September 12, 2020 Issue, Page 4 of 8

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Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Saturday, September 12, 2020 “ElkCituNews Point: The NFL can’t Opinion Page avoid Sorry, politics even if it wants to Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 By Brian Wakamo, Inside- infections, infection rates it will not be able to placate It remains to be seen how Sources.com can flame up rapidly. That’s players with meaningless many other teams will fol- environmentalists. The NFL season is ap- what happened in Major publicity stunts from owners low suit. My hope is that proaching, and it arrives into League Baseball, where like Jones, a vocal Trump more players will take in- There’s nothing a much different world than nearly 40 games have been supporter who contented spiration from the actions of postponed due to outbreaks himself with kneeling pho- the one in which the Kansas other leagues and from the City Chiefs won the Super among players. And football to-op with his players before good about is a much higher-contact Baltimore Ravens and take Bowl. the anthem. In the long months since, sport than baseball. Meanwhile, player walk- stronger actions for racial outs in other leagues - the equality. COVID-19 a pandemic has killed more On other cultural fronts, than 180,000 people in the league will have to con- NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL It also remains to be seen America, league schedules tinue grappling with its mi- and MLS- in response to the how the fans respond. Of all By Drew Johnson have stopped and restarted sogyny problem. The NFL Kenosha, Wisconsin, police the major sports leagues, the Environmentalists think they’ve found an upside to CO- as the country grapples with leadership’s flailing reac- shooting showed not just the NFL’s fan base is the least VID-19. Although the outbreak has claimed over 180,000 how to reopen and historic tion to a continuing sexual urgency of this issue but the partisan, which is a big rea- American lives and upended the economy, it has also protests for racial justice harassment scandal at the power that labor actions by son the league has tried in caused pollution to plummet in cities across the country. have spread across the coun- Washington Football Team our most public and popular vain to avoid engaging with Climate activists have pointed to this development as try. figures can have in America. is a tragic continuation of fa- the issues. But for all the proof that our country can and should quickly bring car- Oh, and Tom Brady no miliar patterns. Some teams are beginning bon emissions to a halt by eliminating cars and restructur- longer plays for the New But perhaps no issue will to take bolder stands in the talk of conservative fan boy- ing the economy. England Patriots, and the get more scrutiny than how racial justice arena. cotts over players kneeling This argument is absurd and offensive. Washington Football Team the league handles the coun- The Baltimore Ravens, and otherwise expressing The COVID-19 outbreak has only reduced emissions has - at least for now - try’s resurgent movement led by their players, put out support for racial justice, it because it has forced businesses to close and kept Ameri- shirked its racist name. a statement detailing a series hasn’t really borne out with for racial justice and the new cans locked up in their homes. This is a crisis, not a model A lot has changed. And political realities it has ush- of specific actions they want the TV ratings. for a sustainable solution to climate change. the question is: How will the ered in. to see in the fight for racial Climate activists have no problem exploiting a deadly As much as many of us NEL, a league notoriously Tt has been just four years justice. It includes arrest- would like to just watch disease to advance their agendas. COVID-19 can cause averse to change, adapt to since San Francisco 49ers ing the officers responsible football and forget about the permanent lung damage, septic shock, and organ failure, this different reality? quarterback Colin Kaepe- for the murder of Breonna before sentencing patients to a lonely death in quarantine. On the COVID-19 front, mnick kneeled during the Taylor in Kentucky and the rest of the world, that’s just Still, Hugo Observatory president Frangois Gemenne, the signs aren’t encouraging. national anthem to protest shooting of Jacob Blake in not possible when holding said “the death toll of the coronavirus at the end of the Some owners are still police brutality. He was os- Wisconsin, as well as the games at all becomes a state- day might be positive” if it saves people from pollution. beating the drum to put fans tracized from a league that end of qualified immunity ment on the pandemic, pub- Such statements are ignorant, cruel and disgusting. Our in the stands, with Dallas feigns political neutrality to for abusive officers and pris- lic safety, racial justice or nation’s response to COVID-19 has already cost more Cowboys owner Jerry Jones preserve its profits - even on sentencing reform. the other issues of our time. than 50 million people their jobs. Food banks across the leading the charge for at- if they conveniently ignore To my eyes, this is an in- At a time when players in country are overwhelmed, and calls to suicide hotlines tendance. That could cause the vocal Trump support of credibly important _ and other leagues are discover- are up. COVID-19, and the economic devastation it has needless harm to thousands players like Richie Incogni- surprising _ action from ing their power, NFL players caused, will almost certainly claim far more lives than the of Jones’ own fans and their to, and not to mention many the Ravens. But that is just decrease in pollution might save. need to find theirs too. communities. ‘owners. one organization in a league Regardless, shutting down the economy to save the It’s not even clear the Now, the NFL does not dominated by conservative Brian Wakamo is an in- environment won’t work over the long term. Americans players themselves can pro- have that luxury. owners and vocally attacked equality researcher at the have only complied with stay-at-home orders to help de- ceed safely. The changing world has by the president for giving Institute for Policy Studies. feat the virus. They've agreed to make sacrifices now so While the latest round of meant that it cannot feign any quarter to player pro- He wrote this for Inside- that life can return to normal once we have effective treat- testing turned up no player ignorance any longer, and tests. Sources.com. ments for COVID-19. Counterpoint: Future of football There’s no vaccine to end climate change. People wouldn’t comply with endless travel restrictions and busi- ness closures, no matter the purpose. Where defeating COVID-19 required fast, drastic action, fighting climate is the team with no name change