You’re Fired: Philadelphia Eagles ‘dis-invited’ to White House

The rally that was supposed to celebrate the Eagles is now a celebrate trump.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

The Eagles cancelled the trip after the propaganda pr move by trump. They are rescheduling some charity work they were doing.

The Eagles are a stand up team, never knelt, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone outspoken on the team who doesn't walk the walk in terms of community work.

originally posted by: luthier
a reply to: burdman30ott6

The Eagles cancelled the trip after the propaganda pr move by trump. They are rescheduling some charity work they were doing.

The Eagles are a stand up team, never knelt, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone outspoken on the team who doesn't walk the walk in terms of community work.

As of last night, ESPN was saying the Eagles would still be in DC today, just not at the WH. The rescheduling/cancellations are on them, not on the WH.

I didn't say anything about the Eagles kneeling during the anthem, I said politically charged tantrums, which was referencing all of the absolute BS we've heard about "will he or won't he visit the WH?" WHO CARES!?!? We're talking about a collective of multimillionares... they have the ability to conduct their charitable work in DC whether there's a WH visit or not. Seriously. Both sides have had their childish moments in this, but at the end of the day I don't see the NFL players in much of a sympathetic role here. They're grown men paid huge money to play a damn game, STFU, play your game, get paid, and know your role in the grand scheme of society.

a reply to: Sookiechacha

I never thought just winning the superbowl was something worthy of a white house celebration.

I heap scorn on whomever/ whichever president started such a dorky tradition.

Now is as good a time for it to end as ever, IMHO

Besides: professional athletes in the US have turned into a bunch of overpaid, entitled crybabies. Good grief!

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: Liquesence

The nfl is a silly game played by rich entitled elitists.

It's a disgrace how much those grown men get to play a game.

It's a disgrace how other grown men get so emotional over a game.

We should be paying doctors and teachers that kind of money.

I played football in school. I like playing it.

But the nfl is more like a cult than a fun game that people play.

So yes I hope trump brings them down a few pegs.


And just for the record I think it's great that the players are kneeling to bring attention to police violence.

I wouldn’t mind the NFL being knocked down a few pegs, but the players compensation is an entirely different matter. Some doctors do get paid that kind of money. The average shelf life of an NFL player is 3.5 years...these aren’t baseball or basketball or hockey contracts that have been collectively bargained as guarantees.

Not to mention, the owners were using the NFLPA (union but in name an association, weird, huh?) as a piñata during the 2011 strike and were able to get player leadership (in reality, a dearth of leadership...R.I.P. Gene Upshaw) to acquiesce to ‘slotting’ (aka a wage ceiling or better “this is what we’re gonna ‘give’ you and that’s the end of it. Period. Or go break the bank in Saskatchewan...”) rookie contracts, effectively capping their outlays, while still growing their share of revenue. Record-breaking revenues.

Remember, David Tepper brought 2 BILLION in cash to the owners meeting to buy a team, a team he’s getting a discount on because of the #MeToo movement ensnaring the previous owner. No calls to Goldman Sachs. No bridge loans. Straight cash, homie. Billionaires don’t spend their own money unless it’s a ‘no-doubter-absolute-slobber-knocker’ of a deal. Again, $2,000,000,000 in CASH!

The owners are the nit-wits and deserve the entirety of blame w.r.t. this debacle for keeping the Turd Emperor (aka Roger Goodell) in power. And I can assure you, none of the owners are close to falling out of the 3-comma club, but 2/3s of ex-NFL players are broke and/or in financial ruin after they’ve been shelved for 5 years*. Perspective (not putting you on blast at all...just saying).

*In no way, shape, or form do I excuse the players’ frivolity, or whatever lead to their current situation; but it should be addressed that these are 20 year old somethings, going from cult-like status on campus to millionaires in less time than most of the owners spend on their porcelain throne in the morning.

