Fox Sports' Katie Nolan Explains Why Boycotting the NFL Isn't the Answer

From a PR standpoint, the NFL and its upper management are currently trudging through an unmitigated dung-blizzard of public scorn.

Between the sobering accumulation of concussion data and the hapless bungling of Ray Rice’s domestic violence case, the current state of affairs in the league has caused even the NFL's biggest fans to question their roles in the circus of ugliness.

Sports writers are coming out of the woodwork, claiming to be helpless, self-aware addicts—consumers who would boycott the NFL if watching it didn’t feel so damn good.

Fox Sports’ Katie Nolan is not one of those personalities.

The No Filter host dropped her usual goof-around, one-liner routine Monday in favor of directly addressing the issues haunting the league and those covering its missteps. In short, Nolan says we need to keep our eyes on the NFL if we want to have any impact on its direction.

“All this Ray Rice stuff has put me in an uncomfortable position,” Nolan said. “How do I reconcile my values and beliefs with my love for a sport that has an ongoing issue with domestic violence?”

Nolan pointed out that an NFL boycott is futile, as it would only silence a small, outspoken minority from the public discourse involving league policy:

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Boycotting the NFL would mean giving up football entirely, and it just isn’t realistic to think that the majority of society—enough people to make the desired financial impact—would give it up. More likely, a boycott would remove the critical thinkers from the NFL conversation and leave the league to continue making billions of dollars with even less accountability.

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This was just the beginning of Nolan’s message, which included a tear on herself and the media at large for their own roles in marginalizing women. She admitted allowing herself to play a smiley, out-of-the-way “role” in the news cycle.

It’s a searing indictment from Nolan, who cut through the flawed idealism of an NFL boycott while simultaneously putting the league and her employer on notice.

With that said, the die is cast and the sides are plain: You can walk away, or you can stay vigilant and fight through the storm. The choice is yours to make, but Nolan's not going anywhere.

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