Amy Schumer supports protesting NFL players by saying no to Super Bowl ads
The Super Bowl is the biggest night of the year for two things: Pro football and very expensive commercials. Amy Schumer has decided to use one to influence the other.
Her concern stems from ongoing protest actions in which certain players kneel, raises fists, or stand together united during pre-game National Anthem performances. They're doing it to take a stand against police brutality and racial inequality in America -- sticking to the message of exiled NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Schumer isn't involved in football, but she does acknowledge that there's one place she can push back: Super Bowl ads. She's not doing them this year. She also urges Maroon 5 -- the next Super Bowl's halftime band -- to drop out.
It should be noted here that Schumer's post is in many way a response to a report that Rihanna had been offered the headlining halftime show gig, but she said no because she supports Kaepernick.
Schumer acknowledges that her own act of protest isn't exactly going to turn things around on its own. After noting that she's already told her team to turn down any Super Bowl commercial offers, she accepts that her words "must sound like a privilege ass sacrifice." Then she adds, "but it's all I got."
Pricey Super Bowl advertisements -- they cost multiple millions for just 30 seconds of airtime -- have long been positioned as another valid reason to watch pro football's post-season championship game. Brands pull out all the stops for these ads, which are often the subject of round-ups and critiques the next day.
Some of Schumer's critics have pointed out that, as far as anyone knows, she wasn't booked for any Super Bowl ads. So, they contend, this whole thing is just a play for attention. It doesn't change anything.
Those people are missing the point. Schumer seems to be hoping that, by following Rihanna's (reported) lead, she'll encourage others to make a similar decision of saying no up front, before an offer surfaces. She openly exhorts Maroon 5 to bow out of the halftime show, and there's a strong suggestion that other concerned celebrity-types might want to follow Schumer's lead.
She's not wrong about the advertising. Ad dollars mean a lot to any pro sports league, and the Super Bowl -- historically ground zero for preposterously pricey commercials -- is the NFL's biggest night. Celebrity involvement often plays a big role in that regard, so convincing other big names to steer clear is its own form of protest.
The NFL continues to engage with the player protest side of the issue by not engaging at all. There was a brief period before the current season started when the league weighed a ban on all public forms of protest in connection to weekly games. That wasn't received so well, and the league ultimately stepped back from its decision.
Still, some interests inside the league have imposed anti-protest rules at the club level. The most public of those is Jerry Jones, the deeply conservative Dallas Cowboys owner. He's made it clear to the team -- by his own admission -- that players who ignore the team's rule requiring everyone to be present and stand for the National Anthem are at risk of being cut.
Topics Activism Super Bowl Celebrities
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
