The crowd gathered on the ridge in the chill pre-dawn, cups of hot coffee or hot cocoa steaming in their hands, wearing coats and hats and occasionally stomping in their boots to keep warm. The wait was worth it. Shortly after daybreak, a muffled thump started the controlled detonation of hundreds of explosives. The structure shivered and then collapsed into itself, sending a cloud of dust in every direction. The crowd cheered.

“What was that building, Mom?” a child asked, as she and her mom started to walk away.

“A stadium, they called it,” Mom said. “They used to play a game there, I think.”

“What was it?”

“Nobody remembers anymore.”

The National Football League stands at the edge of the abyss. It is about to lose a multi-billion-dollar industry and the awareness of this peril is beginning to seep into the consciousness of its members. The lack of crowds at the NFL games have gone from worrisome to absolute devastation. Breitbart journalist Warner Todd Huston has been documenting the empty stands for several years now, and each year the situation grows more dire. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, millions of fans had stopped watching games. The viewership numbers get more dismal every game day.

Here’s where the problem really started. Basketball player Charles Barkley said this in a famous 1993 Nike commercial: “I’m not a role model. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.” The attitude of separating good character from athletic ability seeped into professional sports like a poison. The NFL became blasé about keeping on a wife beating player or one who abused dogs. As long as the athletes could perform, their personal lives were none of the owner’s concerns. Murder? Whatever.

Viewership started to trend lower as thugs started to become visible in the NFL. Then came Colin Kaepernick, kneeling to show his disrespect for our country, and the NFL didn’t fine him or tell him to stop or he’d lose his job. Instead, they allowed players to kneel and disrespect our anthem and our flag, all across the NFL. The owners attached explosives to their brand and pushed the plunger on total destruction.

However, they can save themselves. Here is how, in three easy steps.

1. The NFL will return to a celebration of America and our military and police forces. They’ll put on pre-game and halftime shows that rival the musical sequences in Captain America. Troops will be honored. The colors will be marched into the stadium with a full military honor guard. The National Anthem will be sung with dignity and pride, and every player on the field will stand with their right hand over their heart. If they don’t, they will be at the curb with their duffle bag within minutes. Do you want to save yourselves, owners? Then kick any ungrateful athlete right out of your beloved sport.
2. The NFL will require each paid athlete to take courses in ethics, history, and finance. Perhaps they were raised in a well-educated home with plenty of books and excellent teachers at school. Most likely they were not. The courses are going to be non-negotiable and if the athlete is illiterate, tutors will be hired by the NFL to teach him to read. Many of these young, brilliant athletes have been shamefully shuffled through the school system without ever learning the tools they need to be good public citizens. In return for their dedication to their sport, the NFL is going to teach them. If they refuse to take these classes, then to the curb with their duffle bag they will go.
3. Athletes will be required to dress professionally off the field and portray themselves as gentlemen. No more slugging women in the face. No more staging dog fights. No more wearing socks showing our police officers as pigs. Perhaps a vicious thug can run faster and catch a football better than anyone else. It won’t matter, because they won’t be in the NFL. The NFL football player will become a role model for young boys and girls across the country, and a source of pride to all fans.

Americans have turned away from the NFL, but these three steps will woo them back. If the NFL continues on its current path, it will continue to fade. And then it will be gone.

“Wow, Mom,” the little child said as they walked away. “That was so amazing to see that big building all blown up. It must have been important, once.”

“I guess it was,” Mom said, with a laugh. “Once.”

Bonnie Ramthun is a Colorado mom, wife, and author. She writes mysteries and thrillers for adults, and adventure stories for children. She is an occasional contributor to American Thinker and PJMedia. She is also a former football fan who used to love the sport. You can find her work at her Amazon author page here.

Image: NFL