, more expensive jewelry, and even more expensive cars — all to appear as successfully attaining rappers’ schedules of self-indulgent values. Then there are the boasts, beefs and threats — as if there’s a shortage of shot-dead rappers.
But the NFL must know that its rank hypocrisy will be given another look-away pass by media frightened to be called racist for decrying the N-worded “social activism” of a Jay-Z.
In 2012, after President Obama declared his support for marriages between gays, Jay-Z made noise and news by endorsing Obama’s position on the grounds that no American should be oppressed because of their sexuality. Bully for him!
Of course, few news folks checked or they’d have found Jay-Z’s lyrics littered with profanities — “fags,” “faggots” — for homosexuals, even maricon, a Spanish slur for gays.
In his song “Ignorant S—t,” the NFL’s new minister of social justice raps this:
“This is that ignorant s—t you like.
“N—a f—k ass-bitch trick plus ice, c’mon. . . .
“N—-a f—k maricon puta [Spanish slur for prostitute] and drugs, c’mon.”
Go ahead, Roger, sing along! You hired him, so sing or read it out loud — and in public — in the name of the NFL’s pursuit of social justice.
As for Jay-Z “enhancing” Super Bowl halftimes, he’ll be stretched to make them more offensive.
Michael Jackson broke low ground in 1993, performing while grabbing his crotch. By 2004, that Justin Timberlake-Janet Jackson costume-yank to reveal a bare breast was supposed to be the end.
But in 2016, Mrs. Jay-Z, Beyonce, entertained the nation with a dance troupe that paid tribute to the murderous Black Panthers. Must’ve met with Goodell’s approval — or his intentional ignorance — as the NFL, buoyed by frightened, don’t-make-racial-waves news media, pretended it didn’t occur.And Goodell again fell silent after February’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, early in which Goodell was seen on videotape paying solemn but orchestrated homage to Martin Luther King’s memory at King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church.
But at halftime the NFL degraded King’s legacy with vulgar, N-wording rappers Big Boi and Travis Scott.
The NFL and CBS knew what was coming thus three times preemptively bleeped Scott, leaving many, among over 100 million viewers, to ask why the NFL would invite such acts to begin with?
The embrace of Jay-Z by Goodell has the stench of a shakedown, a way for the NFL to pay for protection against legitimate but selectively outraged protesters, fringe lunatics and race hustlers by purchasing the allegiance of a Jay-Z, in the name, of course, of social justice.
Regardless, now that Jay-Z’s the man for the NFL, its Commissioner should be eager to share with the uninitiated fan base what Jay-Z raps for his fabulous living. No? Why not?
Trying too hard … and failing
There’s a difference between trying and trying too hard. Besides, as Homer Simpson said, “Trying is the first step on the road to failure.”
Wednesday on YES, the Yankees were up 6-1 when John Flaherty and Paul O’Neill agreed that the Orioles are such a dead team you see it in their body language.
But when the O’s made it 6-5 in the seventh, O’Neill said: “This is what Baltimore does … they fight.” Oh.
Saturday, Nationals-Mets on PIX11, the Mets up 4-3, two on, two out, bottom of the eighth. Wilson Ramos, slower than the lines at the DMV, hit one to deep right-center. He also was seen standing at the plate, posing, watching. Center fielder Victor Robles made a nice but unspectacular catch against the wall.
Gary Cohen then hollered that Robles “robbed Ramos of an extra-base hit!” It looked more as if Robles robbed Ramos of a stand-up single.
YES’ Ryan Ruocco, who would read his own obituary if it appeared on a stat sheet, Tuesday reported this about Gio Urshela:
“Aaron Boone said the Yankees always loved his bat-to-ball skills. … And now that he’s driving the ball more, he’s getting results with those bat-to-ball skills.”Bat-to-ball skills? Could that mean hitting?
Too much from Ruocco is spoken as announcements escorted by needless embellishments.
Monday: “And Aaron Judge strutting to the plate.” Judge did no such thing, nor has he ever. He just walked there.
Saturday in Toronto, Yanks-Blue Jays 3-3 in the sixth, Ruocco declared that the Yanks now have their “high-leverage” relievers all set. Two high-leverage relievers later — including Adam Ottavino, who gave up two runs in the eighth — the Yanks were 5-4 losers.
MLB’s ball-gate a ‘seamy’ disgrace
A foul ball into the Yankees’ TV booth Sunday was handed to David Cone, who quickly examined it and said: “Where are the seams? It has no seams! [Justin] Verlander’s right!”
Clever, yet two days earlier, the Twins broke their team home run record. With nearly two months left, they’d hit 226.
Again, Rob Manfred has made a giant sinkhole for himself. If HRs recede to reasonable totals next year — and that would mean a reduction of hundreds — it’ll be a tacit admission that MLB this season committed fraud by deception: its use of unannounced but significantly altered baseballs.
If Manfred maintains these balls, MLB further risks its further destruction as a home run- or-strikeout farce.
By the way, you think Manfred’s baseball purchasers, examiners and test teams, the past several years, could pass a polygraph test?