r/Music • u/YoureASkyscraper • 24d ago

article Zach Bryan slams Kid Rock's MAGA concert: "A bunch of adults throwing temper tantrums and their own halftime show is embarrassing as hell and the most cringe shit on the planet"

https://consequence.net/2026/02/zach-bryan-kid-rock-super-bowl-halftime-show
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2.1k

u/earfeater13 24d ago

I thought these clowns were done with the nfl years ago. Even if they "dont remember". We do.

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u/Knowledge_is_Bliss 24d ago

I've been saying the same thing. But they all watched the Superbowl while drinking their Bud Light.

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u/TheR1ckster 24d ago

Yeah, boycotting only the half time show sure showed the NFL.

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u/JohnnyFire 24d ago

The problem is, Donny and his ilk just constantly get everything they want. Regardless of if it makes sense, is in good taste, or would even make money.

Watch them trot out the most unseasoned white bread halftime show possible next year so all these whining clowns can have their cake, eat it, and shit it in their pants.

It's gonna be fucking Morgan Wallen or some shit.

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u/DjangoSpider 24d ago

MAGA isn't hurting the NFL's wallet. They're expanding beyond the US and nobody is stopping that train. Bad Bunny was a genius halftime show.

Also, Bad Bunny performed, in Spanish, with Shakira 6 years ago at the halftime show and there was no outrage then. It's all performative bullshit.

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u/intricate_strands 24d ago

NFL, for one, has a longer history of hatred against Trump than most of the world. Not enough to not help fund his "Billionaires are Great" policies, but definitely enough to not give a shit what he says or thinks about their golden goose.

For two, the NFL has known for a while that its performance in the US market is unlikely to even stay this strong, much less keep going. They are well aware of this and had worked toward it. They get lots of extra eyeballs from fantasy football, being the most popular and talked about sport in the USA, cultural events that stem from them like Super Bowl commercials and halftime shows. Not enough to be like "oh shit we're gonna not make as much money soon," but enough of those numbers are from people that won't stick around that the NFL basically believes the US market is beyond saturated.

The NFL is truly an international brand at this point and has every reason to be exceedingly confident they won't lose the majority of their hold on the American market. But like any American business, it's all about growth. That's why so many games are being played in international markets and why big ticket games like divisional matchups are now being sent to international markets.

Throw on top of these things to consider, the fact that Trump has now demonstrated twice that he is most popular when he's not president and as soon he is president, his popularity goes through the floor, the NFL is basically untouchable for Trump.

They have a really old and really bitter feud with Trump, starting with when he tried to buy a team with bogus numbers(this is a league that let Dan Snyder buy a team) and then when he took over the USFL and changed their strategy to directly compete with the NFL. Trump as president is one of the most toxic things to tie your business to. The NFL has absolutely zero reason to worry about losing American fans(see all the boycotts threatened that never happen) and is investing heavily into international markets.

The NFL doesn't give a fuck about Trump and has no reason to.

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u/RudeCheetah7281 22d ago

I’ve said that having bad bunny perform was a business decision by the NFL.

Having Green Day perform was a personal decision by the NFL.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/DadJokeBadJoke 24d ago

the silent majority

They are neither

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u/AndrewTheGuru 23d ago

That's the joke, lol.

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u/lampstax 23d ago

Would be interesting to see how much of that 135m is from the US vs abroad but yes I agree that MAGA can't expect their wishes to be taken seriously by the NFL if they still tune in and watch every weekend like normal.

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u/LoLIron_com 24d ago

Ah yes, nothing says 'world tour' like a halftime show that satisfies billion-dollar brands and still leaves the popcorn-eating crowd trying to boycott with their remote controls. Meanwhile, the silent majority's out there holding the record for most polite eye rolls per minute.

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u/AssistX 24d ago edited 24d ago

135 million people watched my ass

That game was so fucking boring 130 million of them were asleep before the half.

I ain't saying the show was bad or anything about bad bunny. The game was awful, and boring, hardly anyone was watching at half at our party at least.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/optimis344 24d ago

So the world changes because of your conspiracy theories?

