Said John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John's, in a conference call with investors. He's stepping down as CEO because of that remark,
according to the NYT. What was so bad about his statement? Isn't the point just that the TV ratings are down and that has hurt the advertisers?
Pizza is big business during football games, but the TV viewership has dropped from last season. President Trump has blamed the lower ratings on the anthem protests, and Mr. Schnatter said during the conference call that Roger Goodell, the league commissioner, should have handled the situation faster.
“Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership,” Mr. Schnattner [sic] said.
His comments about the N.F.L. protests won the praise of white supremacists, and Papa John’s responded by saying it did not want white supremacists or their groups buying its pizzas.
I guess one thing led to another. You don't want white supremacism on your pizza. There really shouldn't be any politics in food, but really not racial politics. Resonating with Donald Trump was already too much of a problem, but getting support from white supremacists is poison.
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71 comments:
I hear a lot of White Supremacists read the New York Times. Pass it on.
There are no white supremacists. It's a term for all sorts of different things all but one of which are benign and wish blacks well.
See Derbyshire item 05, in response to a McWhorter article on white supremacists'
http://www.johnderbyshire.com/Opinions/RadioDerb/2016-12-02.html
There really shouldn't be any politics in food, but really not racial politics.
Agreed!
So if white supremists want to put somebody out of business all they have to do is announce their support for it and crazy liberals will desert it in droves. Good to know. Psst, Wisconsin Law is the White supremists’ favorite law school.
Domino's used to be pro-life but now they're not. Also they changed their recipe.
If you are in Charlotte, I would suggest 500 Degrees of New York Pizza.
No word on whether you can get political messages on your pizza.
Probably not.
Maybe if you order a lot of meatballs, they can spell something for you. You'd have to ask.
My posts are getting deleted?
Nazi Pizza.
Fucking cake decorators get all the glamour, but pizza is not a cake, it's a pie.
- james james
I often order a white pizza. Is that wrong?
1. Papa John owns 25% of this public company. The Board is his. Was he forced out or did he quit because he doesn't need this grief.
2. Who forced him out? Liberals on twitter? They don't eat at Papa John's. They eat tofu.
3. How did this NFL thing become racial?
4. The 100 white supremacists in America need to shut up and go away. MSM magnifies their tiny numbers. Papa John's didn't invite this endorsement. I suspect this is some type of disinformation campaign.
5. This hatred of Trump is a new kind of Reckoning. I would like to see more analysis by Althouse on this point.
@ Ignorance is Bliss
I said there shouldn't be politics in food, but the question of food in politics is distinctly different. The enterprise of Papa John's is selling pizza, and putting politics in that is a bad idea (unless you're Ian's Pizza or something like that).
But if the enterprise is politics, it's not a problem to connect that to food.
As Bob Dylan sang in "I Shall Be Free":
Now, the man on the stand he wants my vote
He’s a-runnin’ for office on the ballot note
He’s out there preachin’ in front of the steeple
Tellin’ me he loves all kinds-a people
(He’s eatin’ bagels
He’s eatin’ pizza
He’s eatin’ chitlins
He’s eatin’ bullshit!)
Amazing last 30 days. More nonsense covered with smoke and mirrors. We are being solemnly told that popular CEOs are resigning all over the place because they sold pizzas with anchovies to 14 year olds.
This needs to be said
The Papa John ads are among the most insipid, banal, least imaginative ads to ever run on TV. They are boring, tedious. . just awful. It is hard to imagine a creative ad agency involved; more likely that they were written by some demented relative of John who could not get a job. A real + of watching less NFL is seeing - PJ ads; I suspect protest crap was just a smoke screen to allow PJ Board find a way to stop the ads.
I like pizza with green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and canadian bacon.
Just like Hitler.
White supremacism is a handy lefty smear. White supremacists, all 100 of them, are handy prog bogymen. But business people need to understand the vengeful left. The party of tolerance will tolerate no deviation from the prog line. They'll come after you. They fight. A few burned pizzas are collateral damage in their scorching of the earth.
