02x04 - Secretly Woke NFL

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

Vaped won the super bowl now,

It's going to feel old hat.

You had your fun, don't beat

Up the local population.

Let me ask you a question.

Do you think it will be worse in

The city of philadelphia if the

Eagles won or lost?

What would have more property

Damage?

Bomani: losing has more

Property damage and that

Property damage would be at

Jalen hurts' house.

That's the guy I am looking for

Here, asked donovan mcnabb.

Get a get of the super bowl and

Losing it ain't gonna do the

Job.

Ask nick foles, he will never

Pay for a meal in philadelphia

Again.

What's more dangerous than an

Angry philadelphian is a happy

One.

Bomani: they've won the

Super bowl at the sixers ever

Win another one it might all

Come down because it won't feel

Fresh.

The flyers -- they're never

Going to win.

Bomani: the what?

[Cheers and applause]

♪ ♪

Bomani: thank you!

Welcome to "game theory."

Thank you.

So I don't need to tell you

What's going on.

We all know the biggest story of

The week.

Super bowl week is finally

Upon us.

It's all going down in arizona.

Super bowl lvii featuring the

Kansas city chiefs and

Philadelphia eagles.

Bomani: it's that special

Time of year where security has

To escort a drunk kevin hart off

The field.

On top of that the nets imploded

Sending kylie irving to dallas

And katie to phoenix.

Haven't seen this many brothers

Moved west since the great

Migration.

Does a lot happening, if you go

Online this weekend and

Lebron james is sending a

Bunch of look at me tweets, it's

Because we should be looking at

Him.

At 38,390 and counting,

Lebron

James stands alone atop the

Nba's scoring ranks.

Lebron passed kareem abdul

Jabbar to become the leading

Scorer in nba history.

Kareem's record stood for nearly

Four decades.

He set it eight months before

Lebron was even born.

Bomani: we just saw the

Only thing lakers fans look at

The celebration 2023.

It's the biggest accomplishment

Of his career.

And it's truly the best story of

His career.

'Cause this is the only lebron

Story left that has nothing to

Do with michael jordan.

Remember when lebron passed

Jordan in scoring?

Neither do i.

This doesn't matter like that.

This is a feat, not additional

Evidence for your goat

Debate.

That's part of why I wish lebron

Wouldn't use this time to talk

About that stuff.

That just starts an argument

He could win game 7 of the

That you'll never win.

Finals, bronny, bryce, zhuri,

And savannah as his teammates,

Ate nobody's mind changing.

This record should be just about

Him, nothing else.

Which is a good thing, 'cause

Lebron damn sure wasn't thinking

About nobody else on tuesday

Night.

He definitely wasn't thinking

About the playoffs.

He broke the record in the third

Quarter and only scored two more

Points and then traded everybody

Who wasn't happy for him.

[Laughter]

[Applause]

You cannot blame him if he was

Thinking about himself and

Everything that happened along

The way.

And all the obstacles he had to

Overcome to get here:

Unprecedented competition in the

League, having no one better to

Pass to than zydrunas ilgauskas

For the first third of his

Career.

Teaching j.r.

Smith how many timeouts teams

Get.

Lebron even took on kyrie's

Bullshit and won a title against

Maybe the greatest team in

League history.

Kd tried it and wound up with

Nothing to show for it but less

Hair and a teammate who knows

The ball is round but thinks the

Earth is flat.

Lebron did this while never

Being considered the best scorer

In the league.

And the truth is, at least

Early, he wasn't even with a

Scoring title.

'Cause we all know 2010 and 2011

Playoffs.

Wouldn't happen to the best

Scorer in the league.

Nocera.

Dallas hadn't seen it sh**ting

That since jfk got merced.

Those two postseasons, the most

Embarrassing moments of his

Career, ended because he could

Not get big buckets.

And then he turned into a

Completely unstoppable

Basketball machine.

The playoffs are about the best

Being the best and lebron had

To overcome something that few

Superstars have had to learn.

Jordan had to learn to share,

Lebron had to stop being so nice

To the other kids.

