Politics

[RLD]

The NFL Players Association is the NFL trade union…

NFL Players Association

We are the union that represents professional football players – dedicated to the promotion and advancement of all players and of the sport of professional football.

nflpa.com

But a remarkably inept union as sports unions go.

 

[RLD]

You might want to do that thing that PhDs do and conduct a little research…

There are several ways Trump can delay and/or stop the stadium project..

There are lease control clauses in the contract that the Secretary of the Interior has oversight on..

The Nationsl Capital Planning Commission has to approve every aspect of the design… the Commission on Fine Arts is also involved in the approval process…. guess who appoints the leadership in both of those organizations? I’ll give you a hint… his initials are Donald Trump…

The DC City Council also has a major role, and they can certainly fight him… but, if he genuinely wants to delay and potentially cancel the project he has multiple tools at his disposal… the only question is whether or not he’s willing to do it, and whether or not the city council wants to spend years and millions fighting it (and still potentially lose)…

Regarding the bridge… once again, do some research… the federal government has a ton of power and control when it comes to border crossings… if you don’t think he can weild that power and both delay and potentially kill the project.. and at a minimum cost Canada and Michigan tens of millions and keep that bridge from being opened for at least a couple of years, you’re a bigger fool than previously thought…

Whether it’s right or wrong for him to do is a completely different debate…

But when is the last time Trump gave half a shit about a liberals opinion like Carney, Whitmyer, or yours?

You are quite correct that the federal government has massive control over the border crossings.

But the real question is why would Trump want to do economic damage to the good people of Michigan? Are they not Americans? Does his presidency not include Michigan?

The only reason he would do so is to favour another of his ultra-rich friends who own the competing bridge. It would just help cement his legacy as the billionaire kleptocrat. He might even be proud of that.

But as a Canadian I am simply compelled to thank President Bonespur for sounding a klaxon warning to protect our sacred sport:

"The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup," Trump claimed, without explaining how exactly this would be done.

And out of a sense of generous reciprocity I ask him to cancel his planned summit with Xi as surely they will dismantle baseball as an immediate aftermath.

 

[mdwest]

You are quite correct that the federal government has massive control over the border crossings.

But the real question is why would Trump want to do economic damage to the good people of Michigan? Are they not Americans? Does his presidency not include Michigan?

The only reason he would do so is to favour another of his ultra-rich friends who own the competing bridge. It would just help cement his legacy as the billionaire kleptocrat. He might even be proud of that.

The article OH posted tells you that there’s been an ongoing lawsuit related to the bridge for more than a decade… and Trump is pretty clear that what he wants is to use the bridge to leverage Canada..

I’d guess there are several reason, many outside the people of Michigan 5thst he could use to justify not supporting the bridge..

oh speculated that he’d piss off the teamsters with this move… the truth is the teamsters already got their pound of flesh.. they were heavily involved in building the bridge that now may not open..

If I were a betting man, I’d bet his motivation is to rattle Carneys cage… he’s been clear he still wants substantially more out of Canada… and he’s willing to leverage the bridge to get it.. Canada already has substantial sunk costs, and the bridge stands to benefit Canada (as well as Michigan).,, if Canada wants to see a return on its investment, Trump intends on making Canada pay more to realize that return..

 

[RLD]

The article OH posted tells you that there’s been an ongoing lawsuit related to the bridge for more than a decade… and Trump is pretty clear that what he wants is to use the bridge to leverage Canada..

I’d guess there are several reason, many outside the people of Michigan 5thst he could use to justify not supporting the bridge..

oh speculated that he’d piss off the teamsters with this move… the truth is the teamsters already got their pound of flesh.. they were heavily involved in building the bridge that now may not open..

If I were a betting man, I’d bet his motivation is to rattle Carneys cage… he’s been clear he still wants substantially more out of Canada… and he’s willing to leverage the bridge to get it.. Canada already has substantial sunk costs, and the bridge stands to benefit Canada (as well as Michigan).,, if Canada wants to see a return on its investment, Trump intends on making Canada pay more to realize that return..

I am familiar with the bridge, and the lawsuit. The lawsuit is going nowhere.

Weirdly, or perhaps not, Trump endorsed this bridge project in a joint statement with Justin Trudeau a number of years ago.

And, of course, a number of his comments about it are either lies or he doesn't know what he is talking about.

I have the feeling that this offers zero leverage, just more random spouting, like when he said he was immediately going to hit us with more tariffs and never did.

His bizarre statements are starting to seem fearful. Like does he really think that talking about the Chinese threat to hockey is going to change anything? I think he is afraid Canada and other nations will move away from the U.S. sphere. Even with all the tariffs China had its biggest year ever for exports last year by shifting their focus to other markets. The EU just signed a really important deal with India. His actions are hurting the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency and shifting focus away from the United States. He may just realize he is in trouble.

