{"id":248909,"date":"2017-09-29T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-29T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/?p=248909"},"modified":"2017-10-02T16:37:51","modified_gmt":"2017-10-02T20:37:51","slug":"donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn\u2019t What the Media Portrays It to Be"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>RUSH: The Democrats are trying to connect Trump to the ongoing so-called failure of getting aid and relief to Puerto Rico. And that\u2019s gonna bomb. You know, it\u2019s starting to happen. Actually, I think it\u2019s been happening for a while. The left does not innovate. The Democrat Party, let me specify it. The Democrat Party does not innovate. They don\u2019t have any innovators, and they don\u2019t have any forward thinkers. If the Democrat Party produced a smartphone, it would still be 30 years old. And the only thing that would change in it is the numbers of people that you can call.<\/p>\n<p>They really don\u2019t innovate. The way they\u2019re going after Trump on Puerto Rico is a replay of how they went after Bush on Katrina, which is a replay on how they went after George H. W. Bush on Kuwait, which is a replay on how they\u2019ve gone after Reagan for not caring about &#8212; it\u2019s just a replay. They just go to their playbook and repeat things that, in their minds, have worked very well, and they try to adapt them to the modern era, but it doesn\u2019t work, and it\u2019s all falling apart.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-248367 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/fb-092517-Trump-Ala.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/fb-092517-Trump-Ala.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/fb-092517-Trump-Ala-300x158.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>The same thing with the NFL. That is falling apart on them. Trump is being proven a winner on this. They don\u2019t want to admit it. The NFL doesn\u2019t want to admit it, of course. But if you look at any number of indicators and any number of teams now announcing in advance, &#8220;Hey, we\u2019re standing on Sunday.&#8221; The Steelers. &#8220;We\u2019re standing on Sunday.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, came out and said, &#8220;We\u2019re gonna do both. We\u2019re gonna kneel and then we\u2019re gonna stand.&#8221; That I predict is not &#8212; like I said last night, the NFL is making a tactical error here and maybe even strategic. And I think corporate America has been doing the same thing. Corporate America &#8212; the NFL\u2019s in that world &#8212; gets caught up in media and they see everything through the lens of media, as the most people do. But the picture of America that the media paints or broadcasts or portrays isn\u2019t accurate. And let me give you an example.<\/p>\n<p>I hearken back to this all the time, because, to me, it\u2019s one of the best. Mike Pence was governor of Indiana. And they passed a religious freedom restoration bill because in Indiana people were being prevented, they were being protested, they were having trouble expressing religious freedom, which is granted in the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-222805\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/SuluCake.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/SuluCake.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/SuluCake-300x133.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>So what Governor Pence and the Indiana legislature did was pass a state law that basically reaffirmed it. They found it necessary to do so because not enough people knew that religious freedom was guaranteed in the First Amendment of the Constitution. It cannot be abridged.<\/p>\n<p>But there were ongoing protests and other hassles that were being visited upon Christians in Indiana. So they come up with a religious restoration bill. Well, immediately the media tried to portray the state of Indiana as homophobic and racist and bigoted. And you remember, the media went all over the state knocking on doors of businesses. They were trying to find a business that would admit that it would not cater a gay wedding, if it was a pizzeria, if it was a bakery, if it was a photography studio.<\/p>\n<p>It took them two weeks, and they found a little pizzeria in a small town in Indiana, and the daughter of the owner was 21 or 22, and they run into her shop with their cameras and microphones and ask her, &#8220;If a gay wedding asked you to cater their reception, would you do it?&#8221; And she said, &#8220;No. It\u2019s a violation of my religious beliefs,&#8221; and they were off and running. So they found one example.<\/p>\n<p>The coverage of the whole incident in Indiana was made to look like Indiana was an outlier, that the rest of America sees Indiana the way the media was portraying Indiana &#8212; as backwards, as Christian, as restrictionist, as exclusionary, as racist, as bigoted, as homophobic. So now if you happen to be a corporate CEO &#8212; a titan of industry living in Montana, living in Arizona, living in Texas &#8212; you watch this, and you might be forgiven if you believe that the media portrayal, the narrative here is right.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, I think that a number of people and institutions &#8212; corporate leaders &#8212; have mistakenly bought the media narrative of where American culture is, and they believe that American culture is moving left &#8212; and it is in certain spots. I\u2019m not denying that. They believe that American culture all is united against Christian conservatives. In other words, the people the media portray as enemies is made to look like everybody in America thinks so.