ETA: I spent my undergrad and graduate years at 2 ACC schools — if what I saw/experienced on Tobacco Rd was an indication of what it’s like at say, an Ohio State (no, you pretentious underachiever, I’m not declaring “THE”), cult-like is a very apt descriptor. I was living in Austin when the ‘rape culture’ of Baylor University’s football team was exposed...it was eye-opening and a bit surreal taking in all the details of how pervasive it was and how they were virtually untouchable for a good 5 years or so. Point is, these boys aren’t well-adjusted and have a deluded sense of self...namely, because we love our football and the owners aren’t allergic to profits (this would’ve NEVER happened under Rozelle, or Tags, for that matter). The owners should’ve been the adults in this matter. Bigly disappointing.

originally posted by: Fowlerstoad
a reply to: Sookiechacha

I never thought just winning the superbowl was something worthy of a white house celebration.

I heap scorn on whomever/ whichever president started such a dorky tradition.

Now is as good a time for it to end as ever, IMHO

Jimmy Carter technically started it, but it became annual tradition under Reagan. The first baseball championship team to visit did so 3 months after the end of the Civil War, make of that whatever you will, but it seems fairly obvious that the tradition was born out of a bit of brevity designed to draw Americans together over something mostly trivial. Following WWII, it seems there was a very obvious Cold War/nationalistic fervor involved in it, which also seems in concert with the fact that championship teams have been centerpieces in such dictatorial countries as Nazi Germany, Cuba, and the USSR.

I always thought the POTUS calling the championship coach to congratulate them (I think started by Reagan) was a far cooler tradition.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: luthier
a reply to: burdman30ott6

The Eagles cancelled the trip after the propaganda pr move by trump. They are rescheduling some charity work they were doing.

The Eagles are a stand up team, never knelt, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone outspoken on the team who doesn't walk the walk in terms of community work.

As of last night, ESPN was saying the Eagles would still be in DC today, just not at the WH. The rescheduling/cancellations are on them, not on the WH.

I didn't say anything about the Eagles kneeling during the anthem, I said politically charged tantrums, which was referencing all of the absolute BS we've heard about "will he or won't he visit the WH?" WHO CARES!?!? We're talking about a collective of multimillionares... they have the ability to conduct their charitable work in DC whether there's a WH visit or not. Seriously. Both sides have had their childish moments in this, but at the end of the day I don't see the NFL players in much of a sympathetic role here. They're grown men paid huge money to play a damn game, STFU, play your game, get paid, and know your role in the grand scheme of society.

I can agree with some of that.

However a lot of these men were dirt poor and decided not to be a bum, excelled and worked hard to become the very best, now a days that means actually getting good grades and making it through college. So they do have some insight to the problems of violence and poverty.

It's real easy to make fun of these guys because they get paid but once you look at what they did to get their compared to their peers a whole different story comes out.

I just heard one guy who went to junior college first on a scholarship and worked at McDonald's. For two years he ate one big Mac a day. He cut it in thirds...

These aren't the type of people we want to just blanket as rich babies.

a reply to: luthier

*Some* aren't, you're right, but some of them absolutely are. A great example in this is Chris Long. Howie Long made a lot of money in the NFL and then made even better money serving as a commentator for the past 25 years. His son Chris can't be considered a typical American with typical American problems, so why in the hell does he carry himself like some manner of "woke" social activist?

Max Kellerman (who I LOATHE) ran his mouth last year comparing the protests (and grousing about the lack of white player support for the protestors) to Jackie Robinson in MLB. That highlights the level of tomfoolery we're dealing with here, in my opinion. Jackie Robinson broke barriers in an era in which the simple fact of him being who he was, black, presented him in a negative connotation to much of the country. That's not the case here in any way. This has been very much a situation in which players' actions and words, alongside their attitude has given them a negative connotation to much of the country. Those are things each player is 100% in control of, so they have nobody to blame but themselves.

