OBJ: NFL season shouldn't happen, team owners 'don't see us as human'

[D Bone]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/odell-beckham-jr-nfl-season-shouldnt-happen-owners-dont-see-us-as-human-173659866.html

 

Odell Beckham Jr. does not think the NFL should hold a 2020 season, saying it doesn’t make sense given the state of the world and is “obviously for their money.”

The Cleveland Browns wide receiver spoke with Lane Florsheim of the Wall Street Journal before players were to report to training camp.

“Obviously with everything that's going on, it doesn't make sense why we're trying to do this,” Beckham said.

Beckham: Obviously NFL season is for franchise owners’ money

Beckham told the Wall Street Journal the world is not ready to have an NFL season and said he believes it’s strictly moving forward only to line team owners’ pockets.

“We're not ready for football season. So why are we trying to push forward? It's obviously for their money. And that bothers me because there's always been this—and I hate saying it like that—but the owners' [attitude is], 'Oh, we own you guys,' and just kind of that unfairness going on that they don't see us as human. I just feel like the season shouldn't happen and I'm prepared for it to not happen and I wouldn't mind not having it.”

Beckham is entering his seventh NFL season and second with the Browns, who had a disappointing 2019 season after high offseason praise. There have not been any Browns who have opted out yet.

Will Beckham opt out of season?

The opt-out list is growing daily as NFL players reportedly have until Wednesday to decide against playing. Beckham’s interview with the WSJ was done two weeks ago before the NFL and NFL Players Association reached an agreement on COVID-19 safety protocols.

It was also before he reported to the facility and saw the team’s safety measures, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported. He reportedly does not plan to opt out of the season, per the report. He reported to the team on time and has been a full participant in testing protocols.

Beckham on difference between NFL, NBA during COVID-19

Beckham noted that it’s a different situation for the NFL to return to play versus basketball, referencing the NBA.

“I can understand basketball was already in the playoffs. Five-on-five basketball in an arena is going to be more intense than regular-season games. Hooping is different than playing an 11-on-11 contact sport where there's 80 people in a locker room.”

The NBA is playing in a bubble at Disney World and shortened the conclusion of its regular season. It will jump into playoffs in two weeks. There are also about only 15 players in a locker room, there is far less contact and the league didn’t bring every team to Disney.

Other sports that were not nearing the end of their season are also playing again, but with a structure similar to the NBA. They are in bubble sites — other than MLB, which has run into problems with that — and have shortened their regular season. The NWSL and MLS opted for tournaments, while the WNBA dropped its season to 22 games in less than seven full weeks.

College football is also reckoning with how and if players should play this season. Pac-12 players joined together to issue demands and changes to help protect them now and in the future.

[DieHardBrownsFan]

Season won't happen.

[tiamat63]

I've heard some of these similar sentiments from workers in businesses that somehow retained their "essential" designation during the shutdown.   To an extent, I can't blame ODB.    That having been said, he is within his right to opt-out should he feesl it necessary.    On the other hand, I know how difficult that would be for myself should the season carry on.  Watching my teammates and friends do battle without you when you're a competitor is soul wrenching.

[D Bone]

41 minutes ago, D Bone said:

I just feel like the season shouldn't happen and I'm prepared for it to not happen and I wouldn't mind not having it.”

^ Makes me all warm and fuzzy for his upcoming effort if somehow the season does begin. 

[The Gipper]

Well....here is a clue OBJ of what I believe:    A big reason that they want the season to happen is so that the vast, vast majority of the players in the league, over 2000 of you, can earn their living; so they can get paid.    Remember, as of now, the Feds have not authorized any extension of unemployment benefits....so if you are all "laid off" you may get squadoosh in the way of compensation.   And while there certainly are a minority of the players who have made big money for a number of year and could withstand financially the loss of a season....that represents probably only a handful of players on each team.    So, sure, the owners also want to make money as well.....but without fans in the stands, and still playing all players their full salaries (correct me if I am wrong on that) ...they may likely at best break even, but probably suffer some losses.

