[[File:Pontiac Stadium misery.jpg|right|thumb|Taxpayer-funded Pontiac Silverdome ([[Detroit]]), host to a of [[Super Bowl]]XVI, in miserable disrepair prior to its demolition.]]'''Unplug the NFL''' is advocated by ''Conservapedia'' in response to the [[NFL]]'s [[paganism]], its lack [[Lifespan of true athletic competitivenessNFL players and fans|shortening of lifespans]], its promotion of [[gambling]] (50M [[American]]s bet on the [[Super Bowl]]) rather than [[chivalry|sportsmanship]], its bilking of taxpayers for of billions for stadiums, its predictable outcomes where the same people win in playoffs due to obsessive scheming, and its [[Blacklisting Tim Tebow|exclusion of Tim Tebow]] apparently for quoting the [[Bible]] too much.<ref>The slogan "unplug the NFL" was created by ''Conservapedia'', with this entry. Others are welcome to use this slogan, preferably with attribution.</ref> Collusion among owners and coaches include [[NFL sham tryouts]]and sham coaching interviews. <ref>https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/02/03/agent-lions-held-sham-interview-with-teryl-austin-before-hiring-matt-patricia/</ref> '''''Many websites express dismay at how [[demonic]] the NFL really is'''''.
Spectator pro football is an inherently addictive -- and selfish -- activity which may increase dementia as excessive television watching generally does.<ref>https://nypost.com/2019/02/28/watching-3-5-hours-of-tv-a-day-increases-risk-of-dementia-study/</ref> '''''Anecdotal evidence of addicted football fans developing dementia is commonplace'''''.
Players are cut from The [[NFL squads based on what they say on ]] is one of the biggest promoters of the [[social mediahomosexual agenda]], and the [[Super Bowltransgender agenda]] no longer showcases the top talent, partly to appease [[liberal]] television networks. The NFL bilks taxpayers for an estimated $1 billion annually.<ref>The NFL even got the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBIDallas Cowboys]] to waste money on searching for a player's jersey , although located in [[Mexicoconservative]] in 2017.</ref> The NFL selfishly canceled a Grammy-award winning singer from performing the [[National AnthemTexas]] on opening day and refused to pay her fee,<ref>At its opening game on Sept. 9have promoted both agendas while receiving preferential televised coverage, 2021.</ref> because she had a religious exemption from the as on [[COVID vaccineThanksgiving Day]]. Why would The [[ChristianNFL]]s support this selfish promotes and profits from [[atheismgambling]][[addiction]], and yet tyrannically suspends players for silly reasons related to gambling.<ref>https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10073237-lions-jameson-williams-among-nfl-players-suspended-for-violating-gambling-policy?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial</ref>
Players are cut from NFL squads based on what they say on [[Herschel Walkersocial media]]rather than athletic merit, one of the greatest athletes ever, is excluded from while the NFL Hall of Fame despite his tremendous careerbilks taxpayers for an estimated $1 billion annually. <ref>The top recruits out NFL even got the [[Federal Bureau of college rarely realize their potential by playing Investigation|FBI]] to waste money on searching for a player's jersey in the NFL anymore[[Mexico]] in 2017.</ref> In 2022, and almost none the Democrat-arranged government subsidy of the top athletes in Buffalo Bills, which is owned by a billionaire family, exceeded more than $1 billion.<ref>See [[Essay:Overpriced Sports Teams]], citing [https://readsludge.com/2022/06/25/hochuls-stadium-swindle/].</ref> The NFL selfishly canceled a Grammy-award winning singer from performing the league get [[National Anthem]] on opening day and refused to play pay her fee,<ref>At its opening game on Sept. 9, 2021.</ref> because she had a religious exemption from the [[COVID vaccine]]. Why would [[Christian]]s support this selfish [[atheism]]? The coveted younger demographic (18-49) is abandoning the NFL in droves.<ref>"Super Bowl Sunday55 saw a decline in the 18 to 49 viewer demographic for the ninth year running. The 2021 Super Bowl lost another 37 percent of viewers in that age demo over last year’s audience." [https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2021/02/10/nfl-hemorrhaging-young-viewers-under-50-super-bowl-viewership-declines-ninth-straight-year/]</ref> Propped up by taxpayer subsidies, the [[Washington Commanders]] was purchased for $6 billion by a [[private equity]]-funded group in 2023, in another obscene enrichment of owners.<ref>https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-commanders-sale-nfl-owners-approve-dan-snyder-josh-harris-6-billion/</ref>