<\/p>\n<p>And you can see when you look at corporate marketing how they choose to advertise and sell their products. You can tell who they think their audiences are, and I believe in many cases they\u2019re missing the mark. And I think the NFL is one of these corporate entities that\u2019s missing its mark. I think there are people there who really believe that sideline protests of the flag and disrespect for the flag and the honoring of <a href=\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/colin-kaepernick-in-his-own-words\/\">Colin Kaepernick<\/a> was going to improve their image. Why would they do it otherwise?<\/p>\n<p>Why would the NFL purposely engage in activity if they knew it was going to be harmful? Now, wait. There are institutions that are doing that. ESPN is continuing to lose subscribers, and yet they are continuing to take action and implement policies that will guarantee the continued erosion of subscribers. While saying they\u2019re not a political organization, they\u2019ve gone all left, all the time. Do they know that they are offending a great majority of their audience? Do they not see the cancellations of subscriptions to cable TV and online?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-248419 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092617-Jerry-Jones-kneeling.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092617-Jerry-Jones-kneeling.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092617-Jerry-Jones-kneeling-300x144.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/>What if they do? What explains why they continue to do this? Well, what explains CNN continuing to do what they do when they stay in tenth place? Why? Why doesn\u2019t CNN adapt? Why does CNN&#8230;? Well, part of it is niche advertising and pursuing a niche audience and trying to own all of it, but another aspect of it is &#8212; I guarantee you &#8212; that CNN believes it\u2019s hip. CNN believes it is where the majority of thinking is; it\u2019s just taking a while for people to admit it, and CNN\u2019s gonna be loyal to the cause no matter what.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll go down with the ship. They\u2019ll go down with the flag. If liberalism kills CNN, if CNN dies as a network, they\u2019ll go down on the ship with it, because they\u2019re loyal to the cause. Is that the NFL? Is the NFL so devoted to a political ideology that they willingly allow the product to suffer just to stay loyal to the political ideology? I don\u2019t think so. We\u2019re already seeing the league try to backtrack. They had a big meeting yesterday, and do you know the thing that came out of that meeting?<\/p>\n<p>There were owners in the meeting. There were players in the meeting and NFL execs, the commissioner. You know what the big thing to come out of the meeting was? Have you heard? The big thing to come out of the meeting was they all agreed that this approach &#8212; that it\u2019s the players and the NFL versus President Trump &#8212; has got to stop. Why? Because they\u2019re losing it. They didn\u2019t think they were gonna lose this. When owners and management promote &#8212; and that\u2019s what they were doing.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why I was sad. That\u2019s why I was despondent on Sunday and Monday. When the owners, when the league officials &#8212; the commissioner, his executive team &#8212; tout this public display of anti-American symbolism &#8212; which they did. They all lined up with the players, and they all touted what the players were doing, and they all said it was about &#8220;unity,&#8221; when it\u2019s not. It\u2019s about division. They lined up against their customers and with their employees, and I contend to you they did so for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n<p>A, they rolled the dice. They\u2019d much rather lose the fans (what they think is temporary) than have the players walk out. So the owners, they were scared. They had to side with the players on this. The league did, too. But in the process, they went the wrong way. They went down the wrong path, and all the polling data shows it. You can see now by the league trying to backtrack and all these teams announce there will be no sitting; we\u2019re gonna stand.<\/p>\n<p>Not all of them, but those who are are making a big deal of it. Now, the point in all of this is that I think a vastly incorrect picture of America is portrayed and painted by the media each and every day, and unwitting people (who otherwise are smart and intelligent in their own right) believe it, and it makes them make incorrect decisions. Climate change is another example of this. Climate change is not happening.<\/p>\n<p>But if corporate America thinks that a significant percentage of America believes it\u2019s happening, they\u2019ll market to it. They\u2019ll do whatever they can to separate people from their dollars. But it isn\u2019t working. A majority of Americans do not believe America is destroying the planet, because in every one of these left-wing issues, guess who the culprit is? America. America\u2019s racist. America\u2019s unjust. America\u2019s destroying the planet.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/daily\/2017\/09\/28\/the-nfl-doesnt-know-its-audience\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-248921\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLRUSHTOMBSTONE.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLRUSHTOMBSTONE.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLRUSHTOMBSTONE-300x143.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/a>America is creating havoc around the world. America is this and that. America\u2019s wrong. America\u2019s evil. America\u2019s mistaken. People have had it; they\u2019re fed up with it. Because a majority of Americans don\u2019t believe that, will not believe that, and don\u2019t want to be made to believe it. And so they\u2019re reacting now in numbers that look like they\u2019re a surprise, because the media has made people believe that that is a very small percentage of our country, when what we\u2019re learning is that it is a majority.