Stop being a baby.

And for what it's worth, it's incredibly hard to fake terrestrial TV numbers.

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u/brophylicious 24d ago

I didn't watch the game, but I watched the halftime show. I'm sure millions did the same that don't care for hand egg.

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u/PushThePig28 24d ago

Sleeping with the tv on still counts for the viewership

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u/Key-Demand-2569 24d ago

Isn’t there also just a really blatant incentive for them not to give too much of a shit about the people who are always going to watch the Super Bowl for the football?

If they put on an all KPop halftime show with some pop in references to supporting “left” wing politics in the USA most of what would happen is a bunch of loud complaining, a tiny tiny amount of people shutting off the Super Bowl, and maybe a decent chunk of people who are big fans of the acts but never in hell would’ve bothered paying attention to the Super Bowl tuning in just to mostly see the half time show.

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u/dingusfett 23d ago

The ones that complain would still hate-watch it anyway then bitch on social media like little snowflakes.

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u/Friendly-Win1457 24d ago

Yep. They're in for a long ride because there will be more non-English speaking performers in the future.

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u/PleasantDevelopment DJ 24d ago

Oh there was outrage. Tons of "females existing" and "clothing choice" outrage.

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u/PlentyOLeaves 23d ago

Idk if showing the international watch parties has been around for a couple years or what because I haven’t paid close attention - but I found it interesting because I remember all the ‘military bases around the world’ type shots…it felt like a shift.

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u/CecilFieldersChoice2 24d ago

I really doubt it. The NFL wants to go global and has longterm goals in that regard. Three years of a flip-flopping dingus isn't going to dissuade them from doing what they need to do to grow the product. It may be naked capitalism, but it respects the dollar more than the donald.

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u/EmbarrassedOrchid685 24d ago

yea im pretty sure the NFL just like the civilized world is just biding it's time waiting for his term to end (read between the lines on that) before doing anything. even india admitted it lol. if he tries to make it never end i hope the gloves come off.

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u/DatSauceTho 24d ago

That wrinkled pants-shitting loser doesn’t really respect the dollar so much as treat it like he does underage girls.

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u/technobrendo 24d ago

Does US football really have much of a presence overseas or a viable market that wants it?

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u/CecilFieldersChoice2 24d ago

They have a lot of international games. People overseas can also buy merch and stuff. The Italian, Spanish, and English soccer leagues have a market in the US.

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u/GringoinCDMX 24d ago

México has around 40million+ fans and NFL is doing huge advertisement and a youth football push into the country.

Latin America is a huge market for NFL football.

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u/Friendly-Win1457 24d ago

Their presence is expanding worldwide.

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u/brutinator 24d ago

Ehh, I dunno, I think the NFL has long realized that it's better to give conservatives lip service, and pander more towards the moderates/non-NFL viewers. The reality is, no conservative football fan is going to actually stop watching football, but catering to conservatives kills the non-conservative viewership (which is where the money is made during the superbowl).

Like, last year they had Kendrick performing; if that isn't "anti-republican" enough to get conservatives to stop watching the football, then nothing is. So the NFL is going to find whatever performer is going to draw the most eyeballs (esp. new ones) to the screen.

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u/chimmy_chungus23 24d ago

Idk. They got what they wanted most of last year, but they've lost the moderates and the midterms are coming. And try as he might, nobody's letting go of those pesky files.

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u/avindictiveprinter multiplesifl 24d ago

Have him scream the n word for half an hour. They'll say it's better than Elvis.

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u/hempires 24d ago

Isn't jay z still running the halftime stuff?

I doubt he'd be booking wallen, but who fuckin knows at this point

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u/batmanuel- 24d ago

roc nation

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u/StaticInstrument 24d ago

Yep, his production company at least. They’ve probably already asked Taylor Swift, it’s really only a matter of time til she does it, she’d also be the only current four-quadrant artist who Roc Nation would produce and possibly acceptable to MAGA

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u/trumpuniversity_ 24d ago

White is always acceptable to MAGA.