Because that's the thing.

Even with this record,

The coolest thing about lebron

Is he's the superstar you'd want

To play with.

He's the kid in "the sandlot"

Who tells the scrub kid just to

Stand with his glove open and

The ball will come right to him.

[Laughter]

You know, matthew dellavedova,

Eric snow, thinking about you

Timothy mosgov.

Lebron's energy was

Empowering, not intimidating and

There will be no one close for a

Long time to breaking this

Record, they won't even be close

To chase this record prickled

I'll put it in perspective for

You.

To have any shot of overtaking

Lebron, luka doncic will have

To keep scoring at the pace he's

Scoring now until he's 38 years

Old.

You udonis haslem who is 42 will

Have to play until he's 6,000

Years old.

Because of that there won't be

Reminders and at this at a time

When people need to set a

Reminder to call their moms.

We need those reminders, sports

Is the rare place where history

Is valued and revered.

Sure, it doesn't feel that way

When some 17-year-old says

Lebron is the greatest because

Nothing mattered before he was

Born.

But there's no arguing with that

Number.

Do not qualify this.

Applaud this.

Enjoy this.

It's not everyday a 13 seed gets

To witness something so special.

[Laughter]

[Applause]

They called tonight's guest

"Agent zero" when he was in the

Nba, dropping 60 on kobe at the

Staples center, and playing in

Three all star games.

These days, you can catch him

Talking smack on his podcast,

"No chill" please show some love

To gilbert arenas.

I want to ask about the trade

Deadline, what did you think

About what happened with the

Nets?

The building and the falling.

I thought it was great for

New york, especially the fans

Here.

To the fact that everyone was

Knicks fans.

They had one thing to do, just

Be better than the knicks and

Hugh was fine.

Just don't do what the knicks do

And you would be fine.

And it's like you're worse.

And how did you guys messed that

Up?

It's sad that such great talent

Didn't accomplish anything.

Bomani: you played in a lot

Of different teams in different

Team dynamics.

The thing that was so weird is

They never seem like it was any

Fun.

Nothing around that team was any

Fun and with you everything

Around you seem to be fun.

When general managers put

Teams together, they put names

Together versus personalities.

When you're building something

Like that it has to be the right

Fit personality wise.

What golden state has come a

Personalities all fit when

You're talking about the nets,

There's going to be clash with

The style of personalities.

Bomani: how do you think

About kyrie playing with luka?

I ask you about somebody who

Likes to sh**t the ball a lot.

That's a myth when you're

Talking about shots.

When you have two people

sh**ting the rest of the team --

It's not luka and kyrie and

Everyone else wants to get the

Ball.

Bomani: I guess you don't

Know too much about how it works

For those guys.

With me -- everyone else we

Were taking away from you guys.

Bomani: did that looked

Like fun for you, being one of

Those other guys?

Yes, you're getting paid --

Everyone has a duty.

Do your job, rebound -- to get

10 Million.

Bomani: you're a job

Creator, creating opportunities

For other people?

I want to ask you about this

Story with ja morant, there was

An investigation about whether

Or not somebody in his party

Shot a laser beam into the

Pacers team bus.

The pacers say they are sure it

Was a g*n, ja says it was cap,

You have a documented track

Record of playing too much at

Work -- in a similar form or

Fashion what did you think when

You saw this story?

Just from the optics -- they

Are young kids.

They are still young.

Who young kids do young, dumb

Stuff.

My thing with ja is look at

Lebron james and his team it's

Not you protecting them, they

Need to protect you.

The four people around lebron,

You have his wife, maverick,

Ernie, and richie paul.

I met them 20 years ago and

Those guys built a legacy today.

When you are young think about

The people you surround yourself

With because they're going to

Let you go as far as they are

Capable of.

Bomani: I'm going to tell

You the thing that worried me

When I saw that story.

That I would play those games

With the team with james johnson

On it, 8 degrees of black

Belt -- I wouldn't do that.

But it's one thing allegedly to

Play these games on an nba team

Bus, that dude lives in memphis.

