JAY-Z AND THE NFL DEAL

By Patrick Freeman, Columnist

Buffalo Criterion

 

BUFFALO, NY  The Mighty O’Ba Sports Report: Jay Z and the NFL Deal

 

The Internet is abuzz because of the recent deal between Jay-Z and the NFL, which we
have now learned includes an ownership stake in a franchise which has yet to be
named!

Just last year Jay-Z was an ardent supporter of Colin Kaepernick and the effort
to bring attention to police violence and economic inequality. At the most recent Super
Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia, the media mogul lobbied other artists to boycott the NFL
because of its treatment of Kaepernick by the league.

Bryan Michael Cox, credited with some of the biggest hits by Mariah Carey and Mary J Blige, has stated in the Grape Juice Blog that Jay- Z lobbied Jermaine Dupri not to take a similar deal from the NFL. Dupri, who was the producer of the Super Bowl free concert series during Super Bowl week in his home city of Atlanta. The significance of this revelation forces us to ask some serious questions regardless of your stance on the recent deal:

1.      Was Jay-Z looking for a deal for himself the whole time; knowing the NFL was
looking for an entertainment mogul to help them repair their image with people of color?

2.      Was he lobbying other artists at the same time looking for his own deal all along?
3.      Did this just all happen to come together after intense negotiations for the sole
benefit of social justice?

The bottom line is that the parameters of such an arrangement will continue to bring
about different opinions on this subject. Most recently, Carolina Panthers’ safety Eric Reid, who from the beginning has protested by kneeling during the national anthem, describes the actions of Jay-Z as ‘despicable,’ and in so many words that the entertainment mogul is a sellout.

 

Many people are saying that we need to wait and see what happens from this deal that it may benefit the progress of people of color across the country…

 

I have no problem with anything that benefits our community – but the question remains why is it that  Colin Kaepernick  still is not receiving tryout opportunities? The few offers he has received have stipulations attached that he will no longer protest.

 

Well, if you remember Colin had already stated that he was not going to protest any longer and take his efforts to a higher level to effect social change. So the Jay Z comments that we need to move on past kneeling are not true and makes me beg the question re integrity of your intention.

 

The historical nature of the Jay-Z deal will be the focus of Part Two of this article because most seem to forget that history is most qualified to reward our research and prevent us from repeating the same old mistakes.

 

Industrial – strength racism and the prevention of upward mobility in a league dominated by European males often employs such tactics to protect one’s status.
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Patrick Freeman, a/k/a “The Mighty O’Ba”, is the features writer for The Buffalo Criterion, where he offers his 25 – plus years of experience in sports broadcasting to help budding broadcasters master the art of delivery and interviewing.

 

Contact: (716) 468 – 3190 or email: freemajj@aol.com