'''''[[Herschel Walker]], one of the [[Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|greatest athletes ever]], is excluded from the NFL Hall of Fame despite his tremendous career'''''. Exactly the same can be said of [[Tim Tebow]]. The top recruits out of college rarely realize their potential by playing in the NFL anymore, and almost none of the top athletes in the league get to play on [[Super Bowl Sunday]]. The NFL panders to the [[liberal media]] and encourages "[[fantasy football]]," a form of [[gambling]] and false worship.<ref>"From very early times gambling was forbidden by canon law. Two of the oldest among the so-called canons of the [[Apostles]] forbade games of chance under pain of [[excommunication]] to clergy and laity alike." See [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06375b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia], which continues to observe: "The 79th canon of the Council of Elvira (306) decreed that one of the faithful who had been guilty of gambling might be, on amendment, restored to communion after the lapse of a year. A homily (the famous "De Aleatoribus") long ascribed by St. Cyprian, but by modern scholars variously attributed to Popes Victor I, Callistus I, and Melchiades, and which undoubtedly is a very early and interesting monument of Christian antiquity, is a vigorous denunciation of gambling. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215), by a decree subsequently inserted in the "Corpus Juris", forbade clerics to play or to be present at games of chance. Some authorities, such as Aubespine, have attempted to explain the severity of the ancient canons against gambling by supposing that idolatry was often connected with it in practice. The pieces that were played with were small-sized idols, or images of the gods, which were invoked by the players for good luck."</ref> Genuine fans—as opposed to gamblers—are mostly irrelevant to the NFL profit model.<ref>[https://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/01/rams-chargers-raiders-move-to-los-angeles-london-nfl-owners-proposal When will fans realize that NFL owners don't care about them?]</ref> Beginning in 2016, the NFL has allowed displays of defiance against the [[National Anthem]]. '''''Search on "demonic" and "NFL" on the internet and see a half million websites discussing it'''''.
The Washington Redskins cut one of the finest safeties in the [[NFL]] because he publicly criticized its awful coaching, and he pointed out that he probably watches more game films than the coaches do.<ref>https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/12/fans-are-outraged-redskins-cut-d-j-swearinger-after-he-criticized-team</ref> Fans were furious how coaches cut this star, but genuine fans are irrelevant to NFL profits. This and other moves by the NFL shows that is more like professional wrestling, where participants are expected to puff up the product, than a meritocracy.
There is an average of only 11 minutes of football action in a typical 3-hour NFL broadcast.<ref name="WSJ">https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704281204575002852055561406</ref> Commercials, usually for beer alcoholic beverages or fantasy footballgambling, consume a third of the broadcast. Cheerleaders are rarely, if ever, shown in most NFL broadcasts anymore, while injured players are shown more than celebrating players.<ref name="WSJ"/>
Much of what the NFL does is fraudulent. While star NFL player Aaron Hernandez committed murder and later reportedly hung hanged himself in prison when serving a life sentence for it, his team the New England Patriots gave outspokenly [[Christian]] [[Tim Tebow]] a phony tryout, apparently to deflect from the scandal. The public is further misled in how NFL players are promoted as superstar athletes, but many are actually in poor aerobic shape from a medical perspective and have reduced life expectancies. Often the better athlete—such as a quarterback with a stronger arm—is benched in favor of a weaker athlete who can "read" defenses and throw sissy short passes, as [[Tom Brady]] does.
NFL-promoted "[[fantasy football]]" has grown from only 12 million participants a decade ago to an estimated 56 million, mostly men, today. In addition, the NFL advances the [[homosexual agenda]], such as with its halftime shows at the [[Super Bowl]]. Gambling on the Super Bowl topped $4.7 billion (not million) in 2018.<ref>https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2018/01/30/super-bowl-betting-total-to-top-4-7b-with-97-bet-illegally.html</ref> [[Timothy McVeigh]] lost his life savings by [[gambling]] on his hometown Buffalo team in the 1993 [[Super Bowl]], and in his despair turned his obsession to the [[Branch Davidians|Branch Davidian]] standoff, according to ''Politico.com''.<ref>https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/09/02/how-football-fed-timothy-mcveighs-despair-219625</ref>
'''''If the NFL does not want [[Christians]] who quote the [[Bible]], then Christians should not want the NFL'''''. There are many alternatives for sports fans, including the [[Olympics]], mixed martial arts, wrestling, boxing, golf, and, outside the [[U.S.]], [[soccer]], [[tennis]], [[rugby]], and cricket. There is also the option of spending less time watching televised sports, and spending that time more productively instead such as reading or studying mathematics, science, literature, religion, foreign languages, and/or history. One might also consider going to church on Sunday instead of sitting on the couch in front of the TV.