I don't know what games they

Play or what jokes they play if

They played the sh**t the laser

Beam at somebody game don't

Bring that to the city you play

In.

This at moment you get here and

Realize it's authentic around

These parts!

I don't know why when we get

To the nba we want to be a

Little harder than we are

Supposed to be.

It's the opposite -- we worked

Our asses off to get here -- you

Don't need to be straight and

Pretend to be tough.

We don't want to fight, we

Really don't actually want to

Fight, when you see one, that's

A real one because that fine

Lets you know if that punch was

Worth it.

Bomani: you know people

Hearing this saying why do we

Want to pretend we are harder

Than we are, you brought all

Those g*ns to work one time.

[Laughter]

I can speak on it now!

I know -- mine, I was calling a

Bluff.

Bomani: as we later

Learned, that dude might have

Had aces.

Facts!

Bomani: gilbert arenas.

[Cheers and applause]

Let's paint a picture of the

Average nfl fanfare k*lled the

Average and of health and

Eats --

Not healthy.

Bomani: the average nfl

Fans favorite tv show is?

Cops.

If cops made a rerun they would

Be combating with sunday night

Football real hard.

Bomani: nfl would have to

Compete and be like nfl the real

Bad boys pick of the.nfl

The average nfl fan drives?

Truck I think.

Bomani: I thought you said

Drunk at first, that answer is

More provocative.

How woke is the nfl on a scale

From I stand with the

National anthem and the lord to

Defund the police?

It's weird to use the words

Woke and nfl but I'm going to

Say about here.

Bomani: we are bringing

Them all the way over here?

I'm thinking way come out.

Bomani: you're halfway up

The steps of the capital over

There.

If I told you the nfl spends

Millions and millions of dollars

For social justice causes, what

Would you say?

I don't believe it, I don't

See it.

If that's true the only

Reason they would do it is for a

Tax write off, no one gives a

sh*t come I don't care.

No one cares, they do it when

The pressure is on.

Likely end racism stuff it's

Only there because they want to

Put some message up so if some

Crazy sh*t happens they can

Cover their a*s.

Bomani: I'm imagining the

Minds blown in america at the

Cognitive dissonance of that boy

Send that message, they are not

Ready for that.

[Laughter]

[Cheers and applause]

Bomani: super bowl lvii is

Here.

And this year is a celebration

Black black black, black.

I'm not saying we are past

Kneeling but we have two black

Starting quarterbacks

Rihanna performing the halftime

Show,

Pitbull is in the puppy bowl.

But the blackest thing you'll

See

All weekend is this little logo

Hiding on some incredibly boring

Nfl gear.

The nfl family is committed

To advancing social justice in

Communities throughout the

Country.

Through the inspire change

Initiative.

It recognizes community

Members who are working everyday

To create progress and to learn

Slash inspire change.

Bomani: inspire change it

Sounds like something homeless

Tony robbins would say but it's

Actually the nfl's social

Justice initiative.

And yes!

The national football league has

A social justice iniative!

It's crazy, right?

Like finding out !sis has a

Program for "women in stem."

But when you consider the

Cultural upheaval the country

Has gone through -- no -- the

League has gone through over the

Past decade, it makes sense.

Now, it's probably the first

Time you're hearing about this

But "inspire change" has

Actually been around for a

While.

During the 2017 season, the

League formed a working group of

Five players and five club

Owners.

Their mission: to help support

The players' commitment to

Addressing social injustice

Across america.

The result was "inspire change,"

A sweeping social justice

Initiative that launched during

The 2018 season.

Bomani: that working group

Became the players' coalition,

Which oversees the nfl's social

Justice inititiavtes.

Together, they came up with

"Inspire change."

Which is much better than the

Original name they came up with:

"The blacks."

In 2017, inspire change pledged

$89 Million to social justice

Causes to help the communities

That their players come from.

Now this is pretty much a direct

Reaction to colin kaepernick and

The league didn't even try to

Hide it.

They hoped this would create an

Environment in which players

Would no longer want to protest.

Even so, they did some

Incredible work.

They awarded millions in

Education grants.

