Comedian Josh Gondelman has been a New England Patriots fan his whole life,Watch Power but this Sunday, he'll try to balance his political affiliations and his team loyalty.
With Super Bowl LI just two days away, many are tackling coverage of the big game from every angle, including politics — more specifically, the Patriots' ties to Donald Trump. Quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft are all "friends" with Trump, as the president says, causing some philosophical dissonance for left-leaning Patriots fans.
Gondelman is one of those fans, but he's found a solution to this moral dilemma.
SEE ALSO: 6 other times Tom Brady just wanted to talk about the gameThe Last Week Tonight writer started the hashtag #AGoodGame, and will make donations to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund for every Patriots touchdown.
Because of Tom Brady's garbage politics, I'm donating $100 for every Patriots TD and $50 for every FG to the @NAACP_LDF. #AGoodGame
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) February 3, 2017
In essence, he can root for his team and stay true to his political affiliations at the same time.
"I'd like to cheer for the team I grew up loving without feeling like I'm cheerleading the Trump administration too," Gondelman said in an email to Mashable."Rather than stage a (small and ineffective) boycott of the Super Bowl, I thought why not encourage people to watch and enjoy the game and donate a small (or large) amount of money to a good cause for every Patriots score."
Now, about those "garbage politics."
Though Brady is a brilliantly media-savvy player, often choosing not to wade into political waters, his connection with Trump has been pretty clear over the years. After a 15-year bromance, the "Make America Great Again" hat in Brady's locker last year essentially confirmed his political endorsement.
Still, Brady doesn't overtly discuss politics when prompted.
"Also, I tweeted that Tom Brady's politics are garbage, which may have been hyperbolic," Gondelman said. "What I mean, in the cold harsh light of day, is that I wish he would engage more critically with politics given his well-documented terrible choice in red hats."
The "Democratic Patriots fan" is clearly a big target market.
Tons of other folks jumping on board with this movement. Gondelman's Twitter feed — along with the #AGoodGame hashtag — is overflowing with retweets of fans in the same political conundrum.
I'll be donating $10/NE TD to @ACLU & $5/NE FG to @NRDC. if the Patriots win, $10 to @RAINN01. Thanks Josh for the great idea! #AGoodGame https://t.co/y6q5HpBj9A
— Fiona (@fionaderulo) February 3, 2017
Count me in. For every Pats' TD I'll donate $20 to @MainePublic and for every FG, I'll donate $25 to @ACLUMaine #AGoodGame https://t.co/NizKjo2bvk
— Rich Kimball (@DowntownRichK) February 3, 2017
I'm donating $5 for every TD by either team to the @ACLU #AGoodGame https://t.co/7EvRPIhdDS
— Joan (@bedabug) February 3, 2017
Shoutout to @joshgondelman for the motivation to donate. I'm in. 10$/FG, 20$/TD to the @NAACP_LDF , and 20$ more if the Pats win #AGoodGame
— AJ Rose (@ajeremyrose) February 3, 2017
#AGoodGame TweetsI'm in: $50/TD, $25/FG to https://t.co/gwzkRfdKHJ, our local refugee support organization. #AGoodGame https://t.co/rpbkAKLgx6
— e. schenck (@inthemilk) February 3, 2017
Brady is a three-time Super Bowl MVP who threw four touchdowns in Super Bowl XLIX three years ago. If that performance is any indication, a handful of organizations will be raking in some serious donations on Sunday.
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