This year I am going to watch the Super Bowl
Ever since 2016 and the Colin Kaepernick debacle in San Francisco, with the resulting chaos and disrespectful conduct Kaepernick encouraged, I have not watched any NFL football games on TV.
I am a patriotic American with a strong respect for our flag, our Constitution, our armed forces and the working men and women of the United States who make this country what it is. I do not believe in leading boycotts against businesses, calling for actions against those who do share my beliefs, or trying to force my convictions on others. Having said that, I will not personally buy Nike products, I won’t frequent businesses that seek to involve themselves in politics in telling their customers what they should think.
By the same token, I won’t tell them they can’t say what they wish as freedom of speech is in the constitution. I do believe there is a time and place for everything.
Getting back to Kaepernick, this was a story about an athlete whose quarterback rating had sunk to among the worst in the NFL. When he started the knee business in the preseason, he managed to parlay the resulting protests, etc., into keeping his place with the 49ers. He would have likely been cut or traded had he not become a “hero” with his actions to some. Kaepernick was then later paid $80 million to represent Nike as a spokesman, hence my departure with my previous Nike buying ways.
So, I have not watched any pro football games over the last four seasons. A lot of other people followed suit as the NFL lost billions of dollars in advertising and merchandising revenue.
The Kansas City Chiefs, the team that I watched win the 1969 Super Bowl, is back in the Super Bowl for the first time in the 50 intervening years. Very few Chiefs even wanted to join the clamor to disrespect the country when it became popular to do so, and the few that wanted to no longer play there.
Over the weekend, I was up close and personal with a lot of Chiefs fans as I was on hand for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Springfield, Mo. Chiefs’ all star Derrick Johnson was inducted and lots of rather large men were there to honor him. Terry Pendleton, former Cardinal allstar infielder was also there and he was very gracious to fans and autograph seekers as was Johnson. KC Royals Ned Yost was inducted though I didn’t get to meet him.
Looking over the bronze statues at the HOF, I came across the statue of Lamar Hunt, a former Arkansas who was not only the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs, he also was the founder of the American Football League, which eventually merged with NFL to form today’s gargantuan pro football business.
I saw the statue of Lou Brock, from the same town as Lamar Hunt (El Dorado) that became a super star with the St. Louis Cardinals when I was a kid. He was and is my all time favorite pro athlete.
Maybe it was because he was so fast and fearless as well.
With their young quarterback Patrick Mahomes, I do think the Chiefs will go 2-0 in their Super Bowl chances. Hopefully they won’t have to wait until 2070 for their third chance. That actually might come next year.
Standings and polls as of Jan. 22:
4A-1 Conference Standings Girls
West Division
Farmington Gravette Pea Ridge Prairie Grove 6-0 5-2 2-4 2-4
Gentry
East Division
Harrison Berryville Huntsville Shiloh
4A-1 Conference Standings Boys
West Division
Pea Ridge Farmington Prairie Grove Gravette Gentry
East Division
Huntsville Shiloh Harrison Berryville
4A North Girls Region poll
1. Farmington 2. Harrison 3. Pea Ridge 4. Berryville 5. Gravette 6. Pottsville 7. Morrilton 8. Ozark
4A North Boys Region poll
1. Pea Ridge 1-6
6-0 4-2 2-4 0-6 6-0 4-3 3-3 3-4 0-7
3-1 4-2 3-3 2-4 18-3 19-1 15-4 14-5 12-7 10-7 12-5 13-6 13-4 2. Dardanelle 3. Morrilton 4. Farmington 5. Huntsville 6. Berryville 7. Ozark 8. Shiloh 19-2 14-6 11-6 12-6 14-6 13-6 10-8
State polls improve for Hawks
Coach Heath Neal’s Lady Blackhawks have lost a couple of nailbiters in the oh so tough 4A-1 but their seventh-ranking in the state polls remains unchanged.
On the boys’ side, Trent Loyd’s Blackhawks are edging up on the Top 10, just a spot out with their 11thstate ranking in the most recent poll before press time. A big change is the Hawks jumping up into the top ranking in the Northwest 4A Region poll, replacing Dardanelle. On the NW Arkansas all class poll, the boys leapt into the Top 10, coming in sixth for their highest ranking ever in the multi-classification poll.
As I remarked back in December, the boys have