So, maybe the ones that see you as not humans are your fellow players...who need the jobs.  Or, maybe, point in fact, it is YOU who do not see THEM as humans...i.e. mostly normal people who have to work for a living. 

[Orion]

That was a NY Times interview, 2 weeks ago, before he saw the Browns facility.  He has since walked back a bunch of what he said.  But I'm sure that he still doesn't think football should be played.

He made comments about how it's all about money and the owners want to play for the money and that the owners feel that they own you as a player and don't care about you. - As much as I'm not a Haslam fan, he hasn't come across as the type of owner OBJ is referring to.

OBJ talks to the microphones.  We wish he wouldn't.  Too often he says something he shouldn't have.  Too often he comes off seeming like he's less than a 'team' guy.  

Is he right in thinking that they shouldn't be playing football?  I think he might, probably, maybe, be right.  But they could almost as easily get COVID from going to a bar or to a strip club with the Marlins.  If you're not going to do one, then you shouldn't be doing the other either.  

IMO the nfl is doing it right in that when the players come in, they're tested and sent home to stay there.  Three tests and you're in the door with everybody else and you're safe.  The trick is to 'stay' safe.  They have to stay home after they leave the facility.  Therein lies the problem.  

If they DO have a season, a team that does a 'good' job and stays away from COVID could see game day advantages over the opponents whom may have been favorites if not for their COVID list. 

[D Bone]

1 hour ago, The Gipper said:

Well....here is a clue OBJ of what I believe:    A big reason that they want the season to happen is so that the vast, vast majority of the players in the league, over 2000 of you, can earn their living; so they can get paid.    Remember, as of now, the Feds have not authorized any extension of unemployment benefits....so if you are all "laid off" you may get squadoosh in the way of compensation.   And while there certainly are a minority of the players who have made big money for a number of year and could withstand financially the loss of a season....that represents probably only a handful of players on each team.    So, sure, the owners also want to make money as well.....but without fans in the stands, and still playing all players their full salaries (correct me if I am wrong on that) ...they may likely at best break even, but probably suffer some losses.

So, maybe the ones that see you as not humans are your fellow players...who need the jobs.  Or, maybe, point in fact, it is YOU who do not see THEM as humans...i.e. mostly normal people who have to work for a living. 

Get em Gip!!

(not sure I've said that before?) 

[Unsympathetic]

5 hours ago, D Bone said:

they don't see us as human

OBJ is not sufficiently cynical to accurately describe reality.

They do, in fact, see obj and the players as human.. and their policies towards the players demonstrate exactly what they think of average working humans.

To be clear: They're intentionally telling people to go work in conditions they know are not safe.

And now you know the point of regulations -- when given the choice, owners and corporations place zero value on the lives of workers. 

I hope nobody who's read this far ever again thinks a company will "do the right thing" --- the "free market" blather asserts an equal competitor to the NFL would naturally emerge.  BS.. and this isnt the only industry dominated by one player.

[side note for clarity: This is known as late-stage capitalism.. most industries dominated by single entities that buy out/crush all competition but ensure their continued dominance via politics.. and thus the .gov run for the benefit of those few..]

4 hours ago, The Gipper said:

normal people who have to work

Instead of giving trillions to companies whimsically with no strings, many other countries [countries that actually govern for their people rather than some ever-changing group of 20-500 companies which themselves are not operated to the benefit of either America or Americans] nationalize payrolls to prevent unemployment until pandemic is over... which costs them orders of magnitude per capita less than what the US has done to date.  Yes, there's problems with every approach -- and the US has chosen the one that is the most costly and has the least amount of benefit to citizens. We're optimally inefficient!

And no, I'm not talking about the token amounts of people whose jobs/restaurants etc were actually saved for a few weeks -- that's the side clown show.  The real dollars of the bailouts were in fact trillions, all wildly unnecessary -- all the companies that took those dollars laid off/fired Americans anyway.

