By William Del Pilar
A conservative Latino’s view on politics
We have another chapter in the black comedy of NFL players versus President Donald Trump – the Philadelphia Eagles’ White House visit fiasco. Sadly, their shenanigans played right into the president’s hands. What should’ve been the finale of a city’s Super Bowl dream fulfilled, became a sad story in public relations.
WHY DID TRUMP CANCEL THE EAGLES’ VISIT?
The Eagles and the NFL knew where Trump stood on the flag and national anthem. They accepted the White House invite, then with the help of the MSM, tried to embarrass the president – to no avail. This was clearly “political.”
The Eagles submitted over 80 names and 1,000 fans that would be going to the White House. At the last minute they wanted to reschedule when Trump wouldn’t be available. Facts minimally covered by the MSM. Predictably, they made the team victims and Trump the villain. As before, in this “culture war,” Trump gave them a beatdown.
Their arrogance failed to realize this was low-hanging fruit for him. He took it and successfully hammered them – with the public, again, siding with Trump! This is a rarity – Trump’s destroying the left and NFL on this “culture war” issue and they don’t see it.
WHY DID EAGLES HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE?
This became more obvious when the MSM began hyping up Eagles head coach Doug Pederson’s news conference. The news conference wasn’t about the visit, rather, the Eagles’ “Organized Team Activities (OTA).” Pederson’s only comment was that he’d been looking forward to the visit.
By continuing this battle, he’s opening the door to his players losing focus which equals losses, which eventually equals Pederson losing his job. He understands the adage, “Why fight a losing battle?” He chose the only move – move on.
THE FANS AREN’T BUYING WHAT MILLIONAIRE ATHLETES ARE SELLING.
The average fan – the working class – understands what they can and can’t do when they go to work. Because of that, they refuse to relate with athletes using their workplace to denigrate the flag and anthem. What they see are millionaires, spoiled and pampered, demanding special treatment.
Fans also see the players attacking “working-class heroes,” who risk their lives – police officers, firefighters, armed-service members and others, every time they kneel. They say they aren’t, but let’s not forget, what Colin Kaepernick, the man who started this said. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
It’s based off false claims that “ALL” white law enforcement are racist. An unadulterated lie. There are racist people in all cultures, including law enforcement. However, statistics don’t bear out the claims race-hustlers make.
That’s no solace to the families of those who’ve lost their lives but what about law enforcement killed for nothing but hate? Where’s the compassion for them? Let’s not forget the NFL refused to allow the Dallas Cowboys to wear a decal in honor of police officers who lost their lives in a shooting by a hate-filled racist.
They said, those are the rules, yet we’re supposed to support players breaking rules denigrating law enforcement and others? I’m Latino but as an American, I find that sickening and appalling. For those wondering, the NFL’s policy now states, you cannot kneel during the anthem, which is every private sector business’s right to do.
We respect, support and put greater value in those willing to risk their lives for us. The flag and anthem represent them and when you kneel you disrespect most Americans. It’s your right, but remember, sports are a “want,” not a “need” and that’s a fundamental difference in this “culture war.”
We lose nothing by ignoring and moving on from professional sports. The NFL’s like dessert. We “want” it, but don’t “need” it. What’s worse? There’s plenty of desserts to choose from.
White House visits became a tradition in the 1980s. We’re likely seeing the end of these visits. Thank you, pampered millionaire athletes – what should be an honor for you, your team and city has become a mockery of your creation.
This debacle does have another winner, Santa Claus. This will surpass and make people forget, the infamous night of Dec. 15, 1968, when “The City of Brotherly Love,” during halftime of an Eagles’ game, gave Santa the snowball beatdown of his life.
William Del Pilar is politically active, currently sitting on the Valley Center Community Planning Group’s board (VCCPG), an elected position. Technically, he’s a politician. As an entrepreneur, Del Pilar drove his fantasy sports company to set the standard for analysis and news distribution, helping to commercialize the industry from 1997-2008. Del Pilar sat on the boards of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) and Fantasy Sports Ventures (now owned by Gannett Co., Inc.). You can view his work at the Valley Roadrunner (valleycenter.com), Del Pilar’s hometown paper and SD Rostra (sdrostra.com), San Diego’s online hub for politics and RightonDaily.com.
