NFL ready to kick off political statements

[Jon8503]

By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY
The NFL is making sure performers such as Green Day, Kanye West and the Rolling Stones focus on their music rather than criticizing President George Bush for his handling of Hurricane Katrina during its Opening Kickoff 2005 concert show on ABC tonight. Opening Kickoff 2005 performer Green Day will perform live at Gilette Stadium but shown on TV with a tape delay.

The league is insisting on a 10-second tape delay for the 8 ET show for the second consecutive year, according to ABC spokesman Mark Mandel. The NFL and the network embraced tape delay as an insurance policy after Janet Jackson's infamous breast-baring incident with Justin Timberlake during halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII in February 2004.

The 10-second delay for the hour-long special preceding kickoff of the New England Patriots vs. Oakland Raiders is twice as long as ABC's normal tape delay for live, prime-time programming. But the NFL and ABC might need the time to hit the bleep button. During NBC's broadcast of a telethon benefiting Katrina survivors Friday, West said: "George Bush doesn't care about black people." NBC cut the statement before the show appeared on the West Coast. The Stones accuse the president of being "a crock of s—-" on their new album, A Bigger Bang. Green Day wails about the "redneck agenda" in their Grammy-winning album, American Idiot. While Green Day will perform live, or live-ish, from Gillette Stadium, both West and the Stones will appear on tape. West will appear with Maroon 5 today in Los Angeles and their performance will be edited into the show. The Stones were taped at a concert in Detroit last week.

"There will not be opportunities to make remarks," says NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. "They are here to perform their songs. They have assured us they will perform as discussed." As for the NFL's political leanings, McCarthy says: "We're sitting on the 50-yard line."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2005-09-07-nfl-tape-delay_x.htm

[theHandpuppet]

1. Does this mean their broadcasters will stop politicizing, too?

I see... it's okay for the networks to hire RW mouthpieces as sports broadcasters (or for their professional sportscasters to stump for Bush) but heaven forbid that a musician might make some negative comment about Das Bushreich.

I wonder how many commercials we'll see from the various branches of the military and National Guard during the games?

What a load of hypocrites!!!!!

[zbdent]

2. Too bad there wasn't a 10 second delay on

showing Poppy Bush in the owner's box at the Patriots game last year . . . can't see how that wasn't a political statement . . .

[Guaranteed]

3. LOL but they're going to let Green Day PLAY?

Do they realize their whole album is a big "fuck you!" to the Bush administration?

[geomon666]

5. shhhhh

Don't give it away.

[geomon666]

4. Didn't even know about the Stones speaking out

Nice :)

[alarimer]

6. This makes me sick

Fuck the NFL. Freeper assholes.

[underpants]

7. Thank GOD- what if the children saw Billy Joe's nipple?

Eh.. this isn't that unexpected. At least they didn't drop Kanye, Mick, and GreenDay completely and replace them with Lee Greenwood or someone like that.

Does anyone watch that or is getting people to watch it the point of this story?