Also, papa John did not tow the leftwing line that the ACA was going to be amazing. Guards - seize him.
How is it that telling the truth is suddenly reasons for dismissal?
The NFL is screwing the pooch with these protests.
Trump has noted this. But so have millions of people who watch football normally but have stated they no longer do so. Empty stadiums.
People who do not like what the NFL is doing are not necessarily white supremacists no matter how the NYT wants to characterize them. Somehow politics is poison to pizza but precludes poisoning Sports? Because what are these protests BUT racial politics?
I hold the Left to their standards and the NYT is a hotbed of racial politics and hate. They are also trying to destroy anyone, even a pizza owner, who harshes their narrative.
Ms Althouse should be making a bigger deal of this.
His comments about the N.F.L. protests won the praise of white supremacists, and Papa John’s responded by saying it did not want white supremacists or their groups buying its pizzas.
How do we know this praise from "white supremacists" is even real? Sounds like manufactured propaganda from the leftwing media.
"putting politics in that is a bad idea" Putting lefty politics in that is a bad idea. Prog companies can preen with impunity, signaling prog virtue as much as they want and be praised for it in the MSM.
Of course, putting politics in sports is also a bad idea, but since it is a prog idea, and yet another handy tool to transform the culture and stick it to the deplorables, it's actually a good idea--such a good idea that objecting to it is bad, bad "putting politics into food."
Apparently the blog post included a photo of a pizza with pepperoni slices arranged in a swastika pattern.
With a sausage in the middle. And a random green pepper up top.
Next they will be separating their peas and carrots. And the mashed potatoes.
Resonating with Donald Trump was already too much of a problem, but getting support from white supremacists is poison.
Funny how selective that "getting support from [racist group X]" poison is. A corporation can proudly sponsor some of them, others are poison.
Remarkable that a group with so few members it's essentially a bogeyman has so much power.
One good thing comes out of this: the well deserved death of the NFL.
Think what you want about Mark Cuban, but he knows business. When recently asked he said no way he would buy an NFL team now. The business is declining. He also said the injury thing is such that he tells kids not to play football. Won't let his son play. He doesn't want to be a hypocrite.
"Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership,” Mr. Schnattner [sic] said. His comments about the N.F.L. protests won the praise of white supremacists
Any names? Any? Bueller?
I thought so.
"... but getting support from white supremacists is poison."
You'd probably get in trouble with support from White Equalists.
Which I the looked up.
From Stormfront discussion:
"How about the term " White Equalist"?"
"That emphasizes that whites are fighting affirmative action, the govt mandated persecution of white people and the biggest hate crime in america. All we want is for the govt to grant us the same rights and priviliges other races get. They are the racists and we are the anti-racists."
"I don't want to fight affirmative action. I'd rather see Whites get persecuted a lot more, so more of us will fight back. The ultimate goal is to get our very own country."
"I think you're dreaming. Making even one state of america all white by statute is not gonna happen."
That is all of the discussion.
Interesting that you get three distinct points of view from the three commenters. All under the white supremacists umbrella.
Maybe I should pose the question on Reddit.
- james james
(Deleted and reposted to add: no, I don't read Stormfront. But it used the phrase.)
Papa John had to go. He didn't give the Heil Hitler salute to ObamaCare.
The Left ruins everything they touch. What else could ruin football and pizza? They can't touch anything without making it a soulless, humorless shell, and it's always based on lies.
No, Drago, Hitler was a vegetarian.
Republicans pounced.
This is all it takes? The accusation that white supremacists support you.
The corrupt fascist left win. It's over.
I was going to post a comment in defense of Mr. Schnattner [sic], but I was afraid my comment might garner praise from white supremacists, so I didn't.
Saint Croix,
Thanks for the link. I was particularly interested in the tweets from Papa John's competitors. The Pizza Hut guy was particularly misleading. And, the Digiorno's tweet, while clever, made me laugh at the irony.
