To say there was brouhaha stemming from the NFL’s take-a-knee maneuvers this past Sunday is an understatement. I witnessed lifelong friends debate their opposing viewpoints, some declaring “blocking” or “unfriending” each other for fumbling national anthem patriotism, ethics, morality, and all manner of variations on the theme.
Actually, not all fumbles were on-field. The Pittsburgh Steelers organization did it their way–their coach, Mike Tomlin, gathered in the locker room with the entire football club…save for Alejandro Villanueva.
Villanueva walked from the tunnel and onto the field’s edge, placed his hand across his patriotic heart, and lip-synced the national anthem. Reports followed that coach Tomlin was furious about that. Oh well. Not made of steel, I suppose.
I say his patriotic heart led him to exactly where he wound up, doing exactly what his American conscience informed him to do, expressing the exact freedoms for which he fought.
Other reports came out late last night claiming Alejandro Villanueva felt he let his players down by going against what the team collective did. An AP report yesterday claimed Villanueva walked onto the field and that he didn’t know his teammates were going to tunnel-huddle instead. Doesn’t matter. I say his patriotic heart led him to exactly where he wound up, doing exactly what his American conscience informed him to do, expressing the exact freedoms for which he fought.
Good thing he has feelings, and wherewithal to exercise them. His teammates will be just fine, so will he. Little did he know it at the time, however, that his patriotism was actually boosting his stock in his character as well as his brand.
A Curious Result
Late-night numbers continued to project the downward spiral of NFL broadcast ratings. The continuum is ostensibly attributable to the football league’s support of on-field social justice warrior activities and players’ rights to protest what they deem are injustices. I guess playing football was the caboose linked to that runaway locomotive.
Frankly, as was the case before and is now: it matters not at all to me. I make my choices, and my choices do not contain antithetical sorts whatsoever. I don’t feel bad about it either. Not one iota of loss.
Other numbers were parlayed from #78 of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On 247Fanatics.com, the Alejandro Villanueva juice was freshly squeezed: “…sales of Villanueva’s jersey skyrocketed, launching up to the third highest-seller in Pittsburgh Steelers jersey as of just before 8 PM Eastern time, behind only a custom Steelers jersey and Antonio Brown’s jersey. Villanueva’s jersey also jumped into the top sellers around the league, and as of 7:45 PM EST trailed only Marshawn Lynch, Derek Carr, Carson Wentz, Brown, and Aaron Rodgers in sales.”
How’s that for serving your nation and your nation serving it back? Gotta love it when an offensive tackle defends his country’s honor both on the battlefield and playing field, with utter distinction. Gotta love it when gratitude is the attitude.
Villanueva served as a captain in the US military as a decorated Army Ranger. After three tours in Afghanistan, serving our nation honorably before returning home to the freedom and sport he loves, a hero on the battlefield is also a hero on the gridiron.
Whereas Villanueva’s oath to nation had him dug-in and hunkered in foxholes in war-torn foreign territories, the NFL dug its own hole on American soil and is now reaching for some PR help with its self-detonated mess:
NFL Advertising for PR Help Amid Anthem Protest Firestorm https://t.co/FRa1XJg9D9 pic.twitter.com/farWIxYwCc
— LifeZette (@LifeZette) September 26, 2017
I am sure someone somewhere who happens to be anti-Trump will conjure a meme depicting the president wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey with #78 on it, and some snide misspelled comments to-boot. Glad our president is not a locker room-dweller.
Nevertheless, once again grace and humility prevail: the apparent plethora of patriot-supporting jersey consumers speak volumes…without arguing one word.
There is a lesson in what one large lip-syncing man can do while his entire team of formidable men conceal themselves from “fans” fixated on the lone Steeler.
