Doug Baldwin gets involved...

[sutz]

A pretty good read I saw in the Times today about what Doug Baldwin has been doing over the last few months.

I thought it was pretty good...

Want real change? Get Seahawks’ Doug Baldwin involved

Imagine, for a second, a different kind of fantasy draft. It would take place in a league where points aren’t based on how players perform between the lines, but how they effect change outside of them.

You can choose from any sport in America, and to add a little spice, coaches and executives are available as well.


So who are you taking at No. 1? Which sports figure do you see having the most concrete influence on progress in this country?

There is plenty of talent to choose from, but I’m going with Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin. No need to even put me on the clock.

 

[kidhawk]

A pretty good read I saw in the Times today about what Doug Baldwin has been doing over the last few months.

I thought it was pretty good...

Want real change? Get Seahawks’ Doug Baldwin involved

Imagine, for a second, a different kind of fantasy draft. It would take place in a league where points aren’t based on how players perform between the lines, but how they effect change outside of them.

You can choose from any sport in America, and to add a little spice, coaches and executives are available as well.


So who are you taking at No. 1? Which sports figure do you see having the most concrete influence on progress in this country?

There is plenty of talent to choose from, but I’m going with Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin. No need to even put me on the clock.

Being such a huge follower of the Seahawks, I think a lot of us likely knew a lot of this about Baldwin, but one of the things about this whole thing that bothers me is how the majority of the media just ignores stories like this or glosses over them. More media outlets like ESPN, NFL Network etc. need to do in depth stories about what players are actually doing besides just sitting/kneeling for the anthem. As Doug is quoted in this article saying. The difference between a mob and a movement is follow through. We aren't getting enough reporting on the follow through.

 

[hawk45]

Being such a huge follower of the Seahawks, I think a lot of us likely knew a lot of this about Baldwin, but one of the things about this whole thing that bothers me is how the majority of the media just ignores stories like this or glosses over them. More media outlets like ESPN, NFL Network etc. need to do in depth stories about what players are actually doing besides just sitting/kneeling for the anthem. As Doug is quoted in this article s...tween a mob and a movement is follow through. We aren't getting enough reporting on the follow through.

This has been by far my biggest complaint: that the players went straight to the nuclear option of a highly divisive protest and yet their effort - actual effort when cameras aren't rolling, not "raising awareness" - and focus lacks an urgency which might warrant or at least explain their choice to be so divisive and offensive.

Doug's own actions off-camera, on the other hand, make open-minded folk much more sympathetic to his viewpoint and likely to listen when he speaks, because he's walking the walk and managing to do it while still being respectful of the country and opposing viewpoints. And his quote above is a subtle shot at the slacktivists IMO. He knows every time a player spouts generalities in front of a camera and fails to take any concrete action his cause loses ground.

What you (kidhawk) are saying has merit, in that the media who gleefully trumpet the divisive protest methodology have no interest in either the meat of the actual issues or the less flashy follow-through on specifics by players. Because we have to go hunting to find anything. This approach by the media does nothing but sow discord and pad their ratings. How professional of them in their role as sober watchdogs of the republic.

However knowing this I throw the blame back on (most of) the players for lack of message discipline. You know the media is going to take a 5 second soundbite, you *must* make that 5 second soundbite all about your core issue which IMO should be police use of force. If the protesters lack a core issue - as appears to be the case when many of them are asked - or fail to stay on-message, then the perception is that their only interest is to be seen doing "something". And if they don't care enough to stay on-message, no one else is going to care enough to fight past their unfocused warbling and tease out a message from all of the virtue-signaling.

If I were the players I'd shut up, start standing, and let Doug Baldwin represent them from here on out. I'm dead serious, things might actually be accomplished if that happened. Of course then they couldn't be pretend heroes with their kneeling and their hashtag activism so it'll never happen. But it'd be smart.

 

[ivotuk]

ESPN much prefers to write about domestic violence perpetrated by players, than about the good that they do.

Talk about Dough Baldwin's contributions? Nary a peep. Ezekial Elliot though! That's juicy there! And let's ride John Schneider for drafting Frank Clark, who was cleared of DV, but his name was put out there for it, so let's condemn him and Schneider!

I swear, ESPN, to some extent NFLN, and all the others want to condemn anyone that they can put a crime to, and to hell with second chances.

That does zero to move people forward and accomplish change. It's great for pigeon-holing NFL players as wife-beaters and antagonists though.