Carney is a national bank guy, a calm long term planner. I don't get that vibe from Trump, he seems to run from starting fire to putting out fire like a headless chicken.

 

[mdwest]

I don’t see any change in Trumps behavior since the late 70’s… he’s always been bombastic, said crap that others think is crazy, not cared about anyone else’s opinion of him, etc..

And as far back as 1988 he was telling people exactly the things he would do if he ever became President, starting with Oprah, then on the tonight show, and other venues.. his top priority back then, and remains today, balancing trade…

Whether the lawsuit is going anywhere or not is inconsequential… it’s been going on for a decade and continues to grind on… and it provides another sticking point for Trump to attempt to glom onto..

Saying crazy crap like China is going to kill the Stanley cup can’t possibly be shocking to anyone anymore… he also said he was going to buy Greenland (among a million other things).., anyone getting shocked clearly hasn’t been paying attention… this is classic Trump M.O…. He wants something… typically not what he actually says.. he goes full retard… then walks back or ignores prior statements or positions… and the other side then concedes to give him less than what he initially demanded, but something he wouldn’t have gotten otherwise…

Changing position on the bridge isn’t anything new for Trump either… because it’s not about the bridge… he told you what he wants… he wants more respect and more trade balance out of Canada.. he is simply leveraging the bridge in an attempt to get it… once again, classic Trump…

I’ve said it a hundred times here… I’m not a fan of the man… I think he is a giant asshole when being an asshole isn’t always necessary..

But he’s not all that hard to figure out… it amazes me that after this guy has been President for more than 5 years and in the western world spotlight for more than 50 that otherwise intelligent people, to include world leaders, still haven’t figured him out..

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Anyone who thinks you could stop Canadian boys from playing hockey dropped the brown acid from Woodstock. We’ll flick em off and knock out chicklets over perceived slights on the ice and burn city’s down over bad calls the violence that would follow a ban on hockey would be cataclysmic…

 

[RLD]

I don’t see any change in Trumps behavior since the late 70’s… he’s always been bombastic, said crap that others think is crazy, not cared about anyone else’s opinion of him, etc..

And as far back as 1988 he was telling people exactly the things he would do if he ever became President, starting with Oprah, then on the tonight show, and other venues.. his top priority back then, and remains today, balancing trade…

Whether the lawsuit is going anywhere or not is inconsequential… it’s been going on for a decade and continues to grind on… and it provides another sticking point for Trump to attempt to glom onto..

Saying crazy crap like China is going to kill the Stanley cup can’t possibly be shocking to anyone anymore… he also said he was going to buy Greenland (among a million other things).., anyone getting shocked clearly hasn’t been paying attention… this is classic Trump M.O…. He wants something… typically not what he actually says.. he goes full retard… then walks back or ignores prior statements or positions… and the other side then concedes to give him less than what he initially demanded, but something he wouldn’t have gotten otherwise…

Changing position on the bridge isn’t anything new for Trump either… because it’s not about the bridge… he told you what he wants… he wants more respect and more trade balance out of Canada.. he is simply leveraging the bridge in an attempt to get it… once again, classic Trump…

I’ve said it a hundred times here… I’m not a fan of the man… I think he is a giant asshole when being an asshole isn’t always necessary..

But he’s not all that hard to figure out… it amazes me that after this guy has been President for more than 5 years and in the western world spotlight for more than 50 that otherwise intelligent people, to include world leaders, still haven’t figured him out..

It's funny, I perceive massive changes in Trump between his first term and his second, let alone since the 70's.

Even within the term. He went on and on about government efficiency and saving money and then DOGE disappears and he is driving the deficit and seems to want to drive it even higher.

Good luck to him leveraging the bridge. That token doesn't hold much weight at all up here. And I don't think his clown car negotiating is going to be any more effective with Carney than it was with Freeland.

 

[mdwest]

It's funny, I perceive massive changes in Trump between his first term and his second, let alone since the 70's.

Even within the term. He went on and on about government efficiency and saving money and then DOGE disappears and he is driving the deficit and seems to want to drive it even higher.

Good luck to him leveraging the bridge. That token doesn't hold much weight at all up here. And I don't think his clown car negotiating is going to be any more effective with Carney than it was with Freeland.

DOGE was never supposed to last… Elon only signed on for a year… it was supposed to be a springboard…

Trump also is easily distracted and becomes bored easily… again, nothing new… that’s been his behavior since the 70’s… he finds something to focus on.. it keeps his attention for a few months, maybe a year, and he moves on to the next target…

You say good luck leveraging the bridge… I’m pretty sure most people said the same thing about Greenland… but.. look at where we are today… he got everything he actually wanted and then some..