<\/p>\n<p>So it\u2019s all good in this sense, but I\u2019m still amazed at how easy it has been for people to make these powerful entities misjudge. Now, folks, look, it could well be, too, in some of these examples that the CEOs and the boards of directors are full-fledged libs, and they\u2019re gonna be loyal to that no matter what and they\u2019re gonna take it as far as they can until economics dictates they back off of it. I mean, there\u2019s also that possibility too. Bottom line: The country is not what the media portrays it to be.<\/p>\n<p>The country and its cultural values have not yet been erased and destroyed. The founding ideals &#8212; the founding principles, the traditions and institutions &#8212; are not yet the minority of thinking in this country. And yet so many entities seem to think that progressivism has become the majority of thinking and acting and behavior in the country, when it isn\u2019t, largely because the media makes it look as though that\u2019s hip and that\u2019s cool and traditional American values are uncool and unhip and nerdy and what have you.<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Morning Consult <a href=\"http:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2017\/09\/29\/nfl-favorability-gets-nearly-cut-in-half-after-anthem-protests\/\">with polling data <\/a>on the National Football League. This is a major drop, by the way, in seven days. On September 21st, 25% of Trump supporters said they had a very favorable view of the NFL; 11% had a very unfavorable view. So September 21st, basically eight days ago, 25% Trump supporters favorable NFL, 11% unfavorable. Yesterday, the numbers have dramatically changed. Thirty-three percent of Trump supporters now say unfavorable view of the NFL, 16% favorable.<\/p>\n<p>So the favorable has fallen nine points, and the unfavorable has gone from 11 to 33% in just a week. What\u2019s happened in that week? The NFL has appeared on television and in the media to be defiant of the concerns of their fan base. They\u2019ve been very vocal. They have been very defiant. They have continued to talk about their unity, which isn\u2019t unity; it\u2019s division.<\/p>\n<p>And I think they probably would be shocked, maybe not now, because I think the NFL is starting to exhibit signs that they understand it. But in their view they\u2019ve got a real balancing act because these players are off now on this. I mean, they\u2019re into it. And the league is between a rock and a hard place. They can\u2019t just replace. I mean, in some cases players are a dime a dozen, but star power isn\u2019t. So we\u2019ll see how this manifests itself.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-248857\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092817-NFL-Cheese-Wine-B.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092817-NFL-Cheese-Wine-B.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092817-NFL-Cheese-Wine-B-300x144.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/>Here\u2019s a story that dovetails precisely with my observation that the Democrat Party and the left really are having trouble innovating. Don\u2019t misunderstand me, by the way, folks. I\u2019m not saying that they\u2019re wilting away, fading away. They are still a powerful force led by the media, and they still have the ability to entirely misrepresent anything they want and have a lot of people believe it. Don\u2019t misunderstand. I\u2019m talking about opportunity here. You know me; I\u2019m always looking at opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m always looking at things optimistically. Like I do hope that this NFL stuff can be erased. It may be the first time in any issue that we\u2019ll be able to totally erase &#8212; if the NFL hopes to become what it was &#8212; and who knows, maybe they don\u2019t. Maybe they\u2019re run by a bunch of people that themselves are social justice warriors. I don\u2019t know. Frankly, I have been stunned at how the NFL has chosen to respond to this concussion business. I have been shocked at how they\u2019ve chosen to respond to that.<\/p>\n<p>I mean, we\u2019re watching a concerted effort to destroy this game take place, and the people running it seem to be strategically thinking they have to cooperate with it, and by virtue of that, they acknowledge some of the allegations and then claim they want to work with those attacking them. It never works out that way. You give an inch to the people that want a pound of flesh, they\u2019re gonna keep asking, taking, demanding. I\u2019m stunned at this. I really am.<\/p>\n<p>I used to think that these people in these leadership positions were brighter than everybody else. I admittedly was younger and more naive. I used to think these people were really smart, that they were there because they were smarter than average and they were in these positions of power because they knew how to protect and grow their enterprises. But as more and more people have come under the &#8212; I call it the spell &#8212; the education of liberalism and the corrupting effect and impact that it has, I sometimes wonder, are there any adults left?<\/p>\n<p>Are there any mature adults with the confidence to reject that which seeks to destroy who they are? Big Oil as gone through it. Big Pharma has gone through it. Every big corporate concern is under constant attack and has been. And watching them navigate it has been fascinating. Some of them have failed big time. And the NFL is one of these things that I hope gets its act together at some point.<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Luke in Charlotte, North Carolina. Luke, great to have you on the EIB Network. How are you?