It’s Super Bowl Sunday and the Washinton Post is attempting to cancel the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Literally:
The Buccaneers embody Tampa’s love of pirates. Is that a problem? https://t.co/D1WONOBgVy
— Earle Kimel (@earlekimel) February 7, 2021
Sigh. This is why we can’t have nice things:
On Super Bowl Sunday, the @washingtonpost is here to remind us that “normalizing pirates” is problematic.
So, if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not cancelled, soon we will all be tolerating raiding galleons, plundering coastal towns, and swashbuckling.https://t.co/W3dNSAtXKz
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) February 7, 2021
From the op-ed, which was written by Jamie L.H. Goodall, staff historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History:
Yet, while this celebration of piracy seems like innocent fun and pride in a local culture, there is danger in romanticizing ruthless cutthroats who created a crisis in world trade when they captured and plundered thousands of ships on Atlantic trade routes between the Americas, Africa and Great Britain. Why? Because it takes these murderous thieves who did terrible things — like locking women and children in a burning church — and makes them a symbol of freedom and adventure, erasing their wicked deeds from historical memory. These were men (and women) who willingly participated in murder, torture and the brutal enslavement of Africans and Indigenous peoples.
And:
Should we celebrate their complicated legacy? It’s a question Tampa Bay has to contend with as we collectively contemplate other major sports mascots with dubious legacies, like their Super Bowl rivals in Kansas City.
Don’t let her see this photo of school kids embracing these cutthroats!
This is my kind of class and a great way to start the day. Can’t wait for Sunday! #GoBucs @BucsFoundation @HCPSRobinsonHS pic.twitter.com/ghx16ZIBFI
— RobinsonFlagFootball (@RobinsonFlag) February 5, 2021
Honestly, did they just run out of things to get angry about?
Tampa and Florida have 99 problems, and celebrating the pirates of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Gulf ain’t one of them.https://t.co/Sa9g9ZCImF
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 7, 2021
It’s exhausting:
Pirates are problematic, you see.
That said, it’s a good read for the history of it. That said, we obviously need to cancel pirates. But if we do, we’re enabling Peter Pan, who also committed acts of violence. This is exhausting. https://t.co/mzgi5Gqac0
— Judson Berger (@JuddBerger) February 7, 2021
But there’s no end in sight:
Everything must be canceled.
Everything.
No fun for anyone. Period.https://t.co/3JGVt9YYVs
— Christian Ziegler ?? (@ChrisMZiegler) February 7, 2021
Vikings and Raiders? You’re next!
Same thing could be said for the Raiders and Vikings, but why? https://t.co/LKYC6rY0vO
— dave. (@Davelite93) February 7, 2021
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