It has been said that the anthem protests are just the tip of a social justice iceberg that could well end up sinking the NFL. Beyond the on-field protest acts of the players, a great deal of attention has been paid to the indulgence of the protests by NFL team management as well as the league’s front office.

Many observers are beginning to see it as a sign that there’s a significant disconnect between the game as it is and the game as it was, in terms of national political tenor. Add in the sports media cheering section for increased rebelliousness and more progressive stances by the NFL, and ‘regular Americans’ who reflect traditional values are increasingly left with a game culture they simply do not recognize.

Well, according to a report by ESPN, one team, the San Francisco 49ers, has decided to double down on its now-progressive values, pledging half a million bucks to see certain gun control measures passed. Here is the brief item on the team’s effort published over at ESPN.com, and reported by staff writer Nick Wagoner:

“The 49ers announced today that they are joining local and national law enforcement in signing a pledge for a ‘more understanding and safer America.’ The Niners have pledged $500,000 toward the campaign, which will advocate for legislation banning ‘bump stocks’ and other mechanisms that allow semi automatic weapons to become automatic weapons, as well as silencers and armor piercing bullets. The parties are also pledging to join with others to forge a public awareness campaign centered on improving police and community relations.”

Noticeably, nothing is mentioned anywhere in the item about doing anything to play better football, which, of course, is what fans are paying those exorbitant ticket and merchandise prices to actually see teams do.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large