And economic advancement.

Police and community relations.

And criminal justice reform.

Nfl stadiums are now even used

As ballot drop off centers.

Because when you get all the

Black votes in one place, they

Are easy to lose!

[Laughter]

And when george floyd was

m*rder*d in 2020, the nfl

Actually doubled down.

Big business is committing

Big bucks to combating racism in

America.

The nfl is now pledging $250

Million over the next decade.

The inspire change fund

Battles against injustices faced

By african americans.

That follows commissioner

Roger goodell's statement last

Week condemning racism, saying

Black lives matter.

Bomani: especially if they

Run a 4.340!

Think about it -- what happened

To george floyd was so

Undeniably f*cked up that even a

The pressure of the protesters

In the streets and workplace was

So intense,

Group as rich and white as the

Nfl owners had no choice but to

Act.

It happened there workplace was

Full of biblically strong black

Men who have been trained to

Maim.

You know what every which way to

Billionaires fear is?

Biblically strong black men who

Have been trained to maim.

[Laughter]

Looking at their wives [cheers

And applause]

So roger goodell put out a video

Looking like a freshman year

African studies major.

We, at the national football

League, condemn racism and the

Systematic oppression of black

People.

We, the national football

League, admit we were wrong for

Not listening to nfl players

Earlier and encourage all to

Speak out and peacefully

Protest.

Bomani: what you can't see

Just off the screen the players

Coalition holding rogers family

Hostage.

This is the part of the blacks

Boy take a movie where someone

Says "all right cr*cker, let's

Get cracking!"

And a scene.

And despite the strange framing

Of that video, roger goodell is

Actually making good on his

Promises.

When it comes to spending on

Their social justice

Initiatives, the nfl is

Moving faster than expected.

But all of this begs the

Question, why does it feel like

I'm the first person telling you

About this?

That I just to break the big

Little secret that the nfl is

Quietly woke?

And my snitching?

If I am snitching, I don't feel

So bad it because it's not as

Though the leak and racism

Ain't been day ones.

Like, just off the top of my

Head: there's the current brian

Flores discrimination lawsuit.

Concussion settlements that paid

Black teams less.

The entire nfl combine and one

Team being named a racial slur

For nearly a century.

It's deeply hard to square the

League's positive social justice

Work with its consistent and

Public blunders when it comes to

Matters of race.

And yet, here we are.

The nfl is spending $250 million

Dollars on social justice

Causes.

And yes, this is a drop in the

Bucket compared to the league's

Current estimated profit of $17

Billion.

But it's actually far more than

What they spend on other social

Causes.

Take two of the nfl's two most

Known charities.

Crucial catch, which is a

Partnership with the american

Cancer society.

And salute to service, an

Organization that works with

Military charities like wounded

Warriors.

Since crucial catches'

Foundation in 2009, the nfl has

Raised $24 million for cancer

Research.

Since salute to service's

Foundation in 2011, the nfl has

Raised $58 million for

Military-related causes.

Since just 2017, inspire change

Has wildly surpassed the other

Two combined.

Yet, based on the amount of

Prominence the nfl gives two

Crucial catch and salute the

Service, you wouldn't know what

To.

Because there's a lot of

Military imagery in the nfl, I

Mean a lot of military imagery.

And a lot of pink in the nfl

Over the years.

Looking like a camera on video.

You would think

We're two seasons

Away from the super bowl being

Called "the lockheed martin

Breast cancer awareness

Championship trophy for being

Good at football."

It doesn't make sense we use

Barely see anything for inspire

Change.

If money was any indication,

It feels like we should be

Headed towards kente cloth

Cannons.

All referees are able to do

Renee

Or at the very least: an african

Heritage section of the stadium.

But instead...

This is how they promote ending

Racism.

Yeah!

You see that word "end racism"

Right above the word "chiefs!"

The most r*cist team name left

In the league!

But, hey, it's hard to think

About all that change being

Inspired when there are 2,000

F-19 fighter pilots going off

Over head.

Even the official inspire change

Merch is on that "stay low and

Build" when compared to the

Other causes.

