DL Open Thread Monday February 13 2023
Here are a couple of articles that I had lined up for the open thread. I’m too disgusted to finish it.
Regarding the game – the NFL may not be rigged, after that shitty call last night I have a lot more understanding of people think it is.
The NFL referees have been one of the biggest stories of the 2022 season, and that only increased in the playoffs. With the officiating under fire, Roger Goodell and the NFL decided to assign the ref with the most penalty calls the last two seasons, Carl Cheffers, to Super Bowl 57. And after calling a relatively controversy-free contest, Cheffers and his team became the story of the game. A late, soft penalty call gifted the game to the Kansas City Chiefs over the Philadelphia Eagles and sent “rigged” rocketing up the Twitter trending rankings.
Two outlets tracking reactions to Tuesday’s State of the Union address show that President Joe Biden’s speech was received well by roughly seven in 10 Americans while also moving public opinion in his direction. In fact, both outlets found that Biden’s appeal to the country moved the greater public, along with independents and soft partisans in his direction by roughly 20 points or even more.
CNN’s poll found that a 72% majority of Americans reacted positively to Biden’s address, with the percentage of viewers who said Biden’s policies would move the country in the right direction increasing from 52% before the speech to 71% after the speech.
If you’ve wondering who’s behind those warm, fuzzy, and seemingly inclusive Jesus Gets Us ads that are all over TV, did you have “shadowy Christian billionaires” on your bingo card. One of them is the virulently anti-LGBTQ Hobby Lobby guy. And those ads are about to appear during the Super Bowl.
Happy Darwin Day.
You have summed up the reason I stopped watching sportsball years ago. Not only is it meaningless, it’s aggravating.
Did you write this?
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/feb/13/foxs-super-bowl-expertly-blended-nfl-pedigree-with-thoughtless-patriotism
THAT is a great piece.
They even had a (too lengthy) tribute to the ‘Tillman Foundation’ which somehow overlooked the fact that Tillman had grown utterly disenchanted with what the military stood for.
I couldn’t have, because I haven’t watched a Super Bowl since VIII let alone its pre-game bullshit. As far as I can tell, the NFL exists so guys can sit around talking about it in a TV studio.
As for Darwin, I agree with Hobbes — the stuffed tiger, not the philosopher. When Calvin asked him if he thought it was true that humans evolved from monkeys, he said, “I don’t see any difference.”
Long time hater of the famed Sports Ball and all those that would handle it. Perhaps the only thing I miss about not working is a cheery “How ’bout them Birds?” at the office of someone I know who gives a damn after an event like this.