If he loses on the bridge leveraging, do you think he really cares? As long as in his mind he continues to rack up more wins than losses, and continues to put heat on Carney along the way he could care less… because again, it’s not about the bridge… it’s about continued pressure over what he sees as trade imbalance..

You call the bridge a token that carries little weight…

I suppose if the Canadian economy thinks $6.4B CAD is a token, you’re correct… that’s the capital investment Canada has already sunk into the bridge.. the plan was for Canada to recoup those costs through tolls… if tolls never happen, Canada just pissed away $6.4B…

 

[mdwest]

But a remarkably inept union as sports unions go.

1000% concur... Im actually surprised at the level of support it gets from the players.. you would think that a revolt would have happened by now...

you figure the average career length of an NFL player is 3.3 years.. with 63% of NFL players retiring due to injuries.. and that over 90% of NFL players report that they regularly play with injuries..

Granted, even the lowest level, bench warming players get paid A LOT.. $885K is the minimum rookie salary allowed, and 1 year veterans get $1,005,000.. and 2 year veterans get $1,075,000 as a minimum.. so.. assume you only last 3.3 years and literally were the lowest paid person in the league.. youve still made more than $3M for playing a sport at the national level...

but.. that same 26 year old that now has to have knee surgery (62% of NFL players get knee surgery... 20% get knees replaced), and chronic arthritis (47% get arthitis and report daily pain for the rest of their lives), etc..etc.. and has to figure out what he is going to do with the rest of his life once he gets bounced from the team roster..

All of that said, the smart ones incorporate clauses in their contracts that cover their asses if/when they become injured.. and the NFL also offers disability benefits where annual payments can range from $65K to $265K if someone retired from the league due to injuries... but.. much of that is dependent on the attorneys and the players agents rather than the union..

 

[KJE81]

DOGE was never supposed to last… Elon only signed on for a year… it was supposed to be a springboard…

Trump also is easily distracted and becomes bored easily… again, nothing new… that’s been his behavior since the 70’s… he finds something to focus on.. it keeps his attention for a few months, maybe a year, and he moves on to the next target…

You say good luck leveraging the bridge… I’m pretty sure most people said the same thing about Greenland… but.. look at where we are today… he got everything he actually wanted and then some..

If he loses on the bridge leveraging, do you think he really cares? As long as in his mind he continues to rack up more wins than losses, and continues to put heat on Carney along the way he could care less… because again, it’s not about the bridge… it’s about continued pressure over what he sees as trade imbalance..

You call the bridge a token that carries little weight…

I suppose if the Canadian economy thinks $6.4B CAD is a token, you’re correct… that’s the capital investment Canada has already sunk into the bridge.. the plan was for Canada to recoup those costs through tolls… if tolls never happen, Canada just pissed away $6.4B…

Just out of curiousity what did he got on Greenland that the US did not allready had? I mean that was worth alienating allies etc?

I assume it must have been something other then access to military bases (US allready got that) and getting Denmark/Nato to defend the island better, he should have been able to get that done easily by just asking for it without all the mess. Since Nato under Rutte seems to be extremely eager to please "daddy" Trump

 

[Aaron N]

DOGE was never supposed to last… Elon only signed on for a year… it was supposed to be a springboard…

Trump also is easily distracted and becomes bored easily… again, nothing new… that’s been his behavior since the 70’s… he finds something to focus on.. it keeps his attention for a few months, maybe a year, and he moves on to the next target…

You say good luck leveraging the bridge… I’m pretty sure most people said the same thing about Greenland… but.. look at where we are today… he got everything he actually wanted and then some..

If he loses on the bridge leveraging, do you think he really cares? As long as in his mind he continues to rack up more wins than losses, and continues to put heat on Carney along the way he could care less… because again, it’s not about the bridge… it’s about continued pressure over what he sees as trade imbalance..

You call the bridge a token that carries little weight…

I suppose if the Canadian economy thinks $6.4B CAD is a token, you’re correct… that’s the capital investment Canada has already sunk into the bridge.. the plan was for Canada to recoup those costs through tolls… if tolls never happen, Canada just pissed away $6.4B…

Just call it the Trump Bridge and he will say it is a great bridge, maybe the greatest bridge ever constructed, a true feat of engineering made possible by him, where the steel used a new technology approved by him, where bleach was added to the smelting process to kill off any impurities. Maybe add some gold to it. It’ll be open tomorrow

 

[mdwest]

Just out of curiousity what did he got on Greenland that the US did not allready had? I mean that was worth alienating allies etc?

I assume it cant be access to military bases and getting Denmark/Nato to defend the island better, those things he should have been able to get easily by just asking for it without all the mess. Since Nato under Rutte seems to be extremely eager to please "daddy" Trump

I dont think it was worth alienating allies.. but its pretty obvious that Trump thought it was worth it..

Again.. I acknowledge he is a huge asshole, even when being an asshole really isnt required to get the job done..