requires a more gradual approach. Fortunately, we already have a solution at hand. Ad- vancements in hydraulic “fracking” and other technolo- gies have enabled the United States to harness lots of By David W. Almasi, In- has-been quarterback Colin bow to protests and change forced to apologize for hit- natural gas, which emits less carbon dioxide per unit of sideSources.com Kaepernick - the kneeler-in- the team’s name, the wave ting a grand-slam home run energy than other fossil fuels. This abundance of natural With the National Foot- chief who has since gone on of wokeness forced him to because his team was al- gas has helped wean the country off coal, which produces ball League poised to alien- to monetize his activism and “retire” the name in July. ready up seven runs late in the most carbon dioxide of any fossil fuel. In 2019, coal- create a media empire. ate a majority of its fans this In a stroke of genius, he the game, The Washington fired power generation fell by 18 percent. season by going completely The NFL will attempt to didn’t quickly settle on a Football Team should never Energy companies have also taken steps to reduce car- woke, its least-popular team prove it isn’t racist by play- new name. For now, the con- allow such grandstanding. bon emissions. Many firms have invested in carbon cap- owner can emerge as the ing the gospel song “Lift troversial former Washing- Forget about hot dogs and ture and storage technology that reduces the amount of man who saves the sport Every Voice and Sing” - the ton Redskins are the bland nachos. New concessions carbon released into the atmosphere. Recently, an alliance from itself. “Black national anthem” - Washington Football Team. will focus on healthy fare of 75 energy companies formed a partnership to identify alongside “The Star-Span- Critics call this “ridiculous,” like tofu Not Dogs. Help us, Dan Snyder! and control harmful methane leaks. These measures help gled Banner” during the first but it’s certainly not offend- Beers? Please! Kale You’re our only hope! week’s games. Players will reduce greenhouse gas emissions without halting eco- ing anyone like the Vikings, smoothies (no straws) are Soon after New Orleans also be “wearing their hearts nomic activity, Saints quarterback Drew Chiefs and 49ers do. loaded with antioxidants Combined with a shift to natural gas, these industry ef- on their feet” through the and nutrients. And don’t Brees apologized for alleg- It’s time to go the full nine forts have helped reduce emissions. In January, the En- “My Cause, My Cleats” pro- think about pregaming in yards. It’s time for Snyder edly “insensitive” comments gram and will feature social ergy Information Agency forecast that U.S. carbon diox- to take one for the team. It’s the parking lot - tailgating ide emissions from energy use would decline 2 percent in that he would “never agree justice branding on helmets, time for him to take one for will be prohibited because with anybody disrespect- jerseys and the field itself. the NFL. all the good spots will be re- 2020 and another 1.5 percent in 2021. Between 2012 and 2021, energy emissions will have declined seven out of ing the (American) flag,” Fans probably remember He owns a blank slate in served for pricey hybrid and NFL Commissioner Roger that the NFL once threat- a league at risk of losing its electric vehicles. 10 years. We don’t need a permanent quarantine to save the envi- Goodell waved a flag of sur- ened to fine Tennessee Ti- way and losing its fans. This And no anthems. No na- render to the mob. tans linebacker Avery Wil- is a unique opportunity to tional anthem, no Black na- ronment. To reduce emissions once COVID-19 subsides, “We the National Foot- liamson for wanting to wear tional anthem. No bands. No we simply need to return to normal. put his marketing know-how Drew Johnson is a Senior Fellow at the National Cen- ball League admit we were 9/11-themed “Never Forget” to work and make a state- tributes to veterans, volun- ter for Public Policy Research. wrong for not listening to cleats. Things have changed. ment about the politicization teers or victims. NFL players earlier,” he de- And the anthems? A re- of professional sports, if he’s In other words, no fun. Someone must do some- clared from his bunker. cent Yahoo News/You- got the guts, he could bring Letter to editor: Know While it’s unclear what Gov poll found a majority the NFL back to neutral. thing, has because Goodell abdicated authority to might emerge from this Pan- of NFL fans want players your Constitution dora’s huddle, it does seem What he must do is make standing. More important, game day a politically cor- the woke scolds. In mak- ing a spectacle, at least for likely to turn off many loyal fans opposed to kneeling rect spectacle. “We the people of the United States, in order to form one game, the Washington a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic fans. expect to watch markedly It should be obvious that Football Team could draw If there even is a pro foot- fewer games (and the lucra- cheerleaders are out. But tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the enough attention to foot- ball season this year, don’t tive commercials that play so should be excessive fan ball’s dystopian future to general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this expect anyone to enforce during them) once the NFL cheering, monitored by se- bring sanity back to sports. Constitution for the United States of America.” the 2018 policy that play- goes woke. Black fans say curity made up only of so- It’s a costly prospect, but ers “shall stand and show they think the Black anthem cial workers (with police Dan Snyder is a billionaire. These words, written 233 years ago, are the Preamble to our Constitution. Constitution Week is Sept. 17-23, respect for the flag and the is simply “pandering.” protection defunded, come Bringing the NFL back to its celebrating the signing of this important document. Read (national) anthem.” Enter Mr. Snyder. at your own risk). No sacks senses? That’s priceless. beyond the Preamble to understand the structure of the After Goodell’s capitula- Alifelong fan of the Wash- or touchdown dances. David W. Almasi is vice three branches of our representative government. Study tion, several players imme- ington Redskins, he made No excessive scoring. In president of the National the Amendments and the Bill of Rights. Know your Con- diately announced they’d his fortune in marketing and baseball, Fernando Tatis Jr. Center for Public Policy Re- stitution! take a knee this season. And bought the team 20 years of the San Diego Padres (an- search, a Washington think Washita Chapter of the Daughters of the American Rev- Goodell even said he would ago. Despite the 2013 state- other team name that needs tank. He wrote this for In- olution “encourage” a team to sign ment that he’d “NEVER” changing!) was recently sideSources.com.