I don't discredit the fact that the NFL has some stellar individuals within their league. They always have. When I was a kid, Walter Peyton was the pinnacle of role models within the NFL. He received accolades for it, but he never centered the spotlight on himself, himself. That's very much a difference between now and then. I'll be honest, we're in a mixed up, backward ass society over here. Instead of idolizing Richard Sherman, celebrating Vontaze Burfict, or putting Colin Kaepernick on a pedestal, how about we start championing some African American individuals who beat far, far tougher odds? (considering the fact that most pro athletes are absolutely naturally gifted individuals and we're in an era where poverty is no obstacle to signing a million dollar contract so long as you display the ability to run fast, catch, throw, or hit hard, there's a pro team who will toss obscene amounts of money at you.)
How about we focus the camera and attention on Arnold Donald? A black man who grew up in abject poverty in the 9th Ward of New Orleans, to uneducated parents who pushed him and his 4 siblings through college, after which Arnold became the CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. How about Ursula Burns, who grew up in the projects in lower East Side of New York to become the CEO of Xerox and who also chairs numerous non profit and community educational resource charities? Kenneth Frazier, son of a janitor in Philadelphia... went on to become the CEO or pharma giant Merck? These are success stories who have defied greater odds, generate much more long lasting positive impacts and, amazingly, command far less of a spotlight than professional athletes who's careers last a decade and usually are a mix of doing good, doing bad, and narcissistic actions.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

I am right there with you on some of that again. Chris long well we disagree. He didn't have to give his whole salary away.

But I am also more on the Dean Kamen end of things. I wouldn't say anyone escaping the ghetto whether brains or athletics has it easy. Plenty of thugs have great genetics.

When it comes down to it the Eagles showed great humanity compared to their peers and trump decided to a pr stunt. Why not just cancel sports stars coming and start bringing engineers? Well because he doesn't actually care about anything but making himself look good. Hence look at all these other stars I brought.

Shapiro pretty much summed it up in his daily wite article for me.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Yeah, ‘Sweetness’ was a good damn dude. Like, such a good dude, the NFL gives their biggest off-field distinction in his honor: The Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Died way too young.

I met Max Kellerman in my early, early 20’s (guess he was in his early 30’s) — he was WAY worse then than now — and I actually think it’s a schtick. He’s no Skip Bayless but can definitely be pedantic and patronizing; I can’t watch him on his ESPN show but love him with Lamps on HBO boxing.

Not that you need it, but here’s more material to loathe Max for:



And why do we need to celebrate black athletes who beat far greater odds? If there’s a case to be made for said query, I’ll take the Griffin kid from USF — he’s black and only has one hand. Boom. Problem solved.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

The nfl is a silly game played by rich entitled elitists.

It's a disgrace how much those grown men get to play a game.

It's a disgrace how other grown men get so emotional over a game.

Disgrace to whom?

And how does the above negatively affect or impact your life? I couldn't care less about football, or sports, so it dosn't bother me. I do agree they are paid a ridiculous amount; however, people enjoy the entertainment, so let them have it, IMO.

We should be paying doctors and teachers that kind of money.

I agree teachers should be paid significantly more than they are currently paid.

And just for the record I think it's great that the players are kneeling to bring attention to police violence.

Cool.

a reply to: Liquesence

One significant issue, which the NFL has very successfully shielded from any discussions over the past decade, is how much the NFL benefits from tax payer money, tax breaks, and Congressional antitrust exemptions. www.politifact.com...
www.watchdog.org...

The Patriots built the impressive Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, but it came at a hefty price tag to taxpayers: $72 million. Through the government, we funded 17 percent of the stadium’s total cost.

The Patriot’s aren’t alone. The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled down $171.6 million in public funding for their stadium, 61 percent of the total cost. It’s no understatement to say that stadium truly belongs to the people of Pittsburgh.

And Indiana fans shouldn’t be too happy that the Colts secured $619 million in taxpayer subsidies – almost nine times more than what was given to the Patriots.

Overall, taxpayers have spent nearly $3 billion on the 16 stadiums that will host NFL games during the season’s opening weekend. And over the past couple of decades, we’ve given NFL teams nearly $7 billion total in aid for their stadiums.

www.washingtonpost.com... 6e

An antitrust exemption: In 1961, Congress approved legislation that allowed professional football teams to pool together when negotiating radio and television broadcasts rights. The law, signed by President John F. Kennedy, was the first action by the federal government that would spur the growth of a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, academics say. CBS paid $2 million for the right to broadcast the NFL’s championship game in 1966, the year Congress approved the NFL’s merger with the AFL and expanded the combined league’s antitrust exemption. The idea was to support the fledgling sports league. Today, however, the NFL makes an estimated $7 billion in revenues just from their television deals. Hands down, NFL games are the most popular programming on television. Last fall, 34 of the 35 most-watched TV shows were NFL games.

