For sale

Everyone has a price.

You hate that, right?

You hate it for its smugness, its arrogance, its presumption that, in America, everything and everyone is for sale. The Man Who Couldn't Be Bought? Why, that's a  child's myth, like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Save it for Hollywood, bud.

No, in the real world -- the world of grownups and their alleged grownup grasp of What's Important -- everything's just a haggle over price. Everyone's got one, which is why selling out one's principles isn't a character flaw. It's just bidness.

Perhaps Jay-Z can find some comfort in that.

Once upon a time, see, Jay-Z did the John Carlos/Tommie Smith thing to the Nashunal Foot-ball League, saying he'd never do their Super Bowl halftime show as long as the Shield was blackballing Colin Kaepernick for peacefully protesting racial injustice. Kaepernick's preferred method for doing that -- kneeling silently during the national anthem -- ran directly counter to the NFL's secular worship of the anthem and the flag and the troops and 'Merica. So out he went.

This no doubt pleased the Paper Patriot in the White House, who had been actively pushing for the NFL to fire anyone who didn't show respect for the anthem/flag/troops/yada-yada in a manner the Paper Patriot deemed satisfactory. The problem for the NFL was there was a backlash -- and it was led by Jay-Z and other prospective halftime entertainers, who suddenly found their schedules full up on Super Bowl Sunday.

So, good on Jay-Z for standing up for his guy. Showed integrity, principle, all that stu--

Hey, wait a minute. What's this?

Why, look, it's Jay-Z, sitting here yukking it up with Roger Goodell, tsar of all the NFLs. This upon the news that Jay-Z's company, Roc Nation, had struck a deal with the league to serve as a liaison between the NFL and the entertainment industry that has snubbed it -- and also to facilitate the league's sudden interest in social justice initiatives, which of course has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the aforementioned snubbing.

Just like Jay-Z suddenly jumping into bed with the NFL has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Jay-Z possibly getting a stake in an NFL franchise.

Coincidences. They're a real thing, Pinocchio.

In any case, suddenly Jay-Z has gone from standing up for Kaepernick to saying "I think we're past kneeling. I think it's time for action." This of course ignores the fact Kaepernick and the other kneelers have been taking action, via numerous initiatives and charitable acts of their own.

Look. I get it. The NFL was taking a beating on this issue, so it's just smart business to co-opt one of the people administering the beating. Astute corporate entities do it all the time, because the public is notoriously indifferent to sellouts these days. Just look at what's going on in Washington, where everyone shrugs at even the most blatant conflicts of interest, treating the entire concept not as corruption but simply how governance gets done.

And so Jay-Z allowing himself to be co-opted by the NFL, for a price?

Just bidness, boys and girls. Just bidness.