I think I see what you’re overlooking, Althouse. The Papa John’s corporation paid a substantial sum of money (I cannot seem to find out how mulch Besides “multimillions”) to be the “Official Pizza of the NFL.” It seems to me as a non-lawyer that if I pay someone for the use of their name, and they then take some action to tarnish their name, I should at least have the right to gripe about it. Ideally I should be able to recover some of the money I lost, but that’s probably very difficult.
When I open my pizza joint I commit that I will sell my pizza to anyone - all they need to provide is the cash. But this is because my pizza joint will be in the business of making and selling pizza. Unlike Mr. Schnatter, I will not be opening SW's Virtue Signaling & Social Engineering Pizzeria.
-sw
Saint Croix: "No, Drago, Hitler was a vegetarian."
I know, but I'm not backing off Canadian bacon even for a joke!
Google CEO leaves.
Possibly there is a sex angle
The NYT injects race, the NY Post injects sex.
Maybe the problem is with the media?
Rumormonger!
I feel like racial separatists and food separatists are two peas on a pod.
With apologies to you innocent food separatists.
The OCD thing is maybe the funniest thing about racism.
I'm so non-racist that I mix my whites and colors when I do my laundry.
Sorry for that little bit of extra pure white space.
did it again
oops
Don't white supremacists have a constitutional right to get Papa John's pizza?
Anyway, this is another sign of what I call "upside-down times".
I'm still waiting for Krugman to denounce the tax cuts because they increase the deficit.
Althouse:
As Bob Dylan sang in "I Shall Be Free"
I don't know how many times I have referred to that song in my blog comments over the years.Definitely more than once. Dylan really nailed it with that song. It addresses America in 2017 as much as it addressed America in the 1960s.
Saint Croix:
I'm so non-racist that I mix my whites and colors when I do my laundry.
I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that.
If a white supremacist group announces that the New York Times is their favorite newspaper, should the Publisher be fired?
Show me on the pizza where the white supremacist touched it.
One of Trumps wins was flipping the kneeling protests against police brutality, or inequality, or other racial stuff , into disrespect for armed services, law enforcement and America. If the protesters were clear on exactly what is being protested, it might make a difference.
Saint Croix:
I'm so non-racist that I mix my whites and colors when I do my laundry.
I don't allow Reds.
One of Trumps wins was flipping the kneeling protests
What did he win? Serious question.
from my POV he's alienating the mainstream middle by politicizing too many aspects of their lives. Most people wanna relax on the weekend.
I'm not talking about base voters. Talking about normal people.
Color supremacists agree, so he steps down?
What of color diversitists, who deny individual dignity? That is they judge people by the "color of their skin"?
Female chauvinists, who, among other things, deny lives deemed unworthy? And sacrifice women, men, and babies for social progress.
Politically congruent ("="), who selectively exclude politically unfavorable orientations?
Anti-nativists who force refugee crises and population replacement schemes?
So damn Pro-Choice. The progressive corruption and dysfunction is inevitable and predictable.
Did you know if you spun a Papa John's pizza backwards you can hear Adolph Hitler speaking in the Sportpalast?
from my POV he's alienating the mainstream middle by politicizing too many aspects of their lives. Most people wanna relax on the weekend.
Players politicized football by kneeling.
Truth is NFL losing viewers because of poor games, volume of games and other things to do. Stadium attendance down due to poor play and expense.
Die hard fan not going to avoid in order to make a statement. Die hard fan will assume nobody knows if he watches or not.
from my POV he's alienating the mainstream middle by politicizing too many aspects of their lives.
Yes, the kneeling was apolitical until Trump came along...
Die hard fan not going to avoid in order to make a statement. Die hard fan will assume nobody knows if he watches or not.
Die hard fan here. No longer watching.
People who used to talk football with me know they no longer can.
You don't want white supremacism on your pizza
Anything less than enthusiastic support for the leftmost political position advanced is not white supremacism.