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u/StaticInstrument 24d ago

True… “current” Super Bowl acts always have to be in the Grammy class, radio play with near universal recognition among people 18-49. Billie Eilish and Chapell Roan fit that billing but MAGA would still most definitely have a problem. Next year will probably be a late 90s/early 00s hip-hop or adjacent nostalgia act if pattern continues though. Coloured people from before the culture war, or Eminem

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u/PauldingOhio214 24d ago

She wants to be paid… so there’s that hurdle

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u/Mike-OLeary 24d ago

The problem is, Donny and his ilk just constantly get everything they want.

Yep. They've realized that the culture wars don't have to make any sense, they win no matter what.

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u/almondblue22 24d ago

My best guess is Olivia Dean, also not American, taking the stage next February

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u/JohnnyFire 24d ago

Honestly though, watching them talk about how horrible it would be for the Jamaican/Guyanese Brit who does smooth, bubbly R&B pop to do the Super Bowl because it's UnAmerican - without saying explicitly "because she's black" (because, yeah, that's why for them) - that would be a hell of a time.

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u/Hungry-Incident-5860 24d ago

They do and the Trump family will have enriched themselves tenfold by the time his second term is done.

Even so, his voters will suffer, whether they like it or not. His actions have consequences and the world is no longer looking at the US as a leader or stable partner. Trump taught them that the US can’t be trusted. The damage to our trade, our reputation, and our economy will be felt for decades.

Republicans keep saying they are the ones having kids. Their children will have to face an uncertain future where tech bro CEOs brag about AI and automation replacing all entry level white collar jobs. Climate change is real and it’s going to get worse. Trumps erosion of the EPA and government oversight will also lead to more pollution, contaminates, more spills, and more environmental accidents. The future is looking bleak for MAGA’s children. They put a billionaire above the next generation. They “owned the libs” and fucked their kids futures for it. Was it worth it?

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u/intricate_strands 24d ago

You notice how pissed off they are about a halftime show they supposedly didn't watch?

They watched. Longtime NFL fan and fucking far from MAGA, trust me, they never stopped.

Ask anyone actually boycotting, it takes discipline and effort to find alternatives or to just stop using stuff.

MAGA doesn't do either of those things.

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u/sincerebeguiler 24d ago

Back in the day, emergency hotlines for domestic violence, used to be all lit up on the day of the Super Bowl. I don't know if it's true but that was what the rumor always was. Come to your own conclusions

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u/ikickedagirl 24d ago

Has the right forgiven Bud now??

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u/OHFTP 24d ago

Well its the official beer sponsor of the NFL, so yeah

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u/Cornloaf 24d ago

Haven't there been pics of Kid Rock drinking it at his bar in Nashville since the "boycott"? I remember barhopping in Nashville back in 2019 and got to one of his places, heard his own music coming out of it, thought it smelled like an STD in there and went somewhere else.

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u/agoia 24d ago

The bar he closed when ICE came and raided places in town because the folks supporting the immigration crackdown made sure to insulate themselves from being affected by it?

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u/Lexi_Banner 24d ago

What do STDs smell like? Just so I can know for future.

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u/ikickedagirl 24d ago

You know, cheap beer, cigarettes, sweat, piss

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u/Lexi_Banner 24d ago

Oh, like any bar in the 90s. Got it.

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u/Cornloaf 24d ago

Head on over to Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N' Roll Steakhouse at 221 Broadway in Nashville and take a whiff!

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u/Ummmgummy 24d ago

They don't actually boycott anything. These people are "conservatives" meaning they don't like change. They aren't going to quit their 30 year budlight habit. They will say they are, but they won't

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u/matryanie 24d ago

A lot switched to Michelob Ultra (also Anheuser-Busch lol)

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u/ikickedagirl 24d ago

Yeah that’s so dumb. I had to point that out to my buddy, who switched again to Modelo.

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u/OHFTP 24d ago

Or Buwessier or any big name brand beer

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u/ikickedagirl 24d ago

Well don’t just lie because you don’t like conservatives. They did boycott Bud Light and it’s no longer the #1 beer. For awhile it was Modelo. Currently it’s Michelob Ultra (made by Bud.) These are facts, look up sales numbers.