Much of the appeal of the NFL is the illusion that it is merit-based, like the Olympics, and has the best players. But the exclusion of Tim Tebow proves that the NFL is not really based on merit, but on [[political correctness]].
There is also a growing concern that watching or supporting the NFL may be immoral, in light of a study revealing that 96% of deceased NFL players test positive for [[chronic traumatic encephalopathy]], or CTE.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/09/18/96-of-surveyed-nfl-players-test-positive-for-brain-disease/</ref> Other studies suggest that the "average life expectancy of a retired NFL player is 55 years," and that "retired NFL players suffer from Alzheimer's at a 37 per cent higher rate than average."<ref>http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/news/the-average-life-expectancy-of-an-nfl-player-is-55-years.html</ref> Some have compared watching NFL games to what the Romans did in watching the brutal gladiator fights, which is widely recognized to have been immoral and harmful to the society.<ref>The NFL exaggerates its audience sometimes. For example, the NFL exaggerated ratings for its internet streaming, initially claiming that "33.6 million" watched a worldwide live stream of a Bills-Jaguars game in late October 2015, and then downgrading that estimate to less than half, or 15.2 million, which is still probably an exaggeration. [http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/10/27/nfl-exaggerated-sundays-bills-jags-internet-numbers/]</ref>
==Damage to Health concerns===== Harmful astroturf rather than grass ===Players oppose the use of astroturf, and the [[World Cup]] bans it. Yet greedy [[NFL]] owners install astroturf even in stadiums that replace the astroturf with grass for soccer games. Players attribute devastating injuries to the astroturf, such as star QB Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury on the fourth play of the first game in the 2023-24 season.<ref>https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10089309-nflpa-calls-for-elimination-of-artificial-turf-fields-to-avoid-unnecessary-injuries</ref>=== Many Harms Inflicted on players ===
"Sports Illustrated estimated in 2009 that 78 percent of NFL players are bankrupt or facing serious financial stress within two years of ending their playing careers and that 60 percent of NBA players are broke within five years of retiring from the game."<ref>http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/story/2012-04-22/Pro-athletes-and-financial-trouble/54465664/1</ref>
Unlike Olympic sports and the [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]], the NFL administers its substance abuse program independently of the [[United States Anti-Doping Agency]] (USADA). So, the quality and rigor of the NFL's drug testing is not independently controlled. However, since December 2009, USADA has a "Supplement Safety Now" program, in partnership with the NFL, [[Major League Baseball]], the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA), the [[National Hockey League]], the U.S. Olympic Committee and other national sports and health organizations. The program seeks to end dangerous and unscrupulous practices of "rogue" manufacturers within the nutritional supplement industry. The effort works to eliminate the practice of selling supplement products containing [[steroid]]s and other drugs which are labeled as "safe and legal" dietary supplements.
== Harmful effects on cities and taxpayers Questionable Economic Impact ==There are "Five Reasons Losing an NOTE: Much of the information here also applies to other professional sports leagues and teams, but the looting of taxpayers and the harm caused by the NFL Football Team to players and fans is far higher than most other sports. For example, [[sports gambling]] on NFL games is Good for a Cityfar more than other sports,"<ref>httphttps://sandiegofreepressvariety.orgcom/20152023/02sports/fivetech/the-reasonsnfl-losingis-anthe-nflmost-footballpopular-teamsport-isto-goodbet-foron-a2022-city1235467587/</ref> and the first reason is that the NFL bilks taxpayers of billions of dollars. Even though NFL owners head injuries are making billions of dollars for themselves, they get taxpayers to foot much of the costs for their stadiumsfar greater too.