This goes well beyond being an issue that only impacts "football fans" and is absolutely an issue which every tax payer has a vested interest in.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Yeah, tax revenue helping to fund the construction of new stadiums is something with which I do not agree, nor I do like, which happened recently here in Atlanta. What with the obscene amount of advertising revenue they get, taxpayers should not be on the hook for it, and costs shouldn't be passed off to taxpayers.

But, it is a business, even though the service it provides is entertainment, the service which is selective in itself. This goes to the basic problem of corporate influence (and lobbyists) over government across the board, in which case the NFL or any sports league should not necessarily be singled out over (non-sports) corporations, IMO.

Multi-million (or billion) dollar corporate influence as a whole is the problem.

a reply to: Liquesence

That antitrust clause in sports actually puts them on an even larger pedestal than any corporation I can think of. That goes for MLB as well. If Congress eliminated the antitrust exemptions for both, we'd see some changes take place very fast, including ticket prices going down while player salaries plummeted.

a reply to: angeldoll
A few refused? The Eagles notified them on Friday that there would be 80 people from the Eagles attending. Monday they changed it to only 8 or 9 plus Swoop, the mascot. This was a setup by the Eagles organization in order to make the President look bad. He caught wind of it when the Secret Service told him only about 10 people were coming.Then he cancelled the White House event for them. The players assoc then cancelled all of the charity events they had scheduled in the city that the Eagles were going to attend. Who got hurt by the Eagles playing political games?
As the article asks-Were the Eagles dis-invited from the city of Wash D.C.?

dailycaller.com...

Let's face it, no matter how much you like sports, one problem in this country is that we put more importance on these players, than we do the people that protect and sometimes die for our country.

That is wrong.

So. I hope he stops doing all the visits with sports figures, and puts more focus on our service members. And he needs to not mention the NFL at all at this celebration.

It was VERY rude for the Eagle's to RSVP for 80 people to attend on fri. and then announce mon. less then 10 would attend. How Trump gets blamed for this mess is mind boggling. The WH still hosted the Eagle's fan's ( that the team clearly didn't care about) and turned lemons into lemonade and had a lovely celebration for the Military.

I sorta feel bad for the few player's that planned to attend being un-invited, but you know they are a TEAM, and 70+ out of 80 decided to be jerks, that's on the Eagle's not Trump.

originally posted by: luthier

originally posted by: IkNOwSTuff
It seems to me like hes playing the media.

Instead of the few butthurt dip#s who wouldnt attend getting an audience to spew their verbal diarrhea Trump has flipped the headlines to him taking a hard stand on nonsense.

What I see is that those with severe TDS need to jump on every single tiny unimportant piece of far fetched nonsense they can to try and make him look bad, what they cant see is that those not suffering from their affliction (even those who dont like Trump on a rational as opposed to pathological level) actually agree with him on most of what hes saying/doing.

I sincerely believe if the people got behind him America would be great again

That makes sense to you?

He just made a martyr out of those people. Now that is all that will be talked about...

More flailing around in the white house. The man doesn't even realize nobody on the Eagles ws kneeling....or that the pats he met with also didn't bring the whole team.

Ive heard plenty of faux outrage about him cancelling the visit but nothing about why the players refused to attend.
He played the media like a fiddle

The fewer people paying attention to these overpayed special ed students. The more people actually pay attention to relevant topics that actually effect their life. Most professional athletes should be flipping burgers or packing my groceries up. NOT making millions playing a kids game.

The WH still hosted the Eagle's fan's ( that the team clearly didn't care about) and turned lemons into lemonade and had a lovely celebration for the Military.

Yea.. right, sure they did. One reporter tried to find the Eagles "fans." He found one Eagles logo on all the clothes worn. He asked multiple people who the Eagles QB was for the SB - not ONE person knew. Yea.. great fans! : )

It was a sad affair.. that Trump only visited for 10 minutes or so, to mangle the singing of God Bless America and try to further ridicule the NFL. What a political farce.

It perhaps may have had more impact if this wasn't all just a stunt by Trump, fueled by a personal vendetta against the NFL.