Military camo gear?

Check.

Pink cancer charity gear?

Check.

Okay, now zoom in.

Zoom in a little more.

Enhance.

If you squint just right, you

Can just make out the "inspire

Change" logo on todd bowles'

Sweatshirt.

That sweatshirt does not say "we

Are spending five times more on

This than the military this

Year."

It says, "shhh, we are spending

Five times more money on this

Then military stuff."

And what inspire change promotes

Is incredibly progressive.

This is not "show up to one

Protest and post a black square"

Type of stuff.

They're involved with

Organizations like the national

Bail fund, the vera institute

For justice, the anti-recidivism

Coalition, and the community

Justice exchange.

Now at the justice exchange?

They are some gangsters.

I truly do not believe the nfl

Has ever talked to this

Organization, met with this

Organization or even googled

This.

Let alone donated to it.

Because the community justice

Exchange advocates for some wild

sh*t!

Look at the home page.

Organizing to end all forms of

Incarceration, criminalization,

And surveillance.

Ending all forms of

Incarceration?

You mean everybody?

Nazis?

Jared from subway?

R. Kelly?

Radical idea, that's a bridge

Too far.

Shut up to the nfl because y'all

Are more woke than me!

Here's the thing, the average

Nfl fantasy app actually looks a

Little different then you might

Expect.

There are 130 million nfl fans,

The majority of them are white.

But most of them actually do not

Identify as conservative, only

31 Percent do.

30% Identify as democrats and

The rest identify as independent

Which means may be r*cist but

Nobody is going to make them

Have a baby.

However, when the nfl publicizes

A social justice work they do,

It's the 31% to get upset.

The woke nfl has taken a

Football fan like me a die-hard

Giants fan and I have not washed

A game all season.

I'm quite certain these fans

Are not paying these high prices

To protest cops.

Does everyone in nfl

Football, every single play or

Agree with the prevailing wisdom

That america is an awful,

Rotten, r*cist country?

Why would a leak built on

Rules and punishment want to

Eliminate the people who enforce

Our rules and our punishments?

Bomani: says the guy who

Might hate his phone because

Sometimes the screen turns black

Bear k*lled according to polling

This is actually led to more

Conservatives saying they will

Not watch the super bowl in

Recent years.

In 2019, 70% of republicans said

They intended to watch the

Super bowl.

By 2021, that number declined to

59%.

Because 11% are lying.

When

The nfl publicizes the good it's

Doing for the community?

It makes the right feel like

They are personally attacked by

The leak in the left feel like

They are skeptical.

There are literally bragging

About donating less than 1% of

The revenue to the black lives

Matter because.

Where these things meaningful

Or do you see them more as

Band-A*DS on the system that

Needs surgery?

I wouldn't call them a

Band-aid.

You know what a better

Gesture would be?

Getting colin kaepernick back

Into the league.

That'd be a much better gesture.

Bomani: I understand the

Skepticism because even though

The nfl is taking the important

Step of donating hundreds of

Millions of dollars to social

Justice causes, their words do

Not seem to align with their

Actions at all.

The nfl is acting like one of

Those dudes who got caught on

The kiss cam with their side

Chick, trying to act like they

Aren't giving money to an

Organization that is fighting to

End all forms of social control!

What does that even mean?

This reluctance to speak about

Good work being done makes the

Nfl look like a bunch of

Cowards.

But don't feel bad for the nfl's

P.r. Situation.

The league and its owners

Created this problem for

Themselves through decades of

Public racial missteps.

The nfl mild messaging isn't due

To any moral issue or coherent

Ideology, it is a business

Calculation.

This league seems to have run

The numbers on exactly how much

They can speak out about social

Issues, donate to social issues,

Even say the word "social

Issues," while still maximizing

Profits.

Whether fans cheer or boo is

Ones and zeros to the league and

That's why we sat down with a

Few fans to pull them on how

They feel the nfl is doing with

Social progress.

Is it possible for the nfl to

Please both conservative fans

And fans who believe police

Brutality exists?

To find out we spoke to fans on

The left.