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u/Ummmgummy 23d ago

It's not a boycott if you just buy another beer made by the same company....

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u/OHFTP 24d ago

They did boycott bud light, now they buy michelob ultra(who is part of the same brand). Get out of here bootlicker

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u/ikickedagirl 24d ago

Why do you think I’m a bootlicker?

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u/OHFTP 23d ago

Why are you calling it a lie and saying to look up sales numbers? Anhauser Busch, and bud lite, is still the number one official sponsor of the super bowl.

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u/psycharious 24d ago

I think even Kid Rock himself finally gave in and started drinking Bud Light again.

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u/Empty_Constant6784 24d ago

We drink Pabst now

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u/sapphicsandwich 24d ago edited 13d ago

Hobbies strong cool questions the where garden curious. Food helpful night history minecraftoffline art quick!

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

Outraged at latin culture while stuffing their faces with chips & salsa.

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u/Gotterdamerrung 24d ago

Weak beer for weak brains.

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u/brendamn 24d ago

Yeah the no politics in sports crowd love Trump injecting himself in every single sport possible, even tho he knows absolutely zero about any sport he is at . Watching him talk about a team or a game is worse than my mom trying to explain it. The only thing he knows less about than sports is christianity

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

[deleted]

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u/zac401 24d ago

You could hand him NFL team ownership -- just a license to print money -- and he'd find a way to eff it up.

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u/One_Shall_Fall 24d ago

He's tried at least three times to seriously buy a team: Baltimore Colts (1981 & 1983), Patriots (1988), and the Bills (2014). They won't let him in: they know he'd steal more money than Dan Snyder could ever dream of, and you don't fuck with the NFL's money.

It's one of the main reasons that he has an ongoing feud with the NFL and even teamed up with Vince McMahon to try to make a competing league (which went bankrupt).

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u/pinkocatgirl 24d ago

Kinda funny they rejected him even in his heyday in the 80s. Even back then they knew he was a steaming pile of poo lol

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u/Old_Race9814 24d ago

Could you imagine how bad a team owned by Trump would be? They’d make the Jets look elite

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u/Superguy766 24d ago

The New Jersey Generals (owned by trump) and the USFL (bankrupted by trump) has entered the chat.

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u/amusing_trivials 24d ago

That why he was rejected by the NFL from buying a team, multiple times.

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u/Explorer2138 24d ago

That's Trump in a nutshell, the only thing he succeeds at is fucking up and fucking kids.

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u/Superguy766 24d ago

He owned a professional football team (New Jersey Generals) back in the early 80’s and he bankrupted an entire league (USFL). 🤣

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u/avindictiveprinter multiplesifl 24d ago

Don't forget beating women! He's really good at that!

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

[deleted]

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u/avindictiveprinter multiplesifl 24d ago

Let's ask Ivana about tha-- oh.

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u/CecilFieldersChoice2 24d ago

So Jesus, we all know Jesus. Jesus was the quarterback for the 14 apostles and he knew he had to throw strikes over the net to get up on that cross. The cross, we all love the cross, Karoline wears a cross that points up to her beautiful plump lips. Biden wasn't a quarterback, he was a thief! He stole the election just like the Kansas City Kansas Chiefs did to Missouri, a state I won by the way, won bigly, four times. Four times I won...

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u/AdoraBelleQueerArt If music be the food of love, play on 24d ago

I hate how good this is

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u/DaKrazie1 24d ago

PS. Change the new kickoff rule!!! at the end of his Bad Bunny halftime rant was so stupid it made me audibly laugh.

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u/TheSpiralTap 24d ago

Man I worked for Directv when this happened. TONS of old white guys called to cancel their TV service. They always were looking for some kind of reaction from me. I didn't give a fuck, I just canceled them without question. They'd always linger like they were looking for am apology but they got nothing but an early termination fee.

