It’ll Take More Than Halftime Shows to Bring Me Back to the NFL

Almost every move they make reaffirms my decision to boycott the NFL

The NFL’s “End Racism” slogan juxtaposed with the culturally offensive Kansas City nickname is one example of its performative activism. Photo credit: NFL

I stopped watching NFL football six or seven years ago. The one exception to my boycott is the Super Bowl. If we’re being honest, we have to admit the NFL’s signature clash is more an event than a game. My decision to watch is driven not by the teams but by the halftime entertainment.

The fact is that watching or not watching the Super Bowl isn’t my sole decision. If the league books a good enough performer, then the other occupants in my household exercise what amounts to an unspoken option to override my self-imposed NFL blackout, even though they have no intention of watching the entire game. So when I read a few months back that Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg would headline this season’s halftime show, I knew that someone in my family would exercise their option.

Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed the performances. That said, my stomach dropped at the sight of Eminem, the only white performer, taking a knee (allegedly against the NFL’s wishes) to honor Colin Kaepernick while the icons of hip-hop abstained from joining him. To me, it felt like these one-time firebrands finally succumbed to the power of the corporatocracy.