There are additional reasons why a city The San Diego Free Press wrote an article titled "Five Reasons Losing an NFL Football Team is better off it if loses its Good for a City." The first reason quoted was that, even though NFL teamowners are making millions of dollars for themselves (and many NFL franchises are valued in the billions of dollars), includingthey get taxpayers to foot much of the costs for the teams' stadiums. Other reasons quoted include:
*More support for college programs, which actually help people<ref>It should be noted, though, that only a handful of NFL cities also have a university with a football team which is a member of a FBS "Power 5" conference, and only one -- Los Angeles -- has two such universities. Even so, many of those programs have never benefitted from increased attendance at collegiate games when the team has done well while the professional team has done poorly.</ref>
*Less blighting of the land<ref>Though many new stadiums have been built in areas which were already blighted.</ref>
*Greater local church attendance
*Fewer traffic jams<ref>http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/02/five-reasons-losing-an-nfl-football-team-is-good-for-a-city/</ref>
On December 17, 2015, the [[NFL]] demanded that the State of Missouri reduce the obligation by the NFL for a new $1.1 billion stadium in [[St. Louis]] to less than 20% of the cost, with taxpayers of the struggling city then bearing the bulk of the enormous cost. St. Louis refused, and ultimately the Rams relocated (back) to Los Angeles, from which they initially came.<ref>The city later sued the NFL seeking economic damages; the parties settled out of court with the league having to pay millions to the city.</ref> Similarly, in April 2024 the citizens of Jackson County, Missouri, refused to extend a 3/8th cent sales tax to renovate the stadium for the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] (the measure would also have built a new stadium for [[MLB]]'s [[Kansas City Royals]]; notably, the measure was opposed by County Executive Frank White, a former Royals player and inductee into the team's Hall of Fame).
== Poor economic impact of Super Bowl ==
The Catechism of the Catholic Church does not address whether gambling violates the First Commandment against idolatry (gamblers worship uncertainty and fall prey to superstition).<ref>http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c1a1.htm</ref> The Catholic Church has stated that gambling becomes morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling then risks becoming an enslavement.<ref>[http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a7.htm Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2413]</ref> The early church excommunicated people for gambling, and theologians today generally consider gambling to be morally licit under certain conditions.<ref>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06375b.htm</ref> (It should be noted, though, that [[New Orleans]], located in heavily-Catholic south Louisiana, reached a naming rights agreement with Caesar's Sportsbook to rename the New Orleans Saints home stadium "Caesar's Superdome".)
Among Protestants, fundamentalists are the most stringent opponents of gambling, believing it to be wrong in all cases. Evangelicals and Pentecostals/charismatics have generally opposed it as well, though not as stringently as fundamentalists. Mainline Protestants—consistent with their generally liberal theology—generally have only provided token oppositionfrom a secular standpoint (such as quoting studies showing its ill effects on society).
== Exclusion of Tim Tebow ==
In a demonstration of [[liberal hypocrisy]], the NFL has exploited cheerleaders with below-minimum-wage compensation, despite how fat cat owners are making billions at taxpayer expense. For example, the New York Jets are valued at $2.6 billion but the "Jets cheerleaders were given only $150 per game, and weren’t paid for any practice time," and had to sue just to obtain minimum wage for practice and travel.<ref name="Cheerleaders">https://www.forbes.com/sites/thecut/2016/01/29/new-york-jets-cheerleaders-win-324000-settlement-over-unpaid-work/#3b7c58663436</ref> In addition, onerous conditions are imposed on NFL cheerleaders as to hairstyle. If a conservative-owned business engaged in such unequal pay, liberals would be enraged and would call the owners "misogynistic."
== NFL Hall of Fame bias? ==
The NFL writers—who decide who does and does not get into the NFL Hall of Fame—have not been consistent (and some might even say, biased) -- in their voting patterns. Some claim that players who were open about their Christian faith were excluded (and still are).
== Opposes [[Right to Work]] ==
NFL players belong to a union that sides with [[liberals]] in opposing [[right to work]] laws, and the NFL players union even spoke out against a proposal in 2015 to make [[Wisconsin]] the 25th right-to-work state.<ref>https://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/nfl-union-right-to-work-wisconsin-115454</ref>
== Amputations from Frostbite ==
Some of the fans who attended the playoff game in [[Kansas City]] on January 13, 2024, suffered frostbite so severe that amputation was required.<ref>https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-dolphins-fans-frostbite-amputations-arrowhead-stadium-6c46520e3c2ed0adcb8014c03be731c7</ref> The [[NFL]] knew in advance that the temperature and windchill would be very cold for this game, as scheduled in the evening to maximize television revenue.
== Contrast with NBA ==
== See also ==
*[[Beating NFL addiction]]
*[[Blacklisting Tim Tebow]]
*[[Lifespan of NFL players and fans]]
*[[fantasy football]]
*[[Liberal corporate tyranny]]
*[[Beating NFL addictionvalues]] == References =={{reflist|2}}
== External links ==
* [http://sports.cbslocal.com/2015/10/01/nfl-month-without-arrest-first-since-2009/ NFL Goes A Month Without A Player Arrest For First Time Since 2009]
* [https://www.nflpa.com/players/sponsors List of NFL sponsors to boycott]
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
[[Category:Politics]]