In case many of you didn't know, this month is NFL Hispanic heritage month. What exactly that means I have no idea because I can't read or speak Spanish. Anyways, this attempt by the NFL to expand its appeal is really rooted in its deep hatred and fear of soccer and the growing Latino community.
Many of you have heard a football coach tell a player if he doesn't want to get hit he should play soccer. This quote, besides being a fallacy because there is a lot of contact in soccer, tells of the fear football people have of soccer, a foreign sport. These people fear the idea that one day just as many young American boys will be playing soccer as there are playing football. And this fear is becoming more of a reality every day.
It is predicted that by the year 2055 35% of America will be Hispanic and Caucasians will represent 50% of America. It is no secret that the Hispanic community loves soccer and you can see their passion for the sport by driving by parks and football fields on Sunday afternoons. It is this passion for the sport that scares the NFL.
Every year since its inception the MLS has seen its attendance rise. While the MLS isn't selling out 80,000 seat arenas they are cultivating a following of very diverse and dedicated fans. Now the NFL doesn't see this as a current threat, and its not, however with a growing Hispanic community the NFL wants to nip this potential problem in the butt.
The NFL has no Asian heritage month or African heritage month and they won't because these communities are not growing at the rate of the Hispanic communities nor do those communities show a general passion for soccer. This passion for a sport they don't understand is what drove them to start Hispanic heritage month.
In conclusion, NFL owners, old, white, curmudgeons, fear the growing Hispanic community and its passion for a sport they don't understand. This hatred/fear has been instilled for generations and will continue to be instilled as long as old white stupid people coach football. I hope that one day my child will be judged not by his Team USA Jozy Altidore jersey but rather his passion as a fan.
6 comments:
Wow Tom, talk about an over-reaction. Not only is your post rediculously dramatic, you are making several generalizing assumptions. Just because there are a higher percentage of hispanics doesn't mean that there will be less caucasians (and blacks too, a large demographic you failed to account for). There will always be plenty of players and fans of fooball. I don't think the NFL is celebrating a heritage because they are "scared".
That being said, September 15 to October 15 is NATIONAL Hispanic Heritage Month. It's not like the NFL decided to invent a holiday to save their franchise which will apparently have to share popularity 50 years from now. I'm sure if Black History Month (February) or Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May) fell during the NFL season, they would take every opportunity to capture the interest of another demographic. With your theory here, why doesn't the NFL celebrate Women's History Month (were it not in March)? After all, by 2009 HALF of the world's population will be female, a group notoriously disinterested in football. Soon their ways will spread and the NFL will lose everything! Football as we know it is over!
What about National White People Month. It's about time we got some recognition. I don't want my children to grow up in a world where they feel persecuted for getting in touch with their White European backgrounds.
Every month is National White People Month.
And might I say that as a modern Hispanic man, I appreciate the NFL's attempts--modest though they are--to reach out to my people. That said, the NFL is way behind the curve in that they still refuse to adopt an affirmative action program for Hispanic players.
1: It is nip it in the bud, not butt...pervert.
2: The NFL Hispanic Heritage Month is a way for the NFL to capitalize on the growing Hispanic market within the United States. The NFL's main goal is to make money and they can do so by getting more fans from an untapped Hispanic market. Th NFL sees the MLS as a business competitor. Why is it wrong for them to try to steal which you are perceiving to be soley MLS's customers?
NFL's move is quite inline with the current marketing trend of sports marketing towards the hispanic market, the fastest growing minority market in the country. Hispanics just don't watch the MLS.
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