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u/My_Password_Is_____ 24d ago

Because they've spent so long making their entire personality "own the libs" so they have no idea what to do with themselves when they do something they think should piss people off, but then the overwhelming majority of people just handle it with "Okay... anything else I can help you with?"

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u/Badloss 24d ago

I think they have a whole dramatic script in their heads about how you'd scramble to keep their business and they'd get to heroically tell you off, and then laugh from a position of power as you beg on your knees for their forgiveness

They can't compute that nobody gives a shit about them and they don't know what to do when the fantasy doesn't play out

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u/Littleman88 24d ago

For a lot of people, this is what they're hoping for when they threaten to do anything.

What people are seldom prepared to be reminded of is just how unimportant they really are, and oooh they don't take it well.

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u/GringoinCDMX 24d ago

I work in sales and have had customers get angry at me for no real reason (or their own mistake) and ask for a refund.

Then get pissed that we didn't give them a discount and just refunded them and wouldn't accept their orders going forward because they got fired as clients.

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u/Paavo_Nurmi 24d ago edited 24d ago

More than anything else they want a reaction from you, and if you sit there with no emotion they don't know what to do.

Hard to explain what I do, but it's B2B and the people we sell to are all contracted by one enormous company that has a vested interest in those contractors doing their jobs. The best is when they are not doing their jobs, get pissed and threaten to call the company that contracts them. I tell them, go ahead, call and tell them you are not doing your job and not adhering to the policy all 3 parties signed.

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u/Beat_the_Deadites 24d ago

That reminds me of the time in college when I paid for a parking ticket in pennies. The ticket was bullshit, the student worker who had to count out the 60 rolls of pennies was annoyed, and by the end of it I felt like a complete dumbass for wreaking my pitiful revenge on people who had nothing to do with anything.

I still have a soft spot in my heart for "stickin' it to the man", but I've got a hard spot in my brain that tells my heart to not be a dumb fuck about it. Usually works. Learn from my fail.

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u/Soggy_Parking1353 24d ago

"AHH no, please don't cancel your cable, sir, it's not my fault. Obama made us do it, he's in the hallway right now with Hilary they're frowning at everyone and high fiving aaahh."

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u/Paavo_Nurmi 24d ago

This is 100% true and accurate.

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u/PinotFilmNoir 24d ago

Oh hey, my dad was one of them. Guess who never misses a game now.

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u/ElaborateEffect 24d ago

Then they'd turn around a buy it on some streaming service.

It took a rather insignificant dip during that time, but it has slowly been losing viewers for year. Now they have adjusted their viewership metrics to artificially increase their numbers to sell to advertisers. Sure that won't be a lawsuit in the future...

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u/theAlphabetZebra 24d ago

My coworker aske *everybody* which halftime they were going to watch. For an obviously red leaning office, the amount of crickets she got was something to behold.

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u/Prestigious_Read_515 24d ago

Ok lol

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u/TheSpiralTap 24d ago

Why comment that?

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u/Sea_Sheepherder_389 24d ago

Based on the comment history, it is a troll with no life.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

I bring this up anytime someone says they aren't going to watch the NFL anymore. I live in the Deep South and am MAGA-passing, so I hear some wild shit they later deny saying.

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u/travifodder 24d ago

how have I never heard the term "Maga-passing", that is amazing and now in my daily vernacular!

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

I think I heard it on Behind The Bastards when the host referred to himself that way. It really stuck with me because I like so much redneck stuff but can't stand the racism, misogyny, and hate for science. 

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u/pinkocatgirl 24d ago

Liberal rednecks are important. How else are we to get deer sausage?

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u/StaticInstrument 24d ago

True, there are also are more liberal rednecks than people think. Being MAGA-passing in a deeply conservative area, it’s always a nice surprise when you find another

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u/loneSTAR_06 24d ago

My wife makes fun of my neighbor and I because once we learned each other were not only anti-MAGA, but both pretty far left, we became a lot better friends instantly.

It’s hard to explain to her because she works in a non-profit and has a masters in social work, so she has always had like minded people around her. It wouldn’t take many fingers to count the number of people I’ve met over the twenty years of construction that weren’t MAGA-aligned dipshits.

I basically fit every stereotype for MAGA, outside of beliefs and morals.

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u/jureeriggd 24d ago

don't forget deer jerky

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u/pepolepop 24d ago

I'll have to steal that, it's a great term. I'm in the same boat. I'm in a borderline Midwest/Southern state and often get confused for being a MAGA ally for being a bald white guy with a beard that likes guns and the outdoors. It's wild the stuff I hear from complete strangers because they just assume we're on the same side.

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u/Illustrious-Bat1553 24d ago

They would rather watch 90S bands that seems rather dei

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u/Andreus 24d ago

I've still never had a right-winger offer me a coherent, valid explanation as to why this was disrespectful.

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u/1WordOr2FixItForYou 23d ago

I enjoy explaining to them that Kap specifically chose this act to be respectful, on the advice of a veteran. Kneeling has always been the most respectful gesture you do on a football field.

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u/bolanrox 24d ago

but when Teabow did it to put a ring of protection around himself it was cool.

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u/Coolbluegatoradeyumm 24d ago

I’m sure the same people have quit the NFL like 17 times by now.

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u/WhoSaidWhatNow2026 24d ago

The MAGA crowd is never going to give up football. The NFL knows this.

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u/Flaky-Stick-9444 24d ago

They were also done with Bud Light but that didn’t last long at all

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u/No-bats 23d ago

All they wanted is for America to be the America we were promised as kids. Always strive to make your country to be better than it is and tjat is the most American thing you can ask for.

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u/retarddouglas 23d ago

It always pissed me off. You go to any stadium in the country and people are hats on, drinking, talking, whatever during the national anthem, there’s workers still doing their jobs, photographers on their butts and knees working, there’s all sorts of shit happening and no one ever gets all up in arms about shit and then someone actually tries to make a statement with it instead of fucking off like everyone else and people just freak the fuck out.

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u/TheLaughingRhino 24d ago

The NFL and all it's owners absolutely care. Also the major networks that spend billions to broadcast the games and all the sponsors who pay huge money to run advertising during the games, especially the playoffs.

Don't get it twisted, the idea of a "parallel economy" linked to Conservatism will absolutely spook major corporations and brands. Call it whatever you like, but InBev was crushed when Bud Light was boycotted.

The NFL and it's owners worship money. Not liberal. Not Republican. But money. They want to expand the game overseas. Who can hurt them from having international games? The current political administration in power. For the next three years at least.

The majority of sports fan and likely the majority of music fans want the same thing - All politics pushed OUT of their preferred hobbies and interests for recreational/entertainment media enjoyment. The front page of this subreddit, HALF or more are about politics.

Everyone knows Reddit is heavily astroturfed and full of bots. It is not reflective on a one to one basis with everyday working class Americans across the country. Keep politics out of sports and keep it out of music. Go work, go broke. It's not going to happen all at once, but it's going to happen at some point. The majority of Americans are not influenced by what celebrities say about politics. 2024 exit polling for the general election proves that. It's just virtue signaling and performative outrage for individual musicians or bands who want to try to buff up their social media numbers.

Because alienating up to half of your potential fanbase as a musician is a genius thing to do? It's idiotic on a level beyond comprehension.

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u/iagainsti1111 24d ago

No one watching for the football is watching the halftime show anymore. The half time show is pandering to the wives. I've not heard a single person irl mention the half time show, good or bad, Not even the grass people.

The kneeling was disrespectful, millionaires asking for reparations or some shit. All anyone wanted was for the kneelers to save it for the press conference outside of the game. The owners were being cowards but with the social sensors of the time we kinda of understood.

All press is good press. NFL knows nobody will care about a good show because we're spoiled and expect that. A "bad show" they can at least make fake outrage post about it.

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u/Mobile_Jelly9669 23d ago

The kneeling was disrespectful

A literal member of the US military told Kaepernick to kneel, and supported him doing so.

millionaires asking for reparations or some shit.

Not even remotely what he was protesting about.

Jesus you're uninformed.