It doesn't have to be this way -- sending people back to work in unsafe environs is a deliberate policy choice with the objective of killing and/or bankrupting people to have Wall Street take their assets.

And what's on tap this week? of course - the start of a foreclosure crisis unlike anything experienced before in the US.  This is a depression -- look out below.

The US is indeed #1 - in lives destroyed that don't have to be.  U-S-A!

[D Bone]

[ballpeen]

16 hours ago, tiamat63 said:

I've heard some of these similar sentiments from workers in businesses that somehow retained their "essential" designation during the shutdown.   To an extent, I can't blame ODB.    That having been said, he is within his right to opt-out should he feesl it necessary.    On the other hand, I know how difficult that would be for myself should the season carry on.  Watching my teammates and friends do battle without you when you're a competitor is soul wrenching.

I agree.  

 

Some business is essential.  Hospitals are essential, as are their suppliers.  .Waste collection, water treatment plants, county works departments....we can name dozens that have to remain open.  We get that.  The NFL, I wouldn't call that essential.

 

If deemed a essential business, fund them to pay 1.5 pay for normal hours.  2x for overtime.  Some things have to stay open.  The grocery store, yes, the local donut shop, no.  The local McDonalds, yes, due to it's size.  You have to eat on the road and their drive- thru's work better than most. The local mom and pop, probably no.  Hardware/ feed and seed stores, yes, department stores, no other than Wal-Mart, ....and I hate Wal-Mart, but I do understand their value to the country.

[Unsympathetic]

1 minute ago, ballpeen said:

Some business is essential

Note the current approach is that the results of some business are essential - but the ability to continue living of the people doing the work to produce those results is not.

[ballpeen]

I understand.

[Unsympathetic]

$20 billion is all it would take to set up and fund in perpetuity the greatest vaccine hunting laboratory in the history of the world.

We could also study every animal on the planet - Humans have not yet done a comprehensive study of zoonotic viruses, which have been [and will continue to be] nature's pandemic source.

[ballpeen]

Might take more than that, but if you made it a worldwide effort, it could be done.  Have one campus with multiple labs working on multiple projects.

 

Then again you might want labs on each continent with scientists from everywhere at each.  It would be easier to get some bat from South America to a lab in Brazil then ship up to Omaha, or where ever.

[The Gipper]

1 hour ago, ballpeen said:

Might take more than that, but if you made it a worldwide effort, it could be done.  Have one campus with multiple labs working on multiple projects.

 

Then again you might want labs on each continent with scientists from everywhere at each.  It would be easier to get some bat from South America to a lab in Brazil then ship up to Omaha, or where ever.

How about doing it on an Island  somewhere and having that renown scientist.....you know:   Dr. Moreau  put in charge of it. 

[Unsympathetic]

And when they escape, we'll call that island Jurassic Park!

And the "Wealthy Benefactor" will die after breaking his ankle and getting bit by wild turkeys - excuse me, Procompsognathus.  There's roving gangs of them in new england!

[The Gipper]

2 minutes ago, Unsympathetic said:

And when they escape, we'll call that island Jurassic Park!

And the "Wealthy Benefactor" will die after breaking his ankle and getting bit by wild turkeys - excuse me, Procompsognathus.  There's roving gangs of them in new england!

And in Kentucky.   I have been to where they hang out. 

[Icecube]

6 hours ago, The Gipper said:

How about doing it on an Island  somewhere and having that renown scientist.....you know:   Dr. Moreau  put in charge of it. 

 

[WarriorsRpussies]

I get what his saying, especially in regards to safety but his walked back on it since seeing how the Browns are taking ever precaution. With that said I remember being blown away by Vikings set up only to learn that their Infections Control Officer actually got Covid last week.

[Icecube]

If owners don't see players as human, what is it they view them as? 

 

 

[D Bone]

4 minutes ago, Icecube said:

If owners don't see players as human, what is it they view them as? 

If that doesn't summon a crazy post by pathetic, nothing will... 

[Unsympathetic]

28 minutes ago, D Bone said:

a crazy post

Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter!