Why Social Media Might Take Down the Football Empire

Due to recent events, people all over the United States are outraged with the NFL.  The league slapped the wrists of Ray Rice who was caught on video knocking out his then fiancé and suspended him for 2 games, but when the entire world became angry for simply two weeks, Rice has now been suspended from the NFL indefinitely.  While I'm glad the Ravens have kicked him off their team and he is now suspended, I'm angry on how the NFL handled this entire situation, namely Commissioner Roger Goodell.  But I am no the only upset American.  The protest against domestic abuse has viral, and it very well could hit the NFL hard.

What's been trending recently on Twitter is the hashtag #GoodellMustGo and every kind of person or business is using it.  People want the NFL commissioner to resign since he apparently cannot give punishment well and has tried to cover up that he never saw the footage until we all did.  (The whole footage was sent to NFL headquarters a few months back.)  The equality group UltraViolet has made banners with the hashtag that have flown over several NFL games this past weekend to increase the awareness and to prove that a big group of people are willing to do what it takes to protect women in domestic violence.  

What has really sparked the social media fury is the new CoverGirl ad.  CoverGirl is the official beauty sponsor of the NFL, and has recently created the "Get Your Game Face On" make-up which color coordinates with all 32 NFL teams.  One of the ads was a girl made up with the Baltimore Ravens colors, and one person has edited the image to reflect domestic abuse.  This image is powerful and I am glad that someone did this.  It has been trending on Twitter and Facebook, and while the focus is on the NFL, people want to boycott CoverGirl as well.  CoverGirl didn't create the image, but they haven't taken down their images advertising the NFL, which has created some conflict.  The beauty of social media is that it is a two-way communication, and Covergirl released a statement last night about their stance on domestic abuse.  While they can't really come out saying that the NFL Commissioner who is paying for their sponsorship needs to go, I believe the makeup empire stood up for women.  Whether they take off the advertisements, we will just have to wait and see.  Not only does it affect CoverGirl, but every other sponsor of the NFL.  I want to know how they respond to this catastrophe, and that will surely affect my purchasing habits. 

Domestic abuse is a huge problem is the United States, and the NFL is a huge part of American culture.  If kids hear about Ray Rice and then he's still playing in the league, what lesson are we teaching them?  I hope this social media fire against Roger Goodell and the NFL works, because I love football myself, but I don't want to support a group of people that do not respect women.  Social media has fired at the NFL, and it's only time until we find out if the NFL will fall to their knees.