America, land of --

Soul crushing capitalism.

Disappointment.

Bomani: and the right.

Defunded the --

People who are against the

Police but I don't know who they

Are.

Marxist.

Defunded everything with the

Liberals.

One bomani: some new

Initiatives to please both

Sides.

We want your honest feedback

On it because we are hoping to

Pitch these to the nfl very

Soon.

If you agree with them you're

Going to give and it's good to

Signal and if you don't you're

Going to throw a flag on the

Play.

This would be called the nfl

All pronouns initiative.

During the starting lineup

Broadcast, players are required

To see their names, their

College, and their preferred

Gender pronouns.

How do we feel about that?

[Laughter]

Maybe you're not understanding.

Wwho is your favorite player?

Daniel jones.

It would go something like

This.

Daniel jones, duke, they/them.

What's the point of doing

That?

Just to find common ground?

This is woke on steroids for

God sake!

You need to bring the bucket, I

Need a vomit bucket.

Bomani: we don't have that,

Let's try the other room.

All the players would be

Required to stand for the

National anthem at the beginning

Of the game.

And it would be called "stand

Your ground."

You took the black fist and

Your like this is for white

People now.

It's the elvis of slogans.

Do you like the name?

Not anything about it.

It pulled through the roof

With conservatives.

Of course it did.

What if you still have to

Stand for the national anthem

But after the anthem place

Everyone has to remain standing

For a different song?

Like I don't know, meek mill's

Dreams and nightmares?

I had to grind like that to

Shine like this?

Its regional, someone atlanta

Gets outcast --

There is middle ground here.

No, this sucks.

Is there anything we all can

Agree on?

Through the inspire change

Initiative the nfl is donating

$25 Million a year.

What if we upped that number, is

There a number at which you

Would stop?

No, let them give as much as

They want.

100 Million is fine, they

Have plenty of money.

Bomani: I thought she was

Going to throw up again.

Both groups are cool with

Spending more?

How much more?

How much money with the nfl

Have to spend per year for you

To say okay, you guys are

Actually doing something, I'm

Going to watch football all the

Time.

I want to know how much they

Made.

$17.1 billion a year.

If they gave 25% too much?

4.2 billion.

I would like 9 billion.

Bomani: before you laugh at

Him, what's more absurd?

Donating about half your revenue

To social justice or 0.15%?

I've seen better numbers from

The pullout method.

8.55 billion is half and

Everyone would give that?

I would give them my money if

They did that.

Specifically if the nfl put

$8.55 billion into the inspire

Change program, would you keep

Watching?

Is there everybody --

It seems like no matter what

The nfl does, people are

Probably going to keep watching.

Yes.

There are things I'm going to

Disagree with but I'm a sports

Fan.

I feel like I'll still watch

Sports.

We know what we're doing when

We turn on the tv, we know we

Are scrapping up for this

Narcotic.

We are all complicit.

You know what?

That's a slogan all fans would

Agree with.

The nfl: we are all complicit!

Bomani: you can donate as

Much as you want and no one is

Going anywhere except for cletus

The fox sports robot who is

Heading to rehab.

That is our show, thank you for

Watching, good night!

How woke is the nfl on a

Scale from rand paul to

Rupaul?

That's tough, it's tough.

We haven't hit rupaul yet.

Bomani: haven't gone the

Full rupaul.

I think they might invite

Andy: to stop by.

Bomani: from chick-fil-a to

Popeyes?

Definitely chick-fil-a, I

Refuse to connect nfl with

Popeyes, I love popeyes too

Much.

On a scale of cr*cker barrel

To drag brunch the nfl is closer

To cr*cker barrel.

Bomani: I see that come

With a play that pig game.

They don't know where the

Drag punches act.

Bomani: from cop k*ller

Iced tea to law and order s uis

T.

I prefer cop k*ller ice t

Culturally but the law and order

One is more woke.

I'm going to go with cop k*ller

Brokenness but inspiring law and

Order ice t.

Bomani: he's skeptical of

Those young ladies when he walks

In there, he have a lot of what