<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: Hey, Rush, dittos. The reason I called you is last night was a terrible night. I sat there and I did not turn on &#8212; for the first time in 60 years of my fandom &#8212; the Bears-Packers game, and I used to play for the Little Bears in Chicago. I actually played at halftime during the Bears game at Wrigley Field. That\u2019s how old I am. I got to shake Papa Halas\u2019 hand, and I\u2019ve been a die-hard Bears fan. If they\u2019re losing people like me that are so upset, so angry, so frustrated, then I can\u2019t imagine how many people are tuning out.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Why&#8230;? Look, the answer may be obvious; I just want to hear you say it. Why\u2019d you not watch?<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: It just&#8230; You know, I\u2019m a veteran, okay? That\u2019s one thing. I\u2019ve devoted my life to service in one way or the other, and to the country &#8212; and to see that disrespect. And this holding-arms thing? I was telling Bo, this holding-arms thing is not a compromise. That\u2019s an act of defiance.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-248992\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092917-Rush-Blue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092917-Rush-Blue.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/650-092917-Rush-Blue-300x144.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/>RUSH: Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: It says in the protocol for the American national anthem &#8212;<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: &#8212; you stand at attention, you place your hand over your heart and you show respect.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: The problem is &#8212;<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: Locking arms as an act of defiance.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: That is exactly right. This linking arms thing, it did not work in Green Bay. The fans were shouting, &#8220;U! S! A! U! S! A!&#8221; They did not link arms. Their star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, asks the players, asks the fans to join the players and link arms. That\u2019s not how you honor the national anthem and the flag. That\u2019s not how you do it. The league&#8230; (sigh) Folks, the NFL is 75% African-American. The players in the NFL, by any objective comparison, are wealthy.<\/p>\n<p>They are stars, they are celebrities, and many of them are hero-worshiped. Many of these players are popular beyond their wildest dreams, respected beyond their wildest dreams. There is no oppression in the NFL. There is no racism in the NFL. It\u2019s quite the opposite. So overt, in-your-face America bashing in front of America-loving, big-spending customers isn\u2019t sustainable. The league simply cannot sustain itself if its players are going to engage in this kind of behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Because they&#8230; I don\u2019t care what they say. By doing all of this on the stage&#8230; The playing field is a stage. It is owned by the owners. In some cases, there\u2019s public financing of stadiums, but you get my drift. If they\u2019re gonna take the stage and engage in activity that makes it look like they have grievances, what are people gonna think their grievances are? They\u2019re gonna think the grievances are the league. Why are they doing this? Why are they doing this to the NFL?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-248939\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLKaepernickSmall-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"334\" height=\"222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLKaepernickSmall-1.jpg 334w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLKaepernickSmall-1-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\" \/>Why are they messing with this stuff on the sideline at NFL games? People don\u2019t know Kaepernick. I mean, they do, but they\u2019re not gonna sit there and put it together the players are in solidarity with Kaepernick. And, by the way, the players are now all backing off. &#8220;It\u2019s not about the flag. We\u2019re not protesting the flag. We\u2019re not.&#8221; Well, then what are you protesting? It doesn\u2019t matter what you say; we know that you align with Kaepernick, and we know what Kaepernick said. Kaepernick specifically said he was protesting the flag.<\/p>\n<p>He cannot honor a country and its flag that treats people of color this way. There\u2019s all so much revisionist history going on here. But just the picture of these players acting as aggrieved victims or malcontents, it doesn\u2019t fly, because nobody has ever said the NFL discriminates against them. Nobody has ever said the NFL is a racist organization that needs to be changed. Nobody has ever said this, and yet that\u2019s where these protests are taking place.<\/p>\n<p>So the protests are actually harming the NFL, and it is my contention that that is the objective. People on the left &#8212; nameless, faceless people &#8212; have a desire to inflict great harm on the NFL for reasons I\u2019ve detailed before. The players, I believe, are unwittingly&#8230; Some of them know what they\u2019re doing, of course; there are exceptions to everything.<\/p>\n<p>But the players are unwittingly being duped into this thinking that they\u2019re engaged in activity promoting solidarity and unity and diversity. And that\u2019s not how people are seeing this at all, and it\u2019s patently obvious now. This isn\u2019t sustainable. Overt, in-your-face bashing of America in front of big-spending customers? It isn\u2019t gonna work. You can\u2019t sustain this.<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Colin Kaepernick said he was protesting the flag and the anthem. He specifically cited them. Now a bunch of people are saying, &#8220;We\u2019re not about the flag. We\u2019re not protesting the flag!&#8221; Then what are you protesting? &#8216;Cause I\u2019m telling you guys, it looks like you\u2019re protesting the NFL and it looks like you\u2019re protesting America, and people don\u2019t understand it, and they\u2019re reacting unfavorably to it.