So Start Talking

We all know that money talks. We live in a capitalist society, one that is fueled expressly by consumerism. But as consumers, we forget about the power we have. We always think that we need to express our power through the republic of America (yes, the republic. This isn't a democracy. Don't act surprised.) and through voting. Obviously I'm not saying to withhold taxes from the government. That's illegal, and written encouragement to do that is sure to land me in jail. But in most non-illegal situations, I'd like to think that we could exercise our power as consumers. For instance, think about fans of teams that consistently lose and make poor decisions. I'm not picking on the Raiders, but lets discuss Al Davis.

As a whole, can we agree that Al Davis is pretty much the greatest problem the Raiders face? In fact, the SuperBowl run with the Raiders was the worse thing that could have happened to them, because it validated Al Davis and his personnel decisions. And the Raiders have suffered since. So what is a fan to do? STOP GOING TO THE GAMES! If you really loved your team, you would stop supporting their bad decisions. I'm a Titans/Falcons fan (Titans when they came to Nashville, and the Falcons since I've been alive) but when they started kicking quality players, instead of paying them, (Jevon Kearse, Eddie George, Derrick Mason, Steve McNair, etc) I quit supporting them. Are they still my "team"? Yes. Do I buy tickets and merchandise to help fund their (in my opinion) poor decisions? No. In non-sports example, I don't eat at McDonald's because many of their marketing decisions in the 90's were, in my mind, racist. I stopped eating McDonald's in 2000, and (with one exception) haven't eaten or given them my money since. Some would say that McDonald's has thrived and isn't missing my money at all. But what if my entire block had started boycotting? Or my entire neighborhood? City? Am I saying that I want to topple McDonald's as a corporation? No, they supply jobs for a lot of people in a time when jobs are rare. But do I want them to realize that they are held responsible for their decisions as a company, by the consumers? Yes. The same thing applies to fans. Hold your teams responsible. If they're making decisions that are clearly financial in nature, and NOT geared towards winning, make your voice heard through your dollars. Stop financially supporting the team. If enough real hardcore fans stop giving the teams more money when they make poor decisions, they'll realize that they are not immune to responsibility and are somewhat subject to their fanbase.

Ultimately, all I'm saying is you have a voice. If you want something to change, you have the power to make your voice heard through your dollar. Money, itself, doesn't talk, you do.

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