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In a town hall event held by conservative television hydra Sinclair Broadcasting last Tuesday, host Eric Bolling coyly told Donald Trump that “a friend of mine” had submitted a videotaped question for the president. Who could it be? Donald Trump Jr.? Tony Bobulinski? Eric Bolling with a mustache? Nope! It was Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, and he wanted to ask the leader of the free world about the subject on every American’s mind: television ratings.
“The NBA and the NFL are struggling with lower ratings, as fans clearly do not want political messaging mixed with their sports,” said Favre. “So how should the leagues support and promote an anti-racism position without becoming political and alienating fans?”
Trump, who has long insisted that NFL players who protest social injustice during pregame performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” should be kicked out of the league, agreed with Favre’s statement that politics and sports are a dangerous mix. “People don’t want to see all of the politics,” the president said about sports during the town hall, a political event filmed on location at the White House. “[T]hey don’t want to see it with football or sports, on Sunday or whenever they happen to be watching.”
This answer must really have connected with noted separate-sports-from-politics activist Brett Favre, because on Friday the retired quarterback tweeted an enthusiastic Trump endorsement.
After all, when you hear the words “freedom of choice” and “tax paying citizen,” Donald Trump is the first name that comes to mind.
Later on Friday, Fox News’ John Roberts reported that Favre would be a “special guest” at Trump’s rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
You may be tempted to note that Brett Favre the political rhetorician played 16 seasons for the Green Bay Packers, but that would be mixing sports with politics, which is something Favre and Donald Trump are staunchly against. Why the hell did you do that? An in-person endorsement from a football legend at a pre-election rally in a crucial swing state would have nothing to do with politics or sports.
Alas, this sports-politics cocktail was a hypothetical quaff.
To be fair, Favre has a record of making phantom appearances, like the time he was paid $1.1 million in welfare funds from a nonprofit in his home state of Mississippi for three speeches he never delivered. (As of May, Favre had started to repay the money.) Perhaps he was busy selling dubious copper bracelets. As a businessman, Trump would understand. He already got the endorsement, anyways.
Just listen to Favre’s soaring words: “I suppose he has helped his cause tremendously and is deserving of much praise and respect. Because it’s not easy for a guy his age, black or white, Hispanic, whatever, to stop something that you’ve always dreamed of doing and put it on hold—maybe forever—for something that you believe in.”
Yes, that is what Brett Favre said about … Colin Kaepernick during a June interview with TMZ.
There’s a guy holding a rally in Green Bay who would disagree. If Favre had attended, he could have asked him about it.
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