<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: So CNN\u2019s running a poll that they say says that most people think Trump is wrong to criticize NFL players. Then why are NFL ratings down? They\u2019re down again last night. Now, they had a rain delay last, thunderstorm delay in Green Bay. The numbers are down like 11%. That may be the wrong number. I just glanced at \u2019em. But the Thursday night numbers are down a year ago, same game a year ago. If CNN thinks that most Americans think Trump is wrong to criticize players, then why is any of this happening?<\/p>\n<p>Why are advertisers backing out and why are people not watching, and why is attendance down?<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Here is Joanne is Deposit, New York. Welcome. Great to have you here. Open Line Friday.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: <a href=\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/daily\/2017\/09\/28\/rush-on-hannity\/\">Great job last night<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-248981\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/0RushFlagEIB585.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"585\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/0RushFlagEIB585.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/0RushFlagEIB585-300x115.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" \/>RUSH: Well, thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: You\u2019re welcome. I enjoy watching you on TV. Love it.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: You know what somebody said to me today, Joanne?<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: What?<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Not to talk about me. You\u2019ve done that plenty. (laughing)<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: I like talking about you. I like listening to what you have to say, even if it\u2019s about yourself.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: It was the chef today. It was the chef. &#8220;You know what\u2019s great, is watching you think out loud. People don\u2019t get to watch you think on radio, but you\u2019re obviously &#8211;&#8221; and then somebody else said, &#8220;You don\u2019t even pause for a second to think about what you\u2019re gonna say. You already know. You just launch with it.&#8221; And of course these are things I don\u2019t even think about.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: It\u2019s that great mind of yours. That\u2019s what it is.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Yeah, I guess so.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: I wish I had half your brain. Well, I have a question about the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Okay.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: I know nothing about football. I probably know less than nothing, but from a business point of view, I\u2019m looking at this, and I\u2019m saying, &#8220;Aren\u2019t these owners being bullied by their employees?&#8221; Because at my work, there\u2019s no way I\u2019m gonna tell my boss what I\u2019m gonna do and what not to do. I\u2019m expected to do a job, and if I have to sign a contract, I know ahead of time what\u2019s expected of me. These are adult men that have watched football since they were little boys.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Many of them have an eighth grade education, though.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: I\u2019m sitting here going, &#8220;How come these owners aren\u2019t banding together and saying, &#8216;Wait a minute, we work as a team.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Let me explain this to you. This is actually, Joanne, a great, great question. You know, this is a great perspective. Somebody that doesn\u2019t know the game, doesn\u2019t watch the game, admits that she knows less than nothing about it, and so her question is pure. Her question is, &#8220;Why are the bosses letting the employees do this to the product?&#8221; Exactly! I addressed it, Joanne. The answer is the owners are scared to death.<\/p>\n<p>They have two choices: Side with the employees who are doing what they\u2019re doing and then maybe even look like they support it. Or side with the customers, the fans. If they side with the players as they\u2019re doing, what\u2019s happening? Fans are watching less, attendance is down, the image of the game is taking a huge hit. The owners make a calculation. If they side with the fans then that is going to infuriate the players as a sign of lack of support. They\u2019re gonna say this confirms what we\u2019re saying that we do not have equality and that we\u2019re not treated fairly.<\/p>\n<p>And if the players decide not to show up, then there\u2019s no game. If the fans don\u2019t show up, the game\u2019s still played, and it\u2019s still on TV, but if the players don\u2019t show, and if they keep on not showing. So the owners make this calculation. They\u2019re in, to a certain extent, a no-win situation. I think in most of these owners\u2019 cases, they can\u2019t afford not to express solidarity. That\u2019s why more owners than you\u2019ve ever seen are on the field during the pregame kneeling, linking. I have often believed &#8212; no, I should not say this. It\u2019s perfectly totally true, but it\u2019s so distracting, it might get me into trouble.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-248983\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLKneelLions-kneel.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLKneelLions-kneel.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/NFLKneelLions-kneel-300x143.