Martellus Bennett, Patriots Tight End and noted ebony horse with a pointy spike on its head, had an interesting tweet storm this past day in which he ripped fans talking about him and his current pending free agency, presuming to know his thoughts and everything going on. But the really interesting part is that first tweet I linked, where he rips people talking about him taking a pay cut to stay in New England. He’s right, he shouldn’t take a pay cut. NFL players shouldn’t really take pay cuts if they have other options.

I think fans see the NFL differently than the players and kind of forget it’s a business, that it’s a job. Fans are inherently loyal creatures. We follow these teams that really have very little if anything to do with us except take our money, which we gladly pay. Projecting that loyalty onto our franchises and by extension the players is something all fanbases are guilty of. It’s why we get mad if a player goes to a division rival. Or happy, if we hate that player, and want them to tank the rival COUGH COUGH RUEBEN RANDLE.

I just think it’s strange to get mad at a player for wanting to get paid what he’s worth for the “sake of the team”. When players leave in free agency, or hold out, or whatever, so many fans take the side of the team and I often wonder why. Like with Joey Bosa. So many chargers fans, furious he held out because he’s being greedy or whatever, not being a team player. You know, not being a team player for the team that straight up took a steaming dump all over its San Diego fanbase. I see things like “We got you success and you repay us by ditching? Where’s the sense of loyalty, huh?” during free agency sometimes (Saw it a lot with Revis). In a twisted way that’s an interesting point because the player has far more reason to be loyal to a team than any fan does. The player actually got paid and was given opportunity by that team. Fans, if anything, pay teams. Why are we so loyal to these businesses that just take our money and in many ways don’t repay it with true meaningful value that we start to hate employees of that business for wanting the ability to make a better life? Are we just mad that we stay loyal despite getting nothing much out of it outside some emotional fulfillments so if we can be loyal why can’t these millionaires actually playing for them? Fandom is a strange, confusing beast. But this is getting a little too philosophical so here’s a fart joke. Martellus Bennett? More like Fartellus Bennett.

Yeah, take that ya black unicorn.

Edit: Everyone read JH’s comment below, it’s a much better version of one of the points I was trying and failing to make.