This isn't even absurd as that's too mild a word. We don't have a word yet this level of nonsense.
The business is declining. He also said the injury thing is such that he tells kids not to play football.
The BLM players outfit picked a spectacularly bad time to politicize football for left wing causes.
1. The people who watch football are not lefties.
2. The head injury thing is coming on fast.
3. Trump, as is so frequently the case, noticed a trend and grabbed it.
4. from my POV he's alienating the mainstream middle by politicizing too many aspects of their lives.
Your POV is the one that is on the losing side. Surely you know that the left has been hostile to football for years.
He was probably tired of the BS that was being flung at him after his statement, and dreams that leaving his job will make that happen.
Hah - SJW's always double down!
Somebody should write a book on that...
https://www.amazon.com/SJWs-Always-Double-Down-Anticipating-ebook/
People probably don't want to think about breast cancer when they watch football either.
but getting support from white supremacists is poison.
But perhaps not for much longer if the Left keeps up its emphasis on identity politics.
White people are starting to get tired of being told:
Everyone is allowed to be proud of their ethnicity, culture and history...except White people.
and
Everything wrong and evil is the fault of White people, especially men.
That's part of the reason of how you get Trump.
He should have kept his big mouth shut, especially concerning Louisville athletics.
"Papa John Schnatter's 2017 ended with a bang: news that he would step aside as chief executive of the pizza company.
It was a tumultuous year for the pizza magnate, whose name popped up in issues surrounding University of Louisville athletics, NFL protests of racism and white supremacy."
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2017/12/22/papa-johns-schnatter-university-louisville-nfl-anthem-protests/976008001/
3. How did this NFL thing become racial?
It was racial from the very beginning. Kapernick bought into the whole BLM thing.
I like pizza with green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and canadian bacon
Sausage, onion, pineapple and jalepeno peppers.
Althouse: "I guess one thing led to another. You don't want white supremacism on your pizza. There really shouldn't be any politics in food, but really not racial politics. Resonating with Donald Trump was already too much of a problem, but getting support from white supremacists is poison."
You guessed. It's only a guess. It may have been a factor. But as other business publications have pointed out, "Papa" John is remaining, as Chairman. He's not being forced out. And this move mirrors recent moves at Panera, with their founding CEO, and Chipotle Grill. And in fact John Schnatter has left the CEO position at his company before, and later returned.
I don't know for sure, but Althouse's "guess" might be making more of this than is really there.
Yes, the kneeling was apolitical until Trump came along...
yeah but the protests from last year had settled down. Trump revived it with his twitter. Then lots of players were kneeling or clasping hands or standing or staying inside and we had to hear about all of it on the news and his twitter feed over and over and over again.
I'm not a football fan. If this had happened to baseball I would have been very pissed. Keep politics away from my baseball.
My POV: Trump would be 45 or 50 in approval if not for his twitter feed & a little less drama. When politicians interfere in people's weekends & entertainment don't be surprised with a backlash.
So, it was not about diversity (i.e. racism). It is about manipulating perception to force an outcome now and in the future. The diversitists have to rearm after their bigotry (i.e. sanctimonious hypocrisy) is exposed. Americans really should become familiar with Sun Tzu's insight. At this rate, we will lose our shirt, dignity, and community, too.
"we had to hear about all of it on the news and his twitter feed over and over and over again".
Few hear about it on twitter. Was MSM making a big deal out of it to create division, as usual.
yeah but the protests from last year had settled down.
The protests should have been dealt with in the offseason by the Commissioner, but he hoped everyone would forget. The protesters didn't forget. They kept at it. And since it now rolled into season 2, Trump mentioned that the league was not dealing with the issue.
Now the NFL's policy is that players have a right to protest whatever they like during the Anthem and interfering would take away their civil rights. They are free to protest the game itself during the Anthem if they like. The league is now hoping that with a commitment to pay money to charities selected by the players that they will voluntarily stop kneeling en masse.
Therefore, the League has done nothing but ensure the kneeling will continue. Why should the players take management's first offer? Why shouldn't they hold out for more? And if they don't get more, the League's actions make it difficult if not impossible to stop them.
On other issues, like the wearing of incorrect socks, Tweeting during the game, and "inappropriate" celebrations after a scoring play, the league has no problem telling these very same players they do not get to exercise their first amendment rights during the actual playing of the game.
So I can only conclude that the league COULD stop the demonstrations, but CHOOSES NOT TO stop the demonstrations, and therefore feels those demonstrations are a perfectly fine part of the game.
I would add that the Anthem is the two minutes of the game where all the spectators take off their team colors and remember there is more that unites us than divides us. So the irony of protesting a lack of national unity during the two minute national unity celebration is most ridiculous.
If I shorted stocks, Papa John's would be a short. Now they have insulted the people that were still buying their pizza.
So the irony of protesting a lack of national unity during the two minute national unity celebration is most ridiculous.
This also shows how stupid the players efforts to defend against valid criticism are. Players portrayed those critical of them as divisive, but the players initial protest actions are divisive. In fact their divisiveness (by protesting during the celebration of unity) is the only reason the protests draw attention and is therefore the entire purpose of the protest.
What's funny about this is how the press keeps on trying to promote the idea that empty stands and poor ratings couldn't possibly be over people turned off by BLM protests on the field. They said that last year only to admit later that yeah, that was why people turned off. Wait for a verdict in February after the season when they admit the obvious.
baltimore-ravens-send-letter-fans-noticeable-no-shows-home-games
There really shouldn't be any politics in food, but really not racial politics.
Sure. And there really shouldn't be any politics in football, but really not racial politics.
Yet, that's where the left wanted to go and why I'll never watch another NFL game.
As coming from someone who lives in an area where pizza is serious business, the opinion of the house is Papa John's pizza is pretty bad. It's probably not as bad as Pizza Hut or Dominos but it is hard to tell since we consider it below our station to bother with such tasteless calories. It's not really even good as cheap fast food as other fast food tastes better. Any local Mom-and-Pop shop is preferable.
That said, having been to other parts of the country there is worse pizza than the fast food joints. Much, much worse.
As for the current kerfuffle, in my opinion businesses should stay out of politics. If Papa John's was unhappy with the NFL's handling of the protests - who wouldn't be - then you pass on your displeasure behind the scenes. Nothing good comes of this public stuff. Ask the NFL.
The NFL haters with their disrespectful kneeling jumped the gun.
They should have waited until everybody who has a loved one who died for this country had died. Then nobody would know they were ungrateful haters for "kneeling" like stupid selfish little brats during the only couple of minutes during the entire year when those who died for them were actually remembered.
There is not a single one of those fat overfed NFL kneelers that any American soldier would want in a foxhole with him.
They, the coward millionaire kneelers, did not wait long enough.
The NFL millionaires had tears in their eyes, thinking of what heroes they thought they were.
They were wrong.
Not a single one of them is a hero. Not Cappernick and not his little buddies. No matter what the phonies at ESPN tell you.
And people do not like it when cowards claim to be heroes, even if the cowards work out a lot and play vigorous games.
And so people do not want to watch what they do, do not want to have anything to do with them. People really hate the NFL now, that is a new thing. People did not care about the NFL a few years ago, now people actively hate the selfish arrogant richy-rich NFL.
Add that to the unending concussions and the NFL is pretty much at the point Dixieland Jazz was in the 1960s.
Rich kid Cappernick can think he is a hero all day long, he is just a lazy ungrateful rich kid that nobody wants to be around.
Down 20 percent this year.
Nobody likes arrogant people.
I’m a football fan. I played football, I wasn’t half bad. I recognize the off the charts ability of the modern
Player and I understand the rule changes that are affecting the product on the field. None
Of that bothers me, what bothers me, is severely uneducated imbeciles bringing their politics out on the
Field. I got no time for that, zero interest.
Go Dawgs.
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