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/>But let\u2019s put it this way. When 75% of your employees are of a particular race, and that particular race is expressing grievances all over our country with things that are unjust and unfair. If 75% of your employees are joining that way of thinking and you want to keep your team together &#8212; and you want the players to think that management has their players\u2019 backs &#8212; you have to join them. That\u2019s their thinking. You have to join \u2019em, whether they agree with it or not.<\/p>\n<p>Now, not all owners did. Not all owners issued a statement. Not all owners reacted to Trump. There\u2019s a whole five or six of \u2019em who didn\u2019t. And the media jumped right on \u2019em and asked why and started speculating, &#8220;They must be Trump supporters!&#8221; They were in the crosshairs. The media tried to do \u2019em great damage for not joining their players in this display of whatever it is. But the bottom line here is that the league is being harmed, and it is my contention that there are those who seek that very thing.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve chronicled it since the first time I noticed, two or three years ago, when I detected the media was spending more time pointing out the flaws and the problems with the league than they were reporting on the actual games and the exploits of the athletes who play it. I issued a warning at that time that the very media covering this game &#8212; i.e., promoting it, creating interest about it &#8212; is helping harm it.<\/p>\n<p>That has only continued with the making of movies. How about the news that a hundred out of 111 players in a random survey have irreversible brain damage because they played football? What you gonna&#8230;? I mean, they\u2019ve created an aura, even among people watching the game, of nervousness and anxiety and it\u2019s just not same. It just isn\u2019t. This has all been manufactured and created because liberalism has found its way into the game. The tentacles are deep and they\u2019re tangled, and its web is now interwoven deeply into the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>When the left does this, they corrupt whatever they touch by politicizing it. And that\u2019s what we are seeing. So now the damage is obvious that the owners and the management of the league, they sided as they had to, but it\u2019s harming them. So now everybody\u2019s trying to backtrack and now teams are announcing in advance, &#8220;We\u2019re standing this Sunday! Notice us. We\u2019re standing. We\u2019re not gonna kneel. See us? See us? We\u2019re gonna stand!&#8221; Other players are saying, &#8220;It\u2019s not the flag. We\u2019re not protesting the flag. We\u2019re not protesting America.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Yes, you are.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you know it or not, that\u2019s what you\u2019re doing. If you\u2019re supporting Kaepernick, that\u2019s what he was doing. It\u2019s a sad, sad situation. But this is not unique, Joanne. It is rare in professional sports that owners actually punish players for things like this. They side with players. The owners can\u2019t do without them. Even though they\u2019re a dime a dozen, it\u2019s a unique situation here. If the players sit down, it doesn\u2019t matter whether people show up or not. And if the players sit down, even more fans are not gonna show when they come back, especially about this. I appreciate the call.<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Let\u2019s try Ed in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ed, I\u2019m glad you called. How you doing?<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: I\u2019m doing fantastic, Rush. How are you?<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Fine, dandy. Thank you, sir.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-249014\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Kaepernick-1C.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"585\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Kaepernick-1C.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Kaepernick-1C-300x138.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" \/>CALLER: You know, I find it very interesting that our unbiased media is so focused this week on something the president said about some football players, and yet we hear virtually nothing about a mass shooting at a church. You think it\u2019s because the facts of this particular shooting &#8212; including the hero &#8212; don\u2019t fit their narrative?<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Very likely. I think it\u2019s much the same as the president talks about players in the NFL, and the media says, &#8220;How dare you! How dare you!&#8221; Meanwhile, thousands &#8212; over the course of a year &#8212; are dying in Chicago, and the media won\u2019t talk a syllable about it because it\u2019s race-on-race crime, and they won\u2019t talk about it. It doesn\u2019t further their agenda.<\/p>\n<p>CALLER: Wouldn\u2019t it be a good opportunity to them to talk about this so-called gun control they\u2019re worried about?<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Well, they have to weigh everything here, and they\u2019ve decided there\u2019s no future in using any aspect of that issue. Let me ask you this, folks. Let me try something else on this. I promise we\u2019re getting near the end of this. I don\u2019t want to end up frustrating people that the NFL\u2019s a big topic here, but I do love it, and I\u2019m devastated by what is happening here. Let me ask this.<\/p>\n<p>What if everything\u2019s the same except instead of Colin it is a white player who refuses to support the anthem because he disagrees with American foreign policy? What do you think would happen to that player? Would the league and would other players join that player and would a cause have been created, and would the owners act afraid of it, and would the commissioner tolerate it?