By Mars Champion
Sean Carter’s recent play with the NFL should come as no surprise to the public, as the NFL looks to continue their anti-kneeling initiatives that have been going unnoticed for the past few years. Carter, but mostly his Stan’s, have repeatedly reiterated that he himself is not just a businessman, he’s a Business. Man! (I really hope that lyrics was ghostwritten by somebody else). When the news came down that Carter and the NFL would partner up for entertainment purposes and the initiative, it was only predictable the tap-dancing memes would begin to flood social media.
“Red or blue pill, you win or you lose.”
As if we have not learned a thing or two from the Colin Kaepernick’s exodus from the NFL, the media-driven narratives we have chosen to argue have once again filled our timelines.
Is this society’s fault? The media? Us? Well, it seems to be right within our comfort zone to debate such nuanced topics as we would sports on a Monday morning. There must be a winner, a loser, and any type of objectiveness is considered fence-riding, which on the contrary would seem to be the best use of our discussions. Yet, when these certain emotional hot-button issues arise in the virtual community, we automatically grab our keyboards and begin a slow fight to nowhere.
Nothing Has Changed, Not Even Us
To be frank, siding with the NFL makes you side with President Donald Trump. Which then sides you with racism and white supremacy. You may feel differently about this, but these are the prevailing narratives. Siding with Kaepernick pits you directly against racism, and for social justice. There are other sides in between, but these are the two of the most pushed narratives by us.
That is correct, we have been the main carriers of this message. We allowed them to write the narrative early on, and in return, we have argued time and time again until we no longer care about the issue.
We ought to take time to decipher the drivers of such narratives on these issues. When the narrative, “Why aren’t there more black artists performing the halftime show?” we must remember they answered this narrative with announcing Sean Carter as the driving force for inclusiveness. Carter reiterated he wouldn’t perform at an NFL halftime show, although his wife Beyonce Carter has performed at the event in the past.
What Is The Root Cause
So what is it that angers us? Is it the NFL, a branded company once again giving us the bare-minimum pandering they think we wanted? Is it Sean Carter’s willingness to partner with the NFL? This conundrum seems to be Eric Reid versus Malcolm Jenkins (The Coalition) all over again, but this time the money is in ownership of an NFL team, not Papa John’s Pizza.
Did we learn nothing as money changes through hands that have never shook ours? We keep hoping those who are not us, to be us, even when we would not do what we ask of them. Brands do what brands do, and all that social justice talk is for those who aren’t making millions off if the business deals. Those programs are lead by those like us, but paid for and sponsored by those like the NFL and Sean Carter.
So why are we distancing ourselves from each other over decisions not involving our direct input? Not saying we should not care, but our discourse can lead some to believe we don’t actually care about what is going on, but rather we have a hill we need to die upon. Couple that with the brash generalizing from each side of the argument gets us no closer to a resolution, other than knowing we despise each other for what they have given us as talking points to run with.
Again, I just ask if you are hurt from this partnership? Are you angry at Sean Carter? Are you angry at the NFL? These branded entities have not changed their outlook on making profit for their businesses. There is convenient-wisdom we should hold these companies to a higher standard, but we never set said standard, they did. When we expect more from them, they deliver it to us, but not in the manner in which we accept as a consensus.
Is There A Resolution?
Should we be surprised? No. Should we be puzzled? Yes. Does this end in Colin Kaepernick on an NFL roster? Who knows. What we ought to realize is just as Antonio Brown and the Raiders drum up content for their Hard Knocks show on HBO, it should be noted the NFL could also be doing the same for ESPN and their social media outlets.
All in all, we should see these partnerships coming. Sean Carter doesn’t put the NFL in his lyrics just for kicks. And the NFL doesn’t partner with Sean Carter for no reason. The Carter’s political ties seem to lean left, and that is only from their Clinton performances in the past. A merger with a branded company that runs opposite to what the NFL’s perceived perception is a public relation’s dream.
We only swing at Sean Carter, because we believe he is closer to our reach than the NFL, and Roger Goddell. All the while they are both billion dollar corporations, and neither has been interested in a single word we’ve been arguing over the past 3 years.
SouthernFriedSushi 