I do have to disagree with you however on the getting Denmark and NATO to defend Greenland better and that he could have gotten that easily... he's been fighting NATO since he took office the first time trying to get it to step up and meet its contracted obligations... and now NATO's focus is almost entirely on Ukraine/Russia.. Denmark had already ignored Trumps earlier demands and requests... so.. he took much more drastic measures..

What he got that he didnt have before.. well.. frankly, a lot...

Denmark is now spending 14.6B Kroner ($2.3B USD) to increase the defense of Greenland with enhanced surveillance capability, drones, and deployed naval vessels..

Denmark ran two major training exercises in Greenland in 2025 that it previously had no intention of running.. these exercises were designed to keep troops trained on protecting critical infrastructure and conducting surviellance..

Denmark is now advocating NATO to build infrastructure and a NATO led framework to assist in securing the artic

Denmark, along with other NATO countries (specifically France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden) have all deployed more personnel and aircraft to Greenland

Denmark has agreed to increase its intended purchase of F35's (an additional 16 units) from the US.. the additional F35's are ear marked for the defense of Greenland...

None of this was happening before Trump started his tirades about the US buying Greenland or potentially taking it.. and none of it would have happened otherwise..

He got exactly what he wanted.. Denmark to step up and NATO to step up and provide additional security over the artic to protect the US and Canada from potential Chinease or Russian nuclear attack and/or naval attack from the artic.. without the US having to do all of the heavy lifting..

 

[mdwest]

Just call it the Trump Bridge and he will say it is a great bridge, maybe the greatest bridge ever constructed, a true feat of engineering made possible by him, where the steel used a new technology approved by him, where bleach was added to the smelting process to kill off any impurities. Maybe add some gold to it. It’ll be open tomorrow

Funny.. because.. its probably true lol..

 

[Aaron N]

Funny.. because.. its probably true lol..

Play to his vanity and he will melt like putty in your hand.

 

[RLD]

1000% concur... Im actually surprised at the level of support it gets from the players.. you would think that a revolt would have happened by now...

you figure the average career length of an NFL player is 3.3 years.. with 63% of NFL players retiring due to injuries.. and that over 90% of NFL players report that they regularly play with injuries..

Granted, even the lowest level, bench warming players get paid A LOT.. $885K is the minimum rookie salary allowed, and 1 year veterans get $1,005,000.. and 2 year veterans get $1,075,000 as a minimum.. so.. assume you only last 3.3 years and literally were the lowest paid person in the league.. youve still made more than $3M for playing a sport at the national level...

but.. that same 26 year old that now has to have knee surgery (62% of NFL players get knee surgery... 20% get knees replaced), and chronic arthritis (47% get arthitis and report daily pain for the rest of their lives), etc..etc.. and has to figure out what he is going to do with the rest of his life once he gets bounced from the team roster..

All of that said, the smart ones incorporate clauses in their contracts that cover their asses if/when they become injured.. and the NFL also offers disability benefits where annual payments can range from $65K to $265K if someone retired from the league due to injuries... but.. much of that is dependent on the attorneys and the players agents rather than the union..

There kind of was a revolt back in the day, many players sued Upshaw when he was ED, but that didn't save them from getting screwed by a hard salary cap.

 

[steve white]

Regardless, more people wanted to watch dogs running around than Kid Rock. 6 million people sounds like a lot of viewers, but it’s less 5% of the total Super Bowl viewership of 127m. Personally, I can’t say I wanted any of the three!

Biggest factor---most folks didn't even KNOW about the alternate halftime or where to find it. It will only grow next year.

 

[steve white]

It looks like some of our allies in the region didn't want to play along.

As in threatening the reserve/petrol status of the dollar

 

[Tanks]

Play to his vanity and he will melt like putty in your hand.

That has been Putin's playbook all along.

1000% concur... Im actually surprised at the level of support it gets from the players.. you would think that a revolt would have happened by now...

When they had a strike in 1987 that went nowhere a commentator said, to paraphrase, "When millionaires fight against billionaires, they lose.".

 

[CJW]

Biggest factor---most folks didn't even KNOW about the alternate halftime or where to find it. It will only grow next year.

Exactly. I heard about it a few days before but had no idea TPUSA was putting it on and just forgot about it. I'll try to watch it sometime this week and probably tune in next year if the performers interest me. I'm assuming next year it will be advertised much better and many more people will seek it out.

 

[pilar]

Serious police state.....as I have said many times country is finished and fkd....

It’s religious police, the ayatollah is supposed to be appointed by god / allah
So the religious fanatics that hold military, civil police, civil workers, bureaucrats
Aren’t just fighting for god but to maintain their own jobs and family nepotism of power and influence, “”velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the Islamic jurist), which establishes clerical rule over the state.”