We Used to Be a Proper Country: Cardinals Cheerleaders Were Basically Benched Just So Some High Rollers Could Watch the Game from Field Level

Christian Petersen. Getty Images.

Stop me if you've heard this before over the last month before you can hit the SKIP AD button, but I love my country. As every candidate and Bonsera the undertaker says in the very first line of The Godfather, "I believe in America."

I like to think that this is still the land of equality. Where sure, people have different standards of living, because some have more than others. This is, after all, still a place of opportunity where you're free to make your fortune and enjoy the luxuries others are not able to. But at our core, we still believe that there is one set of rules that apply to everyone equally. That we are all endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. And that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

But I guess I was wrong. Just being naive. Because apparently the very people who dedicate their lives to bring us happiness - to literally lead us in cheer - will simply be swept aside in order to accommodate a few rich people: 

Source - Friends and families of Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders say the team was removed from the sidelines for Monday night's prime time football game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

   

They say the cheerleaders only performed during breaks from play, which was apparently because of new premium seating.

 

The move came as a shock to the current team and decades-long vets.

 

Families of the cheerleaders say what used to be nearly three hours that they performed on the field during a game day would now be a total of 10 to 15 minutes. They also say the cheerleaders were given a four-day notice that they would not be performing alongside the game. …

Fans took their frustrations to social media. The Cardinals' Instagram page was flooded with comments and people demanding answers. …

The cheerleaders were allegedly told the reasoning behind the decision was they would have been blocking the view.

 

"We drove three hours," a mother said. "What am I supposed to tell my daughter? Where are the cheerleaders?"

Where are the cheerleaders, indeed? This is a question that deserves to be asked of everyone currently out on the campaign trail. Whether or not they approve of this blatant classism in our society. Do they believe in this defacto Caste System, where a few wealthy elites get to dictate what the great working classes masses in the stadium who paid good money to be there get to enjoy? I'm not asking them to legislate this. In fact, the less they do when they get into office, the better. I just want to know which direction their moral compasses point. And if you don't believe in NFL cheerleaders and the rights of fans to watch them dance, you and I have very different views of what the Great American Experiment is all about.

This is exactly the kind of treatment that got Les Miserables in France to rise up against the monarchy. It's "Let them eat 3 hours of in-game boredom while everyone is standing around between plays without any distractions." Marie Antoinette's head ended up in a basket for less. 

And what about that poor mom who drove three hours to get to Glendale, just so her daughter could see her heroes for 15 crummy minutes? Does her time mean nothing? Are we to crush that little girls' dream just so some real estate developer and some hedge fund manager can talk business while the officials huddle for the 25th time? That girl could grow up to be beautiful and look great in cowgirl boots and bedazzled shorts, and yet only be missing the inspiration she would've gotten if those ladies got to be where they belong. Which is in front of the paying customers, spreading pep. 

Don't even get me going on the cheerleaders themselves. And how much they have to work and sacrifice in order to get where they've gotten. Are we just supposed to forget that for a 1pm game, they get up as early as 3:15am? 

I'm sorry. I'm not here to preach or go on some Working Class Hero rant. After all, I've never done a decent hard day's work in my life. It's just that my heart is with the masses. The great unwashed. The wretched refuse, yearning to breath free and watch the Cardinals' cheer squad perform:

If you can't enjoy them and watch Kyler Murray scramble for a 44-yard touchdown and lead a 4th quarter comeback, or watch Chad Ryland's winning kick with no time left (my Patriots fan blood just ran cold), then you're simply not my kind of American. Move to Canada, pinkos. You're no countrymen of mine.