<\/p>\n<p>If during player introductions &#8212; this is my favorite one &#8212; they introduced the players and they run on the field&#8230; Many teams now don\u2019t like individual units introductions, the offense running on as they\u2019re named within the whole teams comes out. What if a player came out waving the Confederate flag? Oh, it\u2019s freedom of speech. Diversity, fairness, equality! What do you think would happen? Hmm?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RUSH: The NFL is one of these corporate entities that\u2019s missing its mark. I think there are people there who really believe that sideline protests of the flag and disrespect for the flag and the honoring of Colin Kaepernick was going to improve their image. A vastly incorrect picture of America is portrayed and painted by the media each and every day and unwitting people (who otherwise are smart and intelligent in their own right) believe it, and it makes them make incorrect decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":249051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn&#039;t What the Media Portrays It to Be - The Rush Limbaugh Show<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn&#039;t What the Media Portrays It to Be - The Rush Limbaugh Show\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"RUSH: The NFL is one of these corporate entities that\u2019s missing its mark. I think there are people there who really believe that sideline protests of the flag and disrespect for the flag and the honoring of Colin Kaepernick was going to improve their image. A vastly incorrect picture of America is portrayed and painted by the media each and every day and unwitting people (who otherwise are smart and intelligent in their own right) believe it, and it makes them make incorrect decisions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/FB-600-092817-Rush-Blue.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"George Prayias\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"25 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Rush Limbaugh Show\",\"description\":\"Excellence In Broadcasting\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/FB-600-092817-Rush-Blue.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/FB-600-092817-Rush-Blue.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":315},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/\",\"name\":\"Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn't What the Media Portrays It to Be - The Rush Limbaugh Show\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-29T16:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-10-02T20:37:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2bc43fbe4b4e1ff4d1f092c6086a349\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn\\u2019t What the Media Portrays It to Be\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2bc43fbe4b4e1ff4d1f092c6086a349\",\"name\":\"George Prayias\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a43c262983f0228d5f474ce08e691cf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a43c262983f0228d5f474ce08e691cf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"George Prayias\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/author\/georgeeibnet-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn't What the Media Portrays It to Be - The Rush Limbaugh Show","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/","twitter_card":"summary","twitter_title":"Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn't What the Media Portrays It to Be - The Rush Limbaugh Show","twitter_description":"RUSH: The NFL is one of these corporate entities that\u2019s missing its mark. I think there are people there who really believe that sideline protests of the flag and disrespect for the flag and the honoring of Colin Kaepernick was going to improve their image. A vastly incorrect picture of America is portrayed and painted by the media each and every day and unwitting people (who otherwise are smart and intelligent in their own right) believe it, and it makes them make incorrect decisions.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/FB-600-092817-Rush-Blue.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"George Prayias","Est. reading time":"25 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/","name":"The Rush Limbaugh Show","description":"Excellence In Broadcasting","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/FB-600-092817-Rush-Blue.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/FB-600-092817-Rush-Blue.jpg","width":600,"height":315},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/","name":"Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn't What the Media Portrays It to Be - The Rush Limbaugh Show","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2017-09-29T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-02T20:37:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2bc43fbe4b4e1ff4d1f092c6086a349"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2017\/09\/29\/donald-trump-defeated-the-nfl-because-the-country-isnt-what-the-media-portrays-it-to-be\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Donald Trump Defeated the NFL Because the Country Isn\u2019t What the Media Portrays It to Be"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2bc43fbe4b4e1ff4d1f092c6086a349","name":"George Prayias","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a43c262983f0228d5f474ce08e691cf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a43c262983f0228d5f474ce08e691cf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"George Prayias"},"url":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/author\/georgeeibnet-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248909"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248909"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249109,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248909\/revisions\/249109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/249051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}