Good afternoon, Bolt fans!

Well, correction: morning. And maybe it’s not the best morning of the year, but I hope you have a swell one in any case. You deserve the best, after all- you have stuck with this ragtag team through thick and thin, and with very little fanfare to boot. You have given your time, focus, and dedication for so little reward, and so little acknowledgement. In some ways, you might be able to identify with some of the Chargers’ most talented players this week: ignored and forgotten.

To our dismay, the Chargers fell in embarrassing fashion to the Vikings in LA. While there’s value in perseverance, such as the Chargers’ dominant win last week despite being out of the playoffs, there’s despair in being unceremoniously left for dead.

So, who forgot what?

The NFL, one of the largest and most well-known media corporations on Earth, has, at points, had to face accusations of being heartless.

They haven’t been the only company to face such charges.

*cough* There have been times when political pressure has enabled large companies to make sweeping changes that were both unnecessary and immoral, in the interest of preserving profits. They have been accused of chasing dollars, dirty as they might be, instead of doing what is overwhelmingly morally right or just. They have been accused of unfair labor practices. They stand accused of serving as 21st-century factories for taking talented folks’ skills and milking them for every drop of profit, then leaving their dried husks behind to disappear into the void. *cough cough*

Despite the Ebenezer facade, many folks still invested in and helped to grow the brand of these companies. Not because their time and investments served a soulless entity, but because they genuinely enjoyed learning about, talking about, and analyzing their favorite assets—and because we’re clearly talking about the NFL, that refers to the Chargers.

Some of our favorite people this week have been glaringly undervalued, overlooked, and—without abusing literary license—stomped on, despite their incredible work ethic and fantastic production. Further, in just a few short months, they will be removed from the public eye, in favor of a much smaller, homogeneous group of hand-picked individuals. Sure, you’ll have the chance to enjoy some of your favorite people through the end of this football season, but it bears recognizing that this blatant snub is both unwarranted and unjust.

GET ON WITH IT!

We are, of course, referring to the Pro Bowl, whose starters were announced this week through tweet and website posts—in most cases before the individual athletes were notified directly. Only Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen of the Bolts have been named starters, and it is true that their work this season has been phenomenal! Melvin Ingram and Darek Watt were also named alternates for the game.

However, obvious omissions include the record-setting season that Austin Ekeler is having, and the perennial all-star that is Casey Hayward. Even Michael Badgley deserves recognition for being a dependable kicker in a season where those were few and far between!

But, alas, the last we will see of the majority of our favorite faces looks to be around the end of the NFL regular season. Somehow, 2020 doesn’t seem quite as bright as we were all hoping.

Wishing you and your families the recognition, love, and appreciation that all Chargers fans deserve,

Jason “Y’all got the hidden